David Cameron has to do more than offer an EU referendum
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Version 0 of 1. Europe will never go away. It has haunted every ruler of this land since the Norman conquest. David Cameron set himself the challenge of stifling the issue for five years, but he made a mistake. He promised a referendum on whether to revise Britain's relationship of the EU if elected and then broke that promise, or at least postponed it after another election. His party, if not the country, has not forgotten or forgiven. Ninety-five Tory MPs have written to Cameron demanding a legislative "right of veto" on European laws. They are serious. Repatriating sovereignty, as the foreign secretary William Hague has pointed out, is not a freedom within the existing EU treaty. It is a nuclear weapon, code for withdrawal. He wants a weaker "red card" system when a number of states object to a Brussels measure. Cameron's position is not incoherent. He wants to "renegotiate" prior to a referendum in 2017. Given that behind such a renegotiation is a threat to withdraw, the policy is not empty. Many other states are increasingly sceptical of the balance of sovereignty within the EU, most recently over migration. The longer the eurozone's woes continue, the deeper this scepticism will run. Already the EU has various opt-outs, not just for currencies but for trade and social affairs. The time for de-escalating EU political aggrandisement has clearly come. The 2007 Lisbon treaty was always a step too far. But Cameron's approach, of waiting and hoping for all this to bite, seems long past. With Ukip's clear "in-out" referendum pledge snapping at his heels and devastation beckoning at this year's European elections, Cameron needs a form of words that honours his quest for European reform while calming his party. Such a gift is given to few Tory leaders. Based on his past record, Cameron's best bet is probably to make any old pledge and wait and see whether he can keep it later. But a mere referendum promise will no longer do. His party does not trust him. It wants to know the shape of the renegotiation package – with veto rights – or he is in trouble. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |