Referendum now
Led by Germany, the EU wants greater integration. Cameron also wants Britain to be tied into the EU even more tightly. Cameron doesn’t want an EU referendum, but he is not in control of events. Whatever his motives, we should seize the chance to vote – more, we should demand it now. The whole British people have the right to have our say.
Why wait until 2017? Polls show 61 per cent of us want a referendum before the next election, not after. Typically, the Lib Dems now oppose the referendum which they promised in their most recent manifesto. A majority of Labour voters want a referendum too. Labour Party members should insist that their party demands a referendum.
Out of the population of 63 million, only 17.8 million, just 28 per cent, are old enough to have voted in the 1975 referendum on British membership of the EEC. The vast majority, 72 per cent, have never had a say.
What the single market is for
The European TUC embraces the EU’s single market. Yet it also claims that it wants to “avoid the downward spiral of competition based on lowering basic standards at work”. All markets are about competition; the single European market is no different. So it’s no use looking to the EU to protect workers’ rights.
Promises, promises
Cameron’s promise to reduce net migration to “tens of thousands” annually will be wrecked if large numbers arrive from Romania and Bulgaria, two of the poorest countries in the EU. In polls, around 79 per cent of the British people oppose this EU open door policy.
The government has carried out a study on how many Romanians and Bulgarians might move here. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles – who has seen the figures, and has warned of a potential shortage of housing – had said the study would be made public. Surprise, surprise: the government is now refusing to publish it.
Fined by Brussels
The European Commission is to fine Britain nearly 300,000 euros a day for not implementing two EU directives on how gas and electricity markets should be run. ■