Express.
Lord Howe of Aberavon, who served as chancellor and foreign secretary in Margaret Thatcher's government, said the Prime Minister had made his position more difficult by his "repeated concessions" to the Eurosceptics.Unfortunately for Lord Howe and the Pro-EU campaign, the people whom they have to convince are a growing majority of sorts who hate the EU and pretty much all it stands for and simply want a free trade zone, not a political union.
He said that Mr Cameron now must give a lead on the issue, and not leave it to outside individuals and organisations.
Mr Cameron is currently committed to renegotiating the terms of Britain's membership and then putting the outcome to a vote in an in/out referendum after the next general election if the Conservatives win power.
But while the Prime Minister has said he wants Britain to remain in the EU, Lord Howe - whose resignation over Europe in 1990 triggered Baroness Thatcher's downfall as prime minister - said that it was not enough.
In a statement released by the pro-EU British Influence campaign, Lord Howe said: "The more people understand and experience the reality of Britain's place in today's interdependent world - an interdependence which Conservative policies in the 1980s did so much to promote - the less likely they are to want this country to leave the European Union.
Unfortunately for us the person leading the Tory party has also admitted that he wants to keep us in and I expect he'll rig the vote to keep us in if he can win a few minor concessions from the EU to justify a Neville Chamberlain moment moment for the UK public.
Interdependence does not mean the UK has to remain in the EU, if anything the EU hinders trade and development because it's a trade cartel and doesn't allow cheaper food and good from abroad into itself for sale. Were we independent of the EU we could perhaps rejoin EFTA and trade happily with the world (and the EU) without being tied to the ridiculous regulations that they put in place to hamper trade and innovation.
I still believe we'll only be offered a referendum if they know the vote will be a pro-EU one, Cameron has given me no other reason to believe so.
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Nice to see you back, and I hope you and yours had a nice Christmas.
The problem with the Europhiles is, they lack creditability. They were wrong on the ERM, the Euro and just about everything else. These people represent a small but very powerful minority in this country who have gained power and have considerable influence over our lives.
They are mostly of the old school landed gentry and establishment. Centre Left in politics, with a strong sense of divine right of rule by birth. Its why people like Lord Howe and Lord Heseltine can spout their nonsense without much of a challenge.
These people have plagued us through the centuries and are no more than parasites feeding off the people.
Oh to be rid of them.
I believe Howe to be one of many traitors to Britain. He tries to junk our great traditions and standing in the world. Just as he was a traitor to Mrs T. For what? So that we are subsumed into an unelected Soviet style European dictatorship.
What good has being a member of the EU done for Britain is my abiding question. Answers of a positive nature only please.
My question is why do the vast majority of politicians want to be part of the EU along with countries like France and Germany, if it was so obviously a corrupt failed pile of shit then the whole shebang would collapse with everyone in agreement.
Mostly because the EU offers a degree of enrichment well above that of an ordinary national politician.
In other words, follow the money.
yes,but only 72 are following the money from the UK, and nearly 700 from the rest of Europe.
Germany the biggest giver and Angela Merkel just won an election on staying in. I am genuinely confused about which way i would vote.
It's not all black and white, nothing ever is.
I also believe Cameron will only offer a referendum if he believes the outcome will be a vote to stay in. If there is any doubt in his mind he will either fix the referendum or, once again, ignore his pledge.
However, I think the chances of Cameron leading a government after the next election is highly remote so the next PM will be under no obligation to offer a referendum.
72 politicians Rickie, but the Council of Europe or the executive is controlled by the heads of state and the bureaucracy. The decisions in Europe are not made by its parliament they are rubber stamped by it and by the national parliaments too.
The EU you seem to think exists is a figment of your imagination.
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