baldysblog.co.uk

The question is do we in the UK want to be part of the EU regardless of whether it is this Treaty, Constitution or even past ones ?

Brown will cling to power until the very last moment which means an election in 2010 by which time our intellectually challenged Prime Minister will have signed, sealed and delivered us all to the EU Constitution without our express permission to do so. On this both he and his glove puppet Miliband have made it clear they think that they are totally superior beings and the rest of us are all far too stupid to have a vote, though not to pay taxes, one notes.

It therefore follows that David Cameron promising a referendum on this issue, unless the Government fell during the Commons debate, is pointless because the deed will have long been done before the Tories came to power. However the EU Constitution provides a mechanism for a country to withdraw from the EU and as this is an issue that has divided the nation for far too long and regardless of political persuasion, offering a vote on continued membership of the EU, is the only logical thing to do.

The EU has always been cowardly in making any sensible case to all the citizens of Europe for why it exists and how it benefits them as individuals and to be fair, there is a specific reason for this which is that it is wholly undemocratic and based on secret deals done behind closed doors. If the citizens of individual countries saw their “balance sheet” of what they get set against what it costs them, the EU would be shrunk overnight and its ambitions reduced. And before any clown suggests that it has produced peace in Europe, the answer is it has made no contribution of any substance to peace. Peace was a direct result of the Cold War, unity of purpose in opposing the USSR and the American nuclear umbrella. It has however greatly aided inefficient farming and corruption through the CAP.

If Cameron promised a referendum then we want a YES/NO question that is “informed” so by promising it, he can outflank both Labour and the LibDems by in effect informally getting Brussels to layout the terms of a trade only relationship for the UK as per Norway and Switzerland. The EU would be forced to walk a tight line because they want the UK’s financial contributions so, them making statements about the “tough” terms they would offer the UK would only serve to alienate the British electorate. It may also force Brussels to try and “sell” the EU by detailing the benefits it delivers and even trying to engage the electorate in the concept, an exercise that should be repeated in every EU country.

The simple fact is that the Tories would be able to produce the detailed information for the electorate to make an In or Out choice based upon hard facts. The LibDems are very keen on the EU and therefore their backing for such a referendum is cynically based upon this information not being available so that people will vote to stay in for fear of the unknown. I am certain that sooner rather than later, the UK should and will leave the political EU but for us, this is easy because we are an island, for others on the mainland, this is not so easy and perhaps our future role is to lead an “outer group” of countries which although linked to the EU is not integrated with it, such a group could suit Turkey better for example.