A battle with the EU may be closer than you think

Ex-Tory voter

This comes as no surprise to those of us who feel we are better off out. We actually have very little in common, whether in ideology, culture or laws, with Europe in general or the EU in particular. Dave should offer us that referendum now.

Grenville

Yes. We should just leave Europe.

Jask

Better off out

Publius

I detect, in that Economist piece and elsewhere (for example, today's Telegraph), a partly veiled attempt by the EU to influence the outcome of our election. They daren't be too blatant. But this is blatant enough.

Man With A Very Hot Bladder

I believe that the Tories have no intention whatsoever of offering any sort of referendum on the EU.

Pat

Publius may be right- but unless the EU actually want us to leave, they're got a funny way of going about it.

TomTom

Cameron should avoid conflict with the EU over trivia and accept - even gold-plate - regulation of unregulated pools of capital aka "hedge" funds which do not in fact, hedge. Then he should accept EU regulation of banks.

Britain failed to regulate and caused the global disaster. It should however move to oppose an EU Government for Economic Affairs

Lord Boyders

To the man with the very hot bladder: you should get this looked at, or maybe just leave the country for a month.

Richard

The tories are backed into a real hole over Europe. Should they get a narrow majority,
the main land will push them into a vote on Europe. When the people demonstrate that the majority want to stay, the tories will find themselves having to go the country again.... almost on a confidence vote.
Europe and Tories always spell problems.

Break out the tweed Deerstalkers and buy a black lab......chaps.

SUSAN HILL

I am a betting person. I would put almost any money on Cameron never ever offering a referendum if he happens to come to power. I would put what was left on our never ever leaving the EU. We`re stuck with it simply because, all other things being equal which they are not, extricating ourselves would cost a huge amount of money. And we do not have a huge amount of money.

General Zod

I favour a French approach to EU membership - implement Directives when we feel like it and enforce according to our discretion. It works for them and offers the ideal relationship with the EU: one which works only in favour of the French.

Jean Monnet

If Mr Cameron were a eurosceptic, he would be polling in the high 40s or even 50s.

Yow Min Lye

"Europe is treacherous ground and it pays to fight sparingly."

Or alternatively, if a Euro-diktat is not to our liing we just say to the others 'you do it if you want to, but Her Majesty's government is having none of it'.

End of!

Mazza1230

@Richard "Break out the tweed Deerstalkers and buy a black lab......chaps"

If the threat from the EU weren't so serious I could find Richard's asinine observations amusing.

What is obvious is that he and others of his kind are simply ignorant of the danger posed by the EU to the wealth creating ability of the CITY.

The winner of the General Election must as a matter of priority prevent any further hamstringing of Britain's financial services industry.

The FSA has proved itself to be hopelessly inadequate in this regard.

oldtimer

At the start of the Economist article they quote some extremely rude remarks by the German "elite" about Cameron and the Tories. This would not seem a sensible way for the EU power brokers to proceed unless they are indeed spoiling for a fight. Cameron would not politically survive such an attack unless he fought back.

In the meantime any attempts by the EU to try influence the election will only play into Tory hands.

Holly ......

Conservatives ahead.
Drag up the EU or terror threat.
Boring,boring,boring.
NEXT!!!!!

Chris

If Cameron doesn't manage to keep the europhobes quiet, he'll be heading for the same pathetic performance as Howard and Hague. Despite the vocal desires of a tiny minority, the British people won't vote for an anti-Europe party.

Dorothy Wilson

There's an interesting article on Der Spiegel's International site. Der Spiegel/International/Europe, then scroll down to "How European is Angela Merkel: Chancellor Abandons Germany's Post-War EU Policy". The second page in particular is worth reading.

Athesius the Facilitator

Richard(Ed Balls). I know a Labour supporter who wears a Deer Stalker and has a black Labrador and a fine chap he is too.

HairyNoddy

Man With A Very Hot Bladder: correct, William Hague explicitly ruled out a referendum on membership of the EU in an interview on Sky just a week or two ago.

Fergus Pickering

I go for the French approach. It works for them.And pray for the collapse of the Euro.

