Don't expect repatriation in this Parliament

Rhoda Klapp

This appears to purport that it is up to the government, or Cameron, to decide when ahd whether to 'repatriate powers'. That is not really the case. The fact is that there is no chance of ever repatriating some subset of powers. There just is no provision for that. If we want powers back (if we assume that we ever lost them, really) then we have to take the lot. Sovereignty shared is sovereignty lost.

Russell

There already is pressure on Cameron & Co. to give the electorate an EU in/out referendum during this parliament from petitions.

A majority of taxpayers in this country are sick of paying £billions to the EU establishment.

How much do all these 27 countries MEP's cost us? Including pay, travel, accomodation and general expenses, pensions etc.

How much do all these countries secretary's and administrative staff cost us? Including pay,travel, accomodation and general expenses, pensions etc.

How much do the offices and EU staff cost us? including administrators, cleaners, insurance etc.

The taxpayers are sick of the EU and regard an EU referendum as much more important than a Scottish Independence farce.

Ghengis

"Repatriation of Sovereign Rights" - To my mind Greece (regardless of national debt)is making a better job of defending her Sovereignty.

Swiss Bob

"When David Cameron wielded his veto"

He didn't wield a veto so I didn't bother reading the rest of this article as Mr K doesn't seem to know what he's talking about.

Fergus Pickering

Wanna be a Greek, then, Ghengis?

Rhoda Klapp

Oh, forgot to ask: Hands up all those who DID expect repatriation in this parliament or any other.

Halcyondaze

This clearly makes Korski very happy. Temporarily at least. The problem is, Korski, that you're out of touch with the majority of the Spectator readership and you're certainly out of touch with the majority of the British people. But then just like our pro-EU government when did you give a hoot for what the people actually want? The default position is that they must be stupid and they must be wrong, right?

As Peter Hitchens wrote in his recent article "The Tory Party - who needs it?" - the fact that the sceptics in the party aren't hammering Cameron over his craven U-turn tells us all we need to know about the level of principle there.

All we can hope is that as this situation gets worse the anger of the people will grow, the tacit support for UKIP will turn into solid votes and the voice of the sensible, centre-right, pro-British majority will be heard. God knows its been suppressed for long enough by the liberal thought police.

Ian Walker

The wildcard in all this is whether Labour will break the Eurotruce between the makor parties as part of a desperate vote-grab.

Make no mistake - a Eurosceptic Labour would win an election in 2015 even with the hopeless Milliband at the helm.

Ghengis

Rhoda - most certainly not me.
Fergus - No, being English is sufficiently difficult at this state of affairs.

Kittler

Disappointing, however Cameron, Government and Parliament could in the meantime concentrate on the repatriation of powers from London to Edinburgh, which is demanded are they are capable of fulfilling.

WIlliam Blakes Ghost

Well thats OK . We'll see what Cameron has to say when his EU Party the ECR has to break up when the Tories lose loads of MEPs in 2014.

You can't trust the Tories or the Government over Europe....

Rhoda Klapp

Kittler, most of the powers you seem to think reside in westminster in truth went to Brussels years ago. You will not get your independence within the EU. You will need to change scapegoats.

Scary Biscuits

Repatriation of powers was always a straw man. We have no mechanism to repatriate powers even if Cameron was minded to. It is time for the 'realists', the compromise merchants, the sensible middle to recognise reality. The EU is what it is and we must take it or leave it.

Axstane

Kittler

You will change from a Union with a country that speaks the same language as you, that you can reach by train, to which you have supplied Monarchs and Prime Ministers to a union with a group of countries with whom you have little in common at all.

If that is the wish of the Scottish people then you are to be pitied. Do not think the hand of Brussels [read Berlin] will lie lightly on Scotland.

Cynic

"[T]he government appears to be concluding that it will not get a receptive ear from its European partners on any repatriation bid." A state of affairs that most of us EUrealists have been pointing out for some time. It is pie in the sky to pretend that repatriation is possible. The only way is OUT.

Heartless Curmudgeon

And there's me wondering what had happened to Danny boy these past few days.

