So, in the two years leading up to the next election, the Tories may not be the only party in turmoil over Europe.Īnd if Brussels rejects Britain’s attempts to renegotiate membership, a move by David Cameron to hold a straightforward ‘in-out’ referendum could be his surest means of staying in Downing Street. Indeed, an opinion poll yesterday showed that Labour’s lead has been cut to ten points after his plans for an EU referendum have emerged.Īs for Ukip, I believe that as well as drawing support from former Tory voters, it will soon attract Labour and maybe even Lib Dem voters who are fed up with their parties’ blind devotion to a European ideal that is turning to ashes. A few weeks ago, it was thought that Labour would promise a referendum and trump the Tories - but now it is clear that David Cameron has beaten them to it. The initiative in this debate has suddenly shifted. He can goad Mr Miliband, whose political heart will never embrace the Euroscepticism that is now so popular in the country and who risks being left stranded in terms of public opinion. Such cowardice offers a great opportunity for the Tories.įor once, by recognising not only that Britain’s relations with Europe must change, but that a referendum could force that change, the Prime Minister is in tune with public opinion.
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He didn’t want to define what this means - and he certainly had no clue how to achieve it. Mr Miliband said he wanted ‘a more flexible Europe’.
Interviewed on Radio Four’s Today programme on Thursday, Ed Miliband turned in one of the most dire performances of his or any other political career, signalling that Labour hasn’t a clue what to do about Europe. Not a clue: Ed Miliband's interview on Radio Four's Today programme was one of the most dire performances of his or any other political career Labour, too, are also guilty of gross hypocrisy and confusion over Europe. Voters are well aware of this deceit, and the Lib Dems face near obliteration at the next election.
And they pretend they have never recommended a referendum on our continued membership, but they have. They pretend they never advocated membership of the euro, but they did. The Lib Dems, especially, hold a deeply dishonest position. Both parties are in denial about the state of public opinion on the issue, and their utter failure to respond to it. However, before Labour and the Lib Dems gloat over Mr Cameron’s dilemma, they should be honest about their own massive problems over Europe. In many key seats that the Tories must win to secure an overall Commons majority, it threatens to take the votes of traditional Conservatives who are convinced renegotiation will never happen. It is because of the increasing popularity of Ukip. This isn’t because of the huge electoral appeal of either Labour or the Lib Dems. And they pretend they have never recommended a referendum on our continued membership, but they have Holding a dishonest position: The Lib Dems pretend they never advocated membership of the euro, but they did. Others, while applauding the fact that he seems at last to have recognised just how angry many Britons are with the EU, were also ready to criticise some of the unrealistic aspects of his proposals. It is in this context that if Mr Cameron had delivered his landmark speech yesterday, the opposition parties were poised to condemn him. And that, supposedly, would be the end of the matter. The next stage would be for British voters to be given a referendum to decide on any new arrangement, which - it is presumed - would lead to us either accepting or rejecting membership of the EU on those new terms. In Britain, the pressure is growing in the opposite direction as Mr Cameron is urged to ask for a renegotiation which would allow us to seek the repatriation of various powers lost to Europe.įor the truth is that the EU’s mission for ‘ever closer union’ has always meant ultimately creating a federal superstate, something that is unacceptable to most Britons. Much of what the PM would have said yesterday had already leaked out and his prepared comments were clearly intended to address widespread public disgust over the EU.įor Europe’s economy is sclerotic and failing, its governance is corrupt, and Brussels will have to remove yet more powers from member states if it is going to have a prayer of saving the euro. David Cameron's prepared comments for his big speech on Europe were clearly intended to address widespread public disgust over the EUĭavid Cameron’s big speech on Europe may have been postponed, but the dilemma facing all the main political parties - not just the Tories - will continue to intensify.
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