Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Organising opt-outs...

David Cameron: A Europe policy that people can believe in.

In summary: A Conservative Government will never allow us to become part of a federal Europe and we have devised a series of specific measures which protect Britain from this happening in future. We will seek a mandate from the British people to implement these measures at the forthcoming General Election.

Full speech PDF.

"We cannot hold a referendum and magically make those posts – or the Lisbon Treaty itself – disappear, any more than we could hold a referendum to stop the sun rising in the morning."

This is what many have been struggling to say for the last couple of days against the tsunami of misinformed, mischievous and downright lying rants against David Cameron, not least from Labour and UKIP. I compared their squawking to wanting to have a referendum last week's football results, DC has used the rising sun....same difference.

The decision to promise, and then deny, a referendum was taken by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

The betrayal was backed and matched by the Liberal Democrats.

Exactly. This is what needed to be drummed home; that said, I think the expenses saga and the economy will, despite the contrived hoohah this week, dominate the thoughts of hoi polloi come voting time.

People are fed up with the endless lies and spin, they just want to know what we can achieve and how. That is what I will deliver.

What I am promising today is doable, credible, deliverable.

Another vitally important point and pissing on the fireworks of those that say Lisbon means no further treaties so a referendum on future treaties is not worth anything David Cameron had this to say: a Conservative Government will change the law so that the British people have to give their consent in a referendum to any future transfer of power.[Link]

Never again should it be possible for a British government to transfer power to the EU without the say of the British people.

Good enough for me...

Hat tip and PDF source: Conservative Home.

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5 comments:

Quiet_Man said...

There will be no opt outs unless all 27 members agree on them, can't see that happening myself unless we offer them something in return and we've gone too far in that direction already.

Cameron said about Lisbon.

"Today, I will give this cast-iron guarantee: If I become PM a Conservative government will hold a referendum on any EU treaty that emerges from these negotiations. No treaty should be ratified without consulting the British people in a referendum."


No ifs on ratification, no buts about elections, just a bare faced LIE!

He could have offered us an in or out election, but he didn't, he bottled it with weasel words about sovereignty and future referenda, whilst forgetting to mention that Lisbon is self amending and will mean exactly what the EU decide it to mean. There will be no more treaties to have referenda on. Cameron knows this.

Span Ows said...

Points taken QM, in fact while you posted your comment I was editing and adding the video, he said "any frurtehr transfer of power, be that in any form because as you say Lisbon is maleable.

I honestly believe that in 2007 he was talking about "the election that never was" when he said about the referendum on Lisbon, to expect him to hold a referendum now, that means nothing (and it wouldn't), is a complete nonsense.

The In/OUT option is another point altogether and none of the main parties would offer it.

Span Ows said...

P.S. that should be "further" (not Fuhrer!)

Paul said...

P.S. that should be "further" (not Fuhrer!)


Oh I don't know!

Mrs Thatcher was against referenda and I have to agree with her, you elect politicians to make the decisions go keep going back to the electorate and asking their permission, makes you look weak.

Good for Cameron for not going down the Brown road on this but I have to say that the majority of the electorate aren't sophisticated politically to vote on any big decisions. As Brandon pointed out the other day we live in a country where people believe you vote for the PM when you go into the Polling Booth and whilst that sort of mentality is prevalent any serious issues can be fudged, spun or lied about. People think we have a Presidential style election every five years without actually having a president.

The 'old' Conservative Party's bette noir was the Social Chapter which they would love to opt out of but that protects millions of people's jobs and incomes and I can't see how that could be voted on by the public.

Blair ignored his backbenchers but Cameron can't - the EU is always the elephant in the room for post-Thatcher leaders.

Span Ows said...

Bette Noir, think I may know her!

Don't be surprised if that is what they do, it was ceratinly aprt of the measures Cameron outlined (Social Chapter)

Re elephant, DC certainly seems to have addressed it and got a near as damn-it concensus despite what the Guardian and others are trying to say.