Anyway, - Danny, - did we ever, in our hearts, expect anything productive from this faux PM, shackled to the EUSSR and the toadying lickspittles he calls colleagues?

Cynic

"A failure to secure repatriation in this Parliament will probably cause Tory eurosceptics to push for a manifesto commitment on the same — or perhaps even for some sort of referendum." Sadly, Dan, we've been there and done that with all the major parties' Labour offered a referendum on Lisbon but signed anyway and voted against a referendum on the EU, The LibDems claimed they were the only party to offer an in/out referendum on the EU but abstained when a referendum was before Parliament so it was lost, while the Tories - well, we know about Dave's "cast-iron" promise and how that rusted away. No, the only way to get powers back is to vote UKIP.

Alex Salmond for EC commission president

Repatriation of what exactly?

And from where to where?

This is cloud cuckoo land stuff, isn't it?

Verity

Heartless Curmudgeon ... he is indeed a faux PM. Unelected. He has absolutely no mandate for signing anything into law, or for negotiating with foreign powers.

Simon Stephenson.

There is a piece of cricket advice, attributed to the Victorian colossus of the game, W G Grace, which goes:-

When you win the toss – bat. If you are in doubt, think about it, then bat. If you have very big doubts, consult a colleague – then bat.

This is remarkable similar to what I reckon is the rule of thumb which governs the decision-making process of the EU elite, as well as the leaderships of the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour parties here in the UK:-

If you are seeking to improve the wellbeing of the general population, choose more government. If you are in doubt, think about it, then choose more government. If you have very big doubts, consult a colleague – then choose more government.

We're not exactly being offered much of a choice, are we?

Mycroft

Repatriation was always a non-starter, it would open a Pandora's box if it were granted to one country, and no other countries were ever going to agree to it. So much of the discussion of this issue in this country is totally unrealistic, it would only be possible to gain a small measure of it by engaging in a form of blackmail that make it impossible to gain co-operation from other countries in the future. We've either got the play the game as best we can within the rules, or else withdraw; there is no third way in which we're going to be allowed to pick and mix. Cameron has come in for no end of unmerited abuse here for doing his best within what is practical.

Mr. Bubbles

Didn't for one moment expect repatriation of anything, or a referendum for that matter. They're all the damn same, talking tough at home whilst simultaneously conceding yet more and more sovereingty. Just the way you like it I'm sure Korski.

strapworld

I agree with Mycroft in his general point that reptriation of powers was and is a non starter. But certainly disagree with his final sentence.

Cameron's ace would be to call a referendum. But that would take a leader to do so and Cameron has proved to be without any qualities of a leader. He is a weak, weak man.

I am here in Melbourne preparing for the Comedy Festival and experiencing yet another set of politicians who have no backbone. I look to the USA and watch the Republicans fight over nonentities to lead them against the biggest failure in the White House for a century. The world has no leader of note. That is a worrying sign and for the UK a time for serious contemplation.

I note that the Tory 'rebels' are still propping up Cameron. That sows that they have no backbone either.

I just hope somebody soon will pull the plug on Cameron, Clegg and Milliband and this country gets real leaership putting Country first.

michael

Call time. We don't fit. 9bn p/a buys us not one iota of influence over the, fools' gold golden goose, singly rigged market.
-Better off sticking to being an awkward customer, and the EU lot 'll be swarming around us regurgitating their business like flies round smelly camembert.

Ghengis

I suspect a considerable number of Britains not only have difficulty with spelling sovereignty but also do not understand what it means.

Mycroft

'I agree with Mycroft in his general point that reptriation of powers was and is a non starter. But certainly disagree with his final sentence.

Cameron's ace would be to call a referendum. But that would take a leader to do so and Cameron has proved to be without any qualities of a leader. He is a weak, weak man.'

My take on that is that he is being practical rather than weak. If we had a referendum, the likelihood is, I think, that there would (a perhaps quite small) majority to stay in, when it making a choice with real implications. So nothing would be changed, whilst the referendum debate would set one Conservative against another, often in quite bitter terms, to the benefit of the other parties.