My problem with Europe is that European laws top trump our own laws and that can lead to problems (eg extradition of Abu Qatada). The way the European project has been going, interference from Brussels is not going to get less with time - it is very likely to increase - ie things will get worse. Throw in the fact that half of Europe is bankrupt and we will increasingly be under pressure to join the Euro to help Germany prop it up.
But isn't the EU much the same as the USA in that Federal Laws trump State Laws ??? Problem is that the EU is built up of member states who retain their own sovereignty where as the US has an overall "Supreme Being" heading up the federal machine while the EU States all retain their own individual Head of State. The EU Presidency does not hold the same sway as POTUS. I think that while we pay a bit more attention to Brussels there are other Member States who play little more than lip service to Brussels and just take as much as they can from the central pot without conceeding much towards it.
I was also under the impression that the UK, as a Member State was propping up the single currency anyway without being in the sigle currency and that we had already donated several £Bn towards bailouts for the likes of Greece, Eire, Portugal etc!
We have a very limited say on things in Europe - we have our MEPs but Europe is a big place with lots of MEPs (and extortionate expense/subsistence claims). Renegotiation isn't something I hold out much hope for as every other EU country has to agree to our requests. I think it would be easier to hold an in/out referendum, see how the populace feels, then go from there. If the majority want out of Europe then there's no point entering complication negotiations about our position in Europe.
Politics is rife with extortionate expense / subsistence claims ... we only have to look at our own HoC for evidence of that. I would live to have the ability to vote for my own payrise and get the taxpayer to subsidise my booze! I agree that re-negotiation is a none starter - The Eastern Block Countrys will lump together and block vote as they wouldn't want to upset the Bear too much etc ... so by going for re-negotiation we may end up losing more ground than we would gain. As for a straight referendum ... is that going to prove anything? Going by the turn out for the last round of local council elections average of 37% I believe but happy to be corected on that ... even so its a proportion of the country's voters which certainly wouldn't be over 50% thus not a majority!
However, I complete agree with Danny in that it is not within CMD's gift to give a referendum as the Lib Dems wouldn't agree to it. Labour have returned to form and oppose everything the Government does, rather in the style of a petulant child, so it would never get through the HoC at present.
I agree ... under the present administration a Referendum is unlikely (unless it is a attempt to woo back the UKIP deserters) however for CMD to be able to push it through he would need the Lib Dems to agree and given that Brussels is mainly a Liberal organisation that ain't going to happen.
The only way that anything would happen to push a referendum through is UKIP achieve the impossible and form the next Govt. I say impossible as UKIP have no track record in government and while we know that its the Civil Serpent Mandarins who push the buttons etc ... the direction is given from the ruling party. If the Falklands blew up again with a newly elected UKIP Govt in power would we be up the swanny without a paddle???
How things pan out will be interesting, and I think Great Britain will have to wake up to tactical voting a la Northern Ireland. Voting UKIP will split the Conservative vote and let Labour in - and Labour will never give a referendum on Europe. This has to be a Conservative thing to do, albeit with UKIP support.
I personally think that UKIP is a non starter as the only policy they seem to have any conviction about is getting out of Europe! I agree that they will probably split the Conservative vote but would they join forces as the Lib Dems did last election. Lets face it ... it was the only way the Lib Dems were going to get within a sniff of Govt! And if the Cons are in league with UKIP then would the Lib Dems side with Labour and round we go again?? As you say interesting times ahead although I think it is more of a power struggle rather than genuine caring about the Country.
