Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Update on that referendum

Not surprisingly, the debate and the vote will take place on October 27, or so we are told by Douglas Carswell. It's not exactly clear what this debate or vote will decide. Will this be the legislation that will empower the government to call a referendum? Or will some more debating be necessary? If Zac Goldsmith is right then the government is making very sure that whatever happens they and their colleagues in Brussels will win:
Fellow Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith tweeted the question would be in three parts - the UK's relations with EU staying as they are now, the UK leaving the EU or renegotiating terms of membership.
Let joy be unconfined, especially on the europhiliac side.

5 comments:

  1. Have linked to this and the forerunner, Helen - and totally agree with your sentiments.

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  2. WitteringsfromWitneyOctober 18, 2011 at 4:52 PM

    Apologies, forgot to 'login' on my comment!

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  3. There is no point in pretending that this government will allow a straight in or out referendum, or if they did would abide by the result, if out.

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  4. Thursday week will be similar to 5 March 2008, when the Commons voted not to approve a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

    However, very unlike then, this time the MPs (or, more correctly, their frontbench paymasters) will be saving the "eurosceptic cause" from a huge unforced error. It doesn't feel altogether comfortable being on the same side as Cameron even temporarily but there we are.

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