I’m going to start this blog entry with the assertion of my basic views, for these remain unchanged. For it is the circumstances that have altered, as I will explain. Now, as before, I am strongly of the view that the UK should remain a Member State of the European […]
“Tomorrow’s debate and vote on an EU referendum in the House of Commons is a problem largely of David Cameron’s own making. It was he who, in November 2009, made a u-turn on his cast iron guarantee that the Tories would hold a referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon. The […]
“It’s far from clear how Labour should deal with the growing argument about a referendum on Britain’s relationship with the European Union Today MPs on the Backbench Business Committee have agreed to debate and, crucially, to vote on whether the UK should stay in the European Union. The debate is […]
Calls for EU referendum in UK ‘a distraction’ – Public Service Europe.
In 2005 I went to France to campaign in the referendum on the European Constitution, making the case for oui. One thing about that campaign has been with me ever since: it was clear what oui would mean (France would ratify) while it was never clear what non would mean. […]
What should Labour’s EU policy be in opposition? What can at the same time be positive about the future, realistic, deliverable, and also decisively different from the coalition’s approach to the EU? Vital questions. The starting point seems to be a few high profile events to talk about this stuff – Policy […]