Magnificent seven miss Maastricht vote

NAPOLEON says vote for Maastricht - it's official] Well, it's official according to the European Parliament's Socialist group, which has drafted in the Little Corporal as one of seven famous people who would back the treaty if only they had the opportunity, writes Andrew Marshall.

Sadly, all are disqualified from voting, or from clarifying their positions - all being dead.

Jean-Paul Sartre, Charlemagne, General De Gaulle, Victor Hugo, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Montesquieu are an odd bunch to lump together, but the Socialists have found quotations from each to support the federal project. These have been reproduced on postcards, which one can send to politically literate friends ('weather fine, opinion polls lousy'). The stunt is an upmarket version of the one pulled by the Sun, which contacted historical figures through a medium during Britain's election. Sadly, Attila the Hun's opinions on Maastricht are unrecorded.

(Photograph omitted)