David Cameron today faced a challenge to his authority when the former shadow home secretary David Davis urged him commit himself to holding a referendum on Britain's relationship with the EU within three months of taking office. Davis set out his proposals in an article in the Daily Mail ahead of a speech by Cameron this afternoon which the Tory leader will use to outline plans to repatriate some powers from Brussels as part of a toughening of Britain's relations with the EU. Amid anger on the right of the Conservative party at his decision to abandon a "cast-iron guarantee" to hold a referendum on the Lisbon treaty hours after the Czech Republic ratified it, Cameron will say he is prepared for a battle with the EU.
Davis set out his proposals in an article in the Daily Mail ahead of a speech by Cameron this afternoon which the Tory leader will use to outline plans to repatriate some powers from Brussels as part of a toughening of Britain's relations with the EU.
Amid anger on the right of the Conservative party at his decision to abandon a "cast-iron guarantee" to hold a referendum on the Lisbon treaty hours after the Czech Republic ratified it, Cameron will say he is prepared for a battle with the EU.
But if it ever came to the UK wanting to renegotiate? That might mean the end of the Kingdom and the birth of little England. We certainly have every interest to push in that direction if they ever go so far.
Breakup scenarios This United Kingdom by RogueTrooper on June 14th, 2006 The West Lothian Question. Breakup of UK ? by Helen on July 5th, 2006 How many nations in Europe? by ManfromMiddletown on November 30th, 2006 Three Hundred Years and Counting for Great Britain by Gary J on January 16th, 2007 Scottish Elections 2007: SNP makes large gains. by ManfromMiddletown on May 4th, 2007
The British people have been promised a referendum by all the major parties. The treaty itself is undoubtedly a massive constitutional transformation. It has been ratified by an unelected prime minister without a mandate. All these are arguments for a referendum, almost irrefutable ones. But on what? Any incoming government will be faced with the ultimate fait accompli, a binding treaty which it cannot revoke. [...] The sort of things we might include are: recovering control over our criminal justice, asylum and immigration policies; a robust opt-out of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights; serious exemptions to the seemingly endless flood of European regulations which cost the UK economy billions of pounds each year; a recovery of our rights to negotiate on trade; exemption from European interference into trade in services and foreign direct investment rules; and an exemption from any restrictions on our foreign policy. [...] Some fear this would become an 'in or out' referendum, a decision on whether to continue our membership of the European Union. It would be nothing of the sort. Killing this tired old canard is one of the reasons the referendum question has to be absolutely clear in language and intent. If our opponents keep trying to make this argument, it will give us an opportunity to highlight the fallacy that there are only two options in Europe: either capitulate to the Franco- German federalist model, or leave. It is clear that this notion of such a vote being an 'in or out' referendum is both craven and wrong.
All these are arguments for a referendum, almost irrefutable ones. But on what? Any incoming government will be faced with the ultimate fait accompli, a binding treaty which it cannot revoke.
[...]
The sort of things we might include are: recovering control over our criminal justice, asylum and immigration policies; a robust opt-out of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights; serious exemptions to the seemingly endless flood of European regulations which cost the UK economy billions of pounds each year; a recovery of our rights to negotiate on trade; exemption from European interference into trade in services and foreign direct investment rules; and an exemption from any restrictions on our foreign policy.
Some fear this would become an 'in or out' referendum, a decision on whether to continue our membership of the European Union. It would be nothing of the sort. Killing this tired old canard is one of the reasons the referendum question has to be absolutely clear in language and intent.
If our opponents keep trying to make this argument, it will give us an opportunity to highlight the fallacy that there are only two options in Europe: either capitulate to the Franco- German federalist model, or leave. It is clear that this notion of such a vote being an 'in or out' referendum is both craven and wrong.
One possible alley for getting more English opt-outs, though, is for the Tories to veto accession of new EU states (this would become a topic in 2014), or to veto parts of ongoing negotiations with Croatia and Iceland until they get a promise for one more opt out.
It isn't impossible that we'll see something like that. On the other hand half of the stuff Davis mentions are 'in or out' questions - there's no question on acceptance of internal market regulation or on the trade mandate. In fact, if the UK wants serious opt outs from internal market regulations it couldn't even get into the EEA when it leaves the EU.
No doubt Davis realises that what he's saying is preposterous and he would actually like to see the UK out.
That'd still leave Dave with that fruitcake Hannan and his nice Polish allies in the EP, so it won't be the end of his headaches.
But if Cameron doesn't manage to tranquilize the base the UKIP might wind up running a successful spoiler campaign in the 2010 General. En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
If I'm wrong about this, though, we'll be in for interesting times.
And with EU membership as the hot-button issue, a Tory-LibDem government becomes impossible.
Interesting times, indeed. En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
Well running the current predicted figures through electoral calculus site, it dosn't take more than about 1 in 20 tory voters from current scores to defect to UKIP for a hung parliament to occur. Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
If the tories get elected, though, and there are no large UKIP gains to pressure them towards a more eurosceptic stance, I think the Eton boys are going to be the ones doing the kniving.
recovering control over our criminal justice, asylum and immigration policies; a robust opt-out of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights
But the Charter is not the Convention. So far he's not proposing stepping out of the Convention. I'd think he'd eventually want out of the Convention as well, or at least out of a few Protocols.
