94 replies to this topic

[keithisco]

For those of you hoping for a Referendum on the EU in 2014... Cameron has back - tracked on his stance and will not now commit to one UNLESS the Tories win the the next General Election, at which point they will START to re-negotiate UK Terms with the EU, followed by a referendum some time after that.

Read more from the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk...litics-21148282



"Setting out the conditions for a future referendum, Mr Cameron will say: "The next Conservative manifesto in 2015 will ask for a mandate from the British people for a Conservative government to negotiate a new settlement with our European partners in the next parliament.

"And when we have negotiated that new settlement, we will give the British people a referendum with a very simple in or out choice to stay in the EU on these new terms; or come out altogether. It will be an in-out referendum.

But he will say that holding an in/out referendum now would be a "false choice" because Europe is set to change following the eurozone crisis"

I was fully expecting a Referendum to give a mandate for re-negotiation to be next year, with a full IN / OUT referendum to be held within the first year of the new Parliament.

Anybody else feeling a bit cheated by the new time-scales and caveats (i.e. re-elected Tory Govt)??

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

Yup, populist gimmick written all over it. The next Conservative manifesto in 2015 will ask for a mandate from the British people for a Conservative government to negotiate a new settlement with our European partners in the next parliament.
You mean they've thought of a policy at least, albeit one that will probably never see the light of day?

[spud the mackem]

Why is he putting this off to 2015, if he had one now he would almost certainly be re-elected,and we would no longer be a Euro annexe.

[Render]

He's waiting till 2015-2017 because the referendum will only come around those years IF he gets re-elected. That is now the condition.
This has nothing to do with the benefit for the UK ppl, this has everything to do with Cameron trying to get some votes. It's so desperate.

And by 2015-2017 the EU will have rebounded and be a stronger force, so then all the doubt will come again if a referendum is actually needed.

Populism is so transparant. If only everyone would see.

Edited by Render, 23 January 2013 - 08:42 AM.

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

Render, on 23 January 2013 - 08:42 AM, said:

He's waiting till 2015-2017 because the referendum will only come around those years IF he gets re-elected. That is now the condition.
This has nothing to do with the benefit for the UK ppl, this has everything to do with Cameron trying to get some votes. It's so desperate.

And by 2015-2017 the EU will have rebounded and be a stronger force, so then all the doubt will come again if a referendum is actually needed.

Populism is so transparant. If only everyone would see.

Exactly; dangle a Carrot in front of the (potentially) Tory voters, or at least try to lure them away from UKIP.

[itsnotoutthere]

Lord Vetinari, on 23 January 2013 - 09:04 AM, said:

Exactly; dangle a Carrot in front of the (potentially) Tory voters, or at least try to lure them away from UKIP.

Exactly. This must be the most vague commitment to a referendum that was possible to think up. You'd have to be pretty dim to fall for this rubbish. Besides, didn't the two main parties promise something similar before the last election? If we want to be masters of our own destiny, it's pretty clear what we have to do, & it doesn't involve any of the three usual suspects.

[stevewinn]

itsnotoutthere, on 23 January 2013 - 09:57 AM, said:

Exactly. This must be the most vague commitment to a referendum that was possible to think up. You'd have to be pretty dim to fall for this rubbish. Besides, didn't the two main parties promise something similar before the last election? If we want to be masters of our own destiny, it's pretty clear what we have to do, & it doesn't involve any of the three usual suspects.

We all knew this would be the case. i doubt the Tories will win the next election, to many people have short memories and by the time the next general election comes around they'll have long forgot what damage the labour party caused yet will be able to tell you who won the X factor.

David Cameron took the easy option, i bet if he was to win the next general election they'd somehow backtrack on a referendum, - i just hope this weak attempt from the Tory Government pushes more people towards UKIP.

