We're going to do something about this................no honest.

I always thought William Hague to be a EUsceptic, now I'm not so sure, he's certainly not acting like one, perhaps he's getting on a bit and sees the lure of a huge wage coupled with an easy life on the EU gravy train? Who knows, but he's definitely not the man I remember, though to be honest I never really knew him at all.

William Hague: Tories would not take on Europe for some years

After abandoning plans to hold a referendum on Europe, following last week’s ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, Mr Hague said the Tories accepted that constitutional reform would not be on the EU agenda for some years.

And while the party remained Euro-sceptic, a Conservative Government would not get into a “bust-up” over its new policy of seeking to negotiate opt-outs in a number of areas of European policy and pass a sovereignty bill to stop further powers being repatriated for some time to come.

Until then, he agreed that it would effectively be “business as usual” for Britain within Europe under the Tories.

Mr Hague’s admission came as Euro-sceptics in his party warned that David Cameron, the Conservative leader, had just 18 months to make “real progress” on his promise to forge a more arms-length relationship with the EU.

One Tory backbencher told the Independent on Sunday: "We have agreed to keep quiet on this before the election, but if things do not start happening in the first year or so, there will be all-out war for a referendum."

 Seems Hague and call me Dave are spoiling for a fight, though oddly enough it's with their own party and not with the EU, or perhaps given Cameron's gutless wimping out over any sort of referendum it's not so surprising. 18 months say the EUsceptics, enough time to get elected and start sorting out the economy and then time to sort out our issues with the EU.
So why come out with further delay? I mean they must know the issue isn't going to die, if anything it's likely to come back and bite them sooner rather than later knowing the way the EU likes to grab power and run with it.
The longer they delay the worse it will get too for defections to the likes of UKIP, who are a serious threat to Tory interests in the way that the BNP are to Labour. They'll sooner or later alienate the electorate too, the English don't see themselves as European nor are our traditions those of the continents and the code Napoleon runs contrary to all our legal rights and traditions too.
The worst thing that Cameron and Hague can do is to do nothing, the pressure is building now, before they're in power and statements that they wont do anything for years (if ever?) are not going down too well with the EUsceptics.

Then again, perhaps Hague wants Cameron out and is just setting him up for a major fall with a true EUsceptic leader taking charge.

Just a thought is all.