Sunday, November 7, 2010

As you reap...

It was bound to happen sooner or later, Cast iron Cameron is now facing some little difficulty over the (don't mention the) EU from his own party as well as having his arm twisted up his back verbally by his (we love the EU) coalition party leader over renegotiations on Lisbon.

Telegraph.

Dozens of MPs are threatening to vote against the Coalition on Europe this week, as David Cameron unveils new laws ensuring that any future transfer of power to Brussels is subject to a referendum. 

The Prime Minister will attempt to reassert his eurosceptic credentials by launching an EU Bill promising MPs and the British people their say on any proposed transfer of sovereignty to the European Union.
But the move was condemned last night as a "cosmetic gesture" by Tory MPs who are still furious that Mr Cameron reneged on a pledge to hold a referendum on the controversial Lisbon Treaty, which has already transferred key powers to EU control. 
The Prime Minister is coming under increasing pressure not to wave through revisions to the Treaty being demanded by France and Germany.
More than two dozen Tory MPs have signed a protest motion and up to 50 could vote against the Government during a key debate on Wednesday asking MPs to approve the Treaty amendments, which give the EU the ability to oversee the budgets of member states.
The issue has inflamed tensions in the coalition, with Nick Clegg insisting that he will not sanction any renegotiation in areas such as employment and social policy, a Tory election pledge.
Despite a promise in the coalition agreement to examine the issue of EU power, Mr Clegg said: "We are not going to reopen this issue of the repatriation of powers."
Under the terms of the EU Bill being unveiled this Thursday, any future EU Treaty that transfers competencies or areas of power from the UK to the EU will be subject to a referendum of the British people. 
The use of ratchet clauses or "passerelles" – provisions in existing EU Treaties allowing the rules of the EU to be modified or expanded without the need for a formal Treaty change – would also be subject to an Act of Parliament before the Government could agree to their use. 
 Unfortunately Cameron flushed his supposed EUsceptic credentials down the drain when he decided that Lisbon was a done deal and that there was nothing to be done about it. Conveniently forgetting that no Parliament can be bound by the previous one. And although the EU would not have liked it (as would certain members of the Tory party) he could have promised a referendum on Lisbon, or better yet "in or out" though he rather gave the game away last week when in the face of EU budget increases against domestic budget reductions, he said he believed that the UK is best served by our continuing membership of the EU. Seems even his a good few of his own party don't believe him any more, hence the opposition to this series of new laws, seeing it as closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, a cosmetic gesture as there isn't much else left to give away.
David Lidington, the Europe Minister, will say the Government is determined to address the disillusion felt by millions about the erosion of power to Brussels.
Except by the one method of an in or out referendum, the one method they know would bring their house of cards down, the one method the EU truly fears and will move heaven and earth to prevent because for all their money, they know the majority of the UK public are profoundly EUsceptic and no amount of bribes might be enough to prevent us voting to leave.
It's no wonder Cameron and his coterie are worried, the EU was always the rod that would break the coalitions back, hated by many of his backbenchers, hated by the UK public, the only reason he managed to cling onto an electoral win was many Tories telling us "wait till he gets into power, he'll show his EUscepticism then."How bitterly disappointed they must be, they wanted a Thatcher and they got a Blair and so the Heath betrayal carries on into the night.

1 annotations:

James Higham said...

But the move was condemned last night as a "cosmetic gesture" by Tory MPs who are still furious that Mr Cameron reneged on a pledge to hold a referendum on the controversial Lisbon Treaty, which has already transferred key powers to EU control.

And even as we speak, Lisbon is being reaffirmed behind closed doors. They are hypocrites and liars.