It is not often that British politicians make commitments not clouded in deliberately ambiguous language, and in that respect David Cameron’s promise to hold a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU yesterday was refreshing.
It also gave way to a raucous installment of that weekly event that journalists love and the British public hate, Prime Minister’s Question Time (PMQs), which saw solid performances from both Cameron and Ed Miliband, the leader of the opposition.
Cameron made his forthright commitment to a referendum in a speech in London, which had been delayed from last week by the Algerian hostage crisis. He then headed over to a packed House of Commons, where the prime minister and Miliband traded blows over Europe -– with the later going on record to say he would not support a referendum.
In light of that, some have suspected that the move was an inspired piece of political manoeuvring on Cameron’s part, forcing the hand of Labor and making a referendum a key issue in the next election. The Conservatives are now able to play a role as the party that will give the British public a say, against rivals that will not.
“By 2015 Labour will have inserted in its manifesto some sort of referendum commitment, so the problem of Europe has transferred from the Conservative party to Ed Miliband,” said Mark Pritchard MP, a leading Euroskeptic.
The speech also appears to have settled the issue with Cameron’s own, increasingly vocal, backbench, which has been giving the prime minister a hard time for months about Britain’s role in Europe. They remain worried that as the Eurozone moves toward closer fiscal union in the wake of the financial crisis, Britain will be dragged into the mire with them. Cameron now appears to have not only bought the reactionary wing of his party’s silence, but also secured their support, at least short term.
On the other side, former prime minister Tony Blair won points for his reference to the famed Western movie Blazing Saddles in his comments on Cameron’s ultimatum to his European allies. Blair likened the prime minister to the sheriff putting the gun to his own head, saying: ‘If you don’t do what I want, I’ll blow my brains out.’
Miliband added during PMQs that it might be the Conservative right wing, rather than Cameron, who has a gun to the prime minister’s head. He pointed out that Cameron would not commit to voting yes or no in a referendum when it is called.
“Why can’t he say unequivocally that he will vote Yes in a referendum?,’ Miliband taunted. “He is frightened because of the people behind him. He is being driven to it, not by the national interest, he has been dragged to it by his party.”
But it is not only among the Tory right that the prime minister has allies in his call both for the re-alignment of Britain’s relationship with Europe and a referendum on British membership. The business community’s reaction has been largely positive, and this despite Labour and Liberal Democrat warnings that Cameron’s comments could create uncertainty for investors, and therefore jobs.
“The prime minister’s approach is realistic and pragmatic,” said Simon Walker, director general of the Institute of Directors. “The British public, and many of our members, are skeptical about many of the institutions and practices of the EU. We need to put their doubts to rest.
“A future referendum to decide the workings of our relationship is the best way to affirm Britain’s participation in a free-market Europe which is competitive and deregulated.”
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Cameron holds the cards after EU vote commitment