[Mr Right Wing]

keithisco, on 23 January 2013 - 05:26 AM, said:

For those of you hoping for a Referendum on the EU in 2014... Cameron has back - tracked on his stance and will not now commit to one UNLESS the Tories win the the next General Election, at which point they will START to re-negotiate UK Terms with the EU, followed by a referendum some time after that.

Read more from the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk...litics-21148282



"Setting out the conditions for a future referendum, Mr Cameron will say: "The next Conservative manifesto in 2015 will ask for a mandate from the British people for a Conservative government to negotiate a new settlement with our European partners in the next parliament.

"And when we have negotiated that new settlement, we will give the British people a referendum with a very simple in or out choice to stay in the EU on these new terms; or come out altogether. It will be an in-out referendum.

But he will say that holding an in/out referendum now would be a "false choice" because Europe is set to change following the eurozone crisis"

I was fully expecting a Referendum to give a mandate for re-negotiation to be next year, with a full IN / OUT referendum to be held within the first year of the new Parliament.

Anybody else feeling a bit cheated by the new time-scales and caveats (i.e. re-elected Tory Govt)??

Trying to take UKIP votes without giving the public what they want.

[Render]

'We'll roll out the red carpet for UK businessmen if Britain leaves the EU': French foreign minister's jibe as Cameron announces referendum

Quote

• Laurent Fabius was mimicking PM's comment last summer, that Britain would welcome Gallic companies if France elected a left-wing government
  
• He suggested Britain will turn into a basket case economy if it does exit the EU following the nationwide poll
  
• German foreign minister warns UK against 'cherry-picking' as he argues for more European integration
  
• Spain warns withdrawal would leave British industry balanced on 'a few insular stools'
  
• Ireland's deputy prime minister Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore said it was in Britain's best interests to remain within the EU

http://www.dailymail...referendum.html

haha there we go

Edited by Render, 23 January 2013 - 12:49 PM.

[Br Cornelius]

Plucky little Britain - go for it

Br Cornelius

[itsnotoutthere]

Br Cornelius, on 23 January 2013 - 01:06 PM, said:

Plucky little Britain - go for it

Br Cornelius

Given the chance we will.

Edited by itsnotoutthere, 23 January 2013 - 01:33 PM.

[questionmark]

Well, after decades of announcing the withdrawal I see that the rest of Europe is getting ready to wave goodbye. And if this circus continues my bet is that it will be with the boot.

[itsnotoutthere]

questionmark, on 23 January 2013 - 01:49 PM, said:

Well, after decades of announcing the withdrawal I see that the rest of Europe is getting ready to wave goodbye. And if this circus continues my bet is that it will be with the boot.

Or possibly 'jack boot'

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

Render, on 23 January 2013 - 12:48 PM, said:

'We'll roll out the red carpet for UK businessmen if Britain leaves the EU': French foreign minister's jibe as Cameron announces referendum


http://www.dailymail...referendum.html

haha there we go

'a few insular stools'
I rather like that phrase. It could well describe quite a few politicians, couldn't it.

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

the EU would be entirely admirable if it wasn't for this silly Common Currency idea, I think. That was the problem. I mean, that was just a purely dogmatic idea which was pushed through without thinking about how practical it was, really. And all this tedious insistence on imposing regulations to "harmonise" everything; again, that just seems like Politicians imposing things in order to show everyone who's boss. Why does there need to be a common Government? Why couldn't it just be a free trade area, like was the original idea behind it? These, I think, are the main problems with it.
I'm afraid that the smug "well, the rest of Europe will be waving bye bye" attitude doesn't really help, and nor does the insistence on portraying everyone who questions things like the Common Currency as a xenophobic bigot, since I think most people outside a small core of readers of certain papers who still hate the Germans would have no problem with free trade, in fact that's a concept that Britain has always been all in favour of, it's just that people really don't like having regulations imposed on them by another layer of Government on top of the already incompetent one they already have. I do wish that pro-EU supporters would be able to understand that, and not just dismiss everything with "the rest of Europe is getting ready to wave goodbye".