Bob Piper has been a Labour Councillor for the Abbey
Ward in Sandwell, West Midlands, for nine years. He is a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and a follower of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The views expressed here are mine in a personal capacity, not those of the Labour Party, Sandwell MBC, Aston Villa or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Get it! Mine... just mine!
'These suggestions are options for how to deliver what I've spoken about,'
he says - referring to his promise not to let 'things rest'. 'I am not going to comment favourably or unfavourably on any option like that until we are ready to do so.' Well, make of that gibberish what you will, but... via Tim Worstall, Reasons Not To Vote Tory No. 3,670 (is that all you've got, Tim?) we find Cameron telling the Yorkshire Post...
"I don't want to leave the European Union and I'll tell you why. This is a trading nation. Yorkshire relies on traded goods and on businesses which can trade all over the world and particularly in Europe. We export more per head of the population than America, Japan or other countries. We are a trading nation and Europe is a very important market for us. If we are not in the European Union, we would not be able to have a say over what the rules of the single market are. That is the primary reason for being a member of the European Union."
So, that's absolutely clear then. Nothing has been ruled out... apart from those things I've ruled out! This is of course, classic Cameron. Flag up one thing for one audience... and another thing for a different audience, and hope never the twain shall meet.
As ever, with the Tories, there's leg's on this one yet.
Bob, is this not the same as the Government's stance on the EU Constitution (sorry, 'Treaty of Lisbon') where we were all promised a referendum because it was politically expedient prior to a General Election?
I don't think it's quite the same Chris. The New Labour Government were unashamedly in favour of closer European integration and promised a referendum which they thought would confirm their view. I agree absolutely that it was political expediency which made them drop the commitment, but I don't think you can accuse them of being particularly ambiguous towards the EU.
Cameron, on the other hand, doesn't want to say he is in favour because he will hand votes to the UKippers, but it is as plain as the Pinocchio nose on his face that he has absolutely no intention of doing anything about the EU than continue along the same road as New Labour.
Second-guessing what Cameron might do as PM is purely subjective, and I think his commitment to rejecting the Social Chapter hints at being wary of further integration.
Besides, the quote you have does not remove the possibility of a purely trading agreement with the EU minus the political and social ties, which is exactly the position I want the Conservatives to take.
So you want britain to be a market and not a Union member?
That is not even the Conservatives stance, never mind a Labour stance.
Maggie and Johnny showed us the way and it remains noticeable that Tories have a correlation with semi ant Europeanism and losing elections.
If you belittle britain in the eyes of the workers, you will pay the penalty.
100% facts.
David Camoron told the Shropshire Star that he wouldn't want to leave the EU, he'd rather stay in it and reform it. It can't be reformed, it was conceived as a federal union (it says so in the Schuman Declaration) and that is completely against what the English want. It's also inherently and irretrievably corrupt.
May 8, 2008 5:32 PM | permalink
Bob, is this not the same as the Government's stance on the EU Constitution (sorry, 'Treaty of Lisbon') where we were all promised a referendum because it was politically expedient prior to a General Election?