David Cameron has attempted to quell the rise of UKIP and appease Tory backbenchers by promising en EU referendum in 2017. So why so late? Why not next year? The problem at the moment is that the Conservative Party's coalition partner, the Liberal Democrats, are very pro-EU and will not allow a referendum earlier.
Cameron has proposed a bill that would mean that after the next election in 2015, a Tory government would try and re-negotiate Britain's relationship with Europe. If we don't get the concessions the Tories want an in-out referendum would be triggered in 2017. The major flaw with this is that there may not be a Tory government in 2015, Labour is ahead in the current polls. The Tory Party will not be able to make the law binding as governments aren't allowed to pass laws restricting future governments. The bill will have to be a private members bill as the Lib Dems won't allow it to be coalition policy.
So what has pushed Cameron to propose this bill? The recent success of UKIP will have struck fear into him and he needs the support of his Euro-sceptic back-benchers. It won't have helped that in the last several weeks old beasts of the party such as Nigel Lawson, Norman Lamont and Michael Portillo have called for a referendum as well as cabinet ministers Michael Gove and Philip Hammond.
With the UK's membership of the EU in peril I hope Miliband doesn't back this dangerous bill.
Cameron has proposed a bill that would mean that after the next election in 2015, a Tory government would try and re-negotiate Britain's relationship with Europe. If we don't get the concessions the Tories want an in-out referendum would be triggered in 2017. The major flaw with this is that there may not be a Tory government in 2015, Labour is ahead in the current polls. The Tory Party will not be able to make the law binding as governments aren't allowed to pass laws restricting future governments. The bill will have to be a private members bill as the Lib Dems won't allow it to be coalition policy.
So what has pushed Cameron to propose this bill? The recent success of UKIP will have struck fear into him and he needs the support of his Euro-sceptic back-benchers. It won't have helped that in the last several weeks old beasts of the party such as Nigel Lawson, Norman Lamont and Michael Portillo have called for a referendum as well as cabinet ministers Michael Gove and Philip Hammond.
With the UK's membership of the EU in peril I hope Miliband doesn't back this dangerous bill.
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