British Conservative Party leader David Cameron promised today to change UK law so that no further powers could be transferred to Brussels without the approval of the British people in a referendum.
Call Me Dave is electioneering. He'll say whatever he has to keep the crazies on board the bus.
But the good thing about referendum politics in the UK is that so often there seems to be something more interesting happening, and it's so very hard to find the time to organise one.
The next treaties that the UK is going to have to ratify are all accession treaties (Balkans, Iceland and perhaps Turkey). In each case, it can try to make a stand (against longstanding UK policy that all enlargement is good) to get concessions on withdrawing from this or that policy, or do a referendum. It might even work. But Cameron isn't promising that. He's just saying he'll try to get a few powers back with regard to justice and employment, not what he'll do to get the other states to agree.
The Beeb got another backbencher:
But some Tory MPs are likely to continue demanding the public have a say on Europe. Backbencher Douglas Carswell told the BBC News Channel: "I think we need a referendum on our relationship with Europe."
Backbencher Douglas Carswell told the BBC News Channel: "I think we need a referendum on our relationship with Europe."
So I've now tallied all of 3 MPs and 1 MEP who are being restless.
US political history is a stern warning to the EU. Our Civil War forced the south back into our Union and they've been little but a PITA ever since. From a political POV - but not from either a moral or humanitarian POV - the Union should have let the south go.
Britain is not the South. The South is stupid. Britain, as we all know, is perfidious ;-)
Although it might be tempting to want to isolate (and potentially split up) Britain by letting it step out of the EU, this would not go without a lot of unpleasant ripples -- unless the British elites make a big mistake.
Britain, as we all know, is perfidious
Britian? I thought the Albions, from Albionania, were perfidious. I'm so confused. :-)
My (admittedly semi-ignorant) take is the British elites want to remain in the EU for economic reasons - CAP being one! - and remain outside on everything else. British policy has been Balance of Power for donkey's years. Seems to me they are trying this out using the US to balance the EU on the macro-scale and good old fashioned "Fog in Channel, EU cut-off" internally.
The problem with the Balance of Power strategy is, sometimes, you have to make a choice or the choice is thrust upon you. I don't see the British elites leaving the EU; I do see scenarios where they are asked to leave by raising the frustration and exasperation levels high enough. There's always a 'tipping point.'
Of course the Spaniards, as usual, have things the wrong way around... notes from no w here
Though not entirely by choice, of course...
- Jake If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.
And on the mainland, many in Provence feel they are in a different country, hate Paris and probably want to run the show.
Having said that, I don't really believe in that theory ;-) "Few can believe that suffering, especially by others, is in vain. - Galbraith"