Snowman

In the unlikely event that Dave forms the next Government the EU would be his grave.

TGF UKIP

If the weaselly Economist argues it, it's got to be wrong. Ever since Mrs T departed, British European policy has been conducted on a "discretion is the better part of valour" basis and look where we've ended up.

In th still unlikely event of Dave actually forming the next governemnt nothing is more certain than the Frogs, Krauts and Sprouts being all over him like a rash.

Forget all the domestic debt problems being the priority, guff. It will be "Events dear boy, events" and bloody great euro events at that.

2trueblue

Definitely we should take the French route, do a we like, and when we like. If the euro collapsed our bill would be less.

What an idiot Bliar was to give back our rebate and then agree payment in euros. A total moron.

He (Bliar) seems to be doing very nicely for himself and we pay £6m p.a. for his security.

HFC

SUSAN HILL
April 3rd, 2010 7:01pm

"I am a betting person. I would put almost any money on Cameron never ever offering a referendum if he happens to come to power. I would put what was left on our never ever leaving the EU."

Ah yes, Susan. Remember you failed to pick Imperial Commander for the Gold Cup, neither did you back Baby Run in the Foxhunters. Did you manage to back Pipette, Aldovrandi and Shamwari in the first three races at Kempton today? I did and I've put a few bob on Schumacher to get on the podium tomorrow. Happy days.

Now I think you should get some money on an EU referendum within 24 months of Cameron taking over...

HFC

Oops. Did I say Ascot? It was Kempton, of course.

Major Plonquer

As always I agree with Richard. How dare the Tories even think about the will of the British people and stand up for our rights in Europe. No!

The Tories should take a lesson from Labour and Gordon Brown and courageously give in to our EU masters. Look at the courageous way Brown signed away our sovereignty in Lisbon. He rightly refused to be photographed signing our fate away. Instead he snuck in the back door like a real thief in the night and signed our sovereignty away by stealth.

5 MORE YEARS!

Major Plonquer

If it comes down to a choice between the EU and the bankers, I'll take the latter.

Only the EU could make the bankers look good.

The Laughing Cavalier

A Conservative government should start by clawing back the rebate that was given away so cynically and disgracefully by the grinning charlatan.

JohnPage

Euroscepticism is David Cameron and Gene Hunt's sole shared attribute.

Nothing like putting your duff assumption in the opening sentence.

In what sense do you consider cast-iron Cameron to be a eurosceptic?

Ghengis

What it really comes down to is, one cess pit in Brussels wallowed in by corrupt MP's each one's time spent guarding his/her own dishonest activities, and another identical Parliament at Westminster. Both are bankrupt.

Jack R

Unfortunately, the Tories, along with Labour, and Lib Dems, lobby for the entry of 75 million Muslim Turks into the E.U.

david morris

John Page - Beat me to it.

"Call me Dave" a Eurosceptic ?

Shome mishtake shurely.................

Osred

A permanent and increasing trade deficit with the EU.

A permanent and increasing rate of contributions to the EU.

A permanent and increasing rate of rules and regulations dictated by unelected, unknown nonentities.

A permanent and increasing burden of costs to individuals due to the CAP, energy, and consumables' tariffs etc etc.

A permanent an increasing rate of people to whom we must pay benefits, house and employ.

And we mustnt 'battle' this? - we mustnt compain (makes us bad Europeans)? - we mustn't expect a vote on any of this?

What spinelessness from the Spectator and the Tories. What unbelievable cowardice and treachery. What contempt you have for the capabilities of its population who, by implication and statement by Euroloons, are incapable of renegotiating the relationship in a balanced considered manner, are incapable of running our own affairs without the crutch of a parasitical, undemocratic EU Commission.

Shame on you all.

Tim Carpenter LPUK

Declare that the UK will veto it, unilaterally if necessary. EU in a tizz.

Make the EU be the aggressor, with the UK just asserting sovereignty. Fine us? How? We are a net contributor. Withhold funds.

If Alex Salmond moans (about threats to subsidies), let Edinburgh implement the rules and watch the business head to London.