Miliband resists temptation

There has been much speculation that Labour might insist on a referendum on Europe. This has been fuelled by numerous factors: the parlous state of the Eurozone, the increasingly likelihood of a 2-speed Europe and, above all, the fact that David Cameron doesn’t want the Tories to ‘bang on about Europe’, especially when in coalition with the Lib Dems. There have been a series of high-profile Labour interventions on the subject in recent weeks. Both Peter Mandelson and Ed Balls, arch-schemers both, have mulled the question in public, and the appointment of Jon Cruddas, a pronounced Eurosceptic, as the party’s policy reviewer, tickled fancies still further.

But, today Ed Miliband indicated that he will resist the temptation to embarrass David Cameron, saying that now was not the time for Britain to ‘embark on a referendum for getting out of Europe’. Note the use of ‘getting out of Europe’ rather than ‘renegotiating the terms of membership’, which is understood to be the direction in which the Tories are headed post-2015.

Does this mean that Miliband can return to the broad question of a European referendum? Certainly it does, which is why this strikes me as smart opposition politics. Miliband has, essentially, adopted Cameron’s position: now is not the time, perhaps later (although Cameron has his referendum lock to fall back on should the EU try to purloin more British government competences). But it’s also worth noting that Europe is a policy area in which Labour is particularly denuded. A referendum would force Miliband to confront tricky issues like EU expansion, immigration controls, social chapter reform, CAP reform, the Budget rebate, the role of the City, a cost-benefit analysis of a 2-speed Europe and so forth. Best not fight them on the beaches yet.