PM pledges in-out referendum

[Tangled up in Blue]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/

My opinion, FWIW? Cameron won't win the 2015 election,therefore there won't be an in-out referendum on the EU.QED.

Over to you.

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

bad call - economy needs a boost and markets don't like prospects of change they just want to know what is definately happening - why wait, if he wants to call a referendum just do it now rather than leaving markets / investors in limbo.

 

[MK Shrimper]

General public generally won't look beyond the headlines of the redtops and the jingoism to see how withdrawing from the EU will affect this country financially.

Seems that Cameron is running scared from UKIP.

 

[superblue24]

General public generally won't look beyond the headlines of the redtops and the jingoism to see how withdrawing from the EU will affect this country financially.

Seems that Cameron is running scared from UKIP.

Or maybe he is seeing that people in this country have grown tired of the constant red tape being churned over from Europe engulfing our, once great, country. We wasn't in Europe when we had our last economic boom in the eighties, so I don't see why it's that important to our economy.....We were better off in the Commonwealth if I'm honest. At least we all spoke the same language! Not one of these countries in the EU speak English as their native tongue!

Foreign Secretary, Douglas Alexander was full of solutions and foresight this morning on BBC breakfast I don't think! When pushed on whether Labour would offer a referendum, he just shirked and stuttered away..... Bringing me to the conclusion that Labour have no intention of offering a referendum. Or at least waiting to see what the voters feel about Camerons speech and then decide whether they're in support of it....Like most other things..... Rudderless.

 

[Neil_F]

My opinion, FWIW? Cameron won't win the 2015 election,therefore there won't be an in-out referendum on the EU.QED.

Maybe, but Labour have backed themselves into a corner. Miliband has described it as a weak action so he can hardly support the referendum. He just said at PMQs that he doesn't want a referendum, but his staff are trying to row back from that.

He shouldn't have said anything about it and then endorsed it. It would have neutralised the issue, but siding with big business and denying the people a voice on the issue is not a good position to be in. It makes it an election issue. Granted, the EU is not the principle concern of the electorate but a party denying the public a voice is. You only have to recall the backlash against Labour over a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Assuming it did happen, there is huge opportunity and danger. Cameron would get something from negotiation but probably not enough to satisfy a decent chunk of his party. He would then face the prospect of a third of the cabinet resigning and campaigning for an out verdict. It is difficult to see how the Tories could remain a single party after that.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Or maybe he is seeing that people in this country have grown tired of the constant red tape being churned over from Europe engulfing our, once great, country. We wasn't in Europe when we had our last economic boom in the eighties, so I don't see why it's that important to our economy.....We were better off in the Commonwealth if I'm honest. At least we all spoke the same language! Not one of these countries in the EU speak English as their native tongue!

Foreign Secretary, Douglas Alexander was full of solutions and foresight this morning on BBC breakfast I don't think! When pushed on whether Labour would offer a referendum, he just shirked and stuttered away..... Bringing me to the conclusion that Labour have no intention of offering a referendum. Or at least waiting to see what the voters feel about Camerons speech and then decide whether they're in support of it....Like most other things..... Rudderless.

Er, yes we were.

It's this type of ignorance Cameron will have to win over to make the case for Britain staying in.

 

[Crabby Shrimper]

General public generally won't look beyond the headlines of the redtops and the jingoism to see how withdrawing from the EU will affect this country financially.

So, what you're saying is Democracy doesn't work?

For what it's worth, I'd imagine any referendum would take place after Cameron's renegotiation of our membership. It'd be a handy negotiating tool, as Europe, not wanting us to leave, will have to be flexible. Give us a good rate, or the referendum will vote us out, and Europe will lose their (I believe) second biggest contributor.

 

[superblue24]

Er, yes we were.

It's this type of ignorance Cameron will have to win over to make the case for Britain staying in.

Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1993. We might have been part of Europe, but that meant something different back then.

 

[Gremlin]

We were better off in the Commonwealth if I'm honest. At least we all spoke the same language! Not one of these countries in the EU speak English as their native tongue!

I wouldn't mind betting that a greater percentage of the people of Ireland (EU) consider English their native tongue versus, say, Malaysia (Commonwealth).

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

We wasn't in Europe when we had our last economic boom in the eighties, so I don't see why it's that important to our economy

Really? And there was me thinking we joined back in '75.

 

[Jam_Man]

Really? And there was me thinking we joined back in '75.

Indeed, and even if we hadnt you cant compare the two, the world has changed a lot in the last 30 years.

 

[Crabby Shrimper]

Really? And there was me thinking we joined back in '75.

or 1960 if you wish to include EFTA

 

[superblue24]

Really? And there was me thinking we joined back in '75.

Try reading before you type! As I said to YB, the Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1993 which is where you'll wind up if you follow the red tape....Before this agreement, I would consider our membership in the EU of some benefit, but now it's just gone beyond a joke.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

I wouldn't mind betting that a greater percentage of the people of Ireland (EU) consider English their native tongue versus, say, Malaysia (Commonwealth).

:off topic:
Interestingly,Ireland is the only country in the history of language planning, to have seen its number of native speakers (Irish Gaelic) decline, in the same century that it obtained independence.

 

[MK Shrimper]

So, what you're saying is Democracy doesn't work?

All you have to look at are the back pages when we play Germany with the tired old war cliches, the stereotypes of lazy Italians, cowardly French perpetuated by people like Jeremy Clarkson that sadly a lot of people in this country still believe.

 

[superblue24]

I wouldn't mind betting that a greater percentage of the people of Ireland (EU) consider English their native tongue versus, say, Malaysia (Commonwealth).

I did think that as I typed, but didn't think I'd get pulled up on that so didn't bother editing. I meant there are more countries who speak English in the Commonwealth than in Europe.

 

[Crabby Shrimper]

All you have to look at are the back pages when we play Germany with the tired old war cliches, the stereotypes of lazy Italians, cowardly French perpetuated by people like Jeremy Clarkson that sadly a lot of people in this country still believe.

My comment was slightly tongue in cheek, but in all honesty I agree. Society is, in my opinion, easily manipulated (by both the left and the right) and it pretty much comes down to who's supported by the better circulating press.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Try reading before you type! As I said to YB, the Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1993 which is where you'll wind up if you follow the red tape....Before this agreement, I would consider our membership in the EU of some benefit, but now it's just gone beyond a joke.

Your correction wasn't up before I posted my comment.

 

[hockleyeast1964]

off topic.. Nice to see the destroyer of our country Mr Tony Blair lording it up in davos.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

off topic.. Nice to see the destroyer of our country lording it up in Davros

Yes I heard Cameron say he was going to Davros this afternoon.:winking: