SuperiorSteve

Clegg calls for Euro referendum - Yahoo! News UK

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg wants Britain to be able to decide its future in Europe.

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He said he believes the time has now come for a referendum on whether the country should stay in the EU.

Mr Clegg said politicians had "all gone crazy" over Europe and had been "trading blows" in a way that distracted attention from the real debate.

He complained that pro-Europeans such as himself are accused of being "sell-outs" while Eurosceptics are branded "headbangers".

"We've all gone crazy. Pro and anti, Europhile and Eurosceptic, trading blows about the Lisbon treaty in grand rhetoric that obscures the facts," he said.

"It is time for a debate politicians have been too cowardly to hold for 30 years - time for a referendum on the big question. Do we want to be in or out?

"Nobody in this country under the age of 51 has ever been asked that simple question. That includes half of all MPs. We've been signed up to Europe by default: two generations who have never had their say."

Mr Clegg, himself a former Euro-MP will this week table an amendment in Parliament to the Lisbon treaty bill demanding an "in or out" referendum

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"Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life" Cecil Rhodes

eublues

He's right about the sell-out bit.

Zak64

But don't trust this slimey reptiles motives one inch!

I'll bet my boots he's only doing it because he knows it will be easier to get the "correct" result from an in or out referendum, rather than a simple Lisbon Treaty plebiscite. He and his ilk know that if they can scare the public into voting for staying in the EU ("We'll lose eight million jobs, etc") then the political classes can then get away with another 30 years of EU intergration because "That has allready been decided in the referendum". They will use the fact of a Yes vote to slap down any eurosceptic opposition.

Like I say, don't trust him, his motivations and his vile party one little bit.

(With apologies to slimey reptiles everywhere!)

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If anyone complains about unlimited mass immigration we call them a racist - it's our culture!

SuperiorSteve

Does anyone trust this scum? I find it hard to find any LibDim supporters anywhere lol

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"Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life" Cecil Rhodes

Britannist

More on the awful europhile views of Clegg at:

Leader of europhile Liberal 'Dems' again calls for EU vote - but not one on Treaty

Britannist

Good - their 'core' vote is actually very small (their candidate for the May 2008 London Mayoral Elections is on a paltry 7% of the vote in the latest opinion poll).

The more people who usually vote for the Liberal 'Democrat' party learn that that party wants to destroy our Pound and put us under EU Government, the less they will be likely to vote for them.

Britannist

Yes: I made this point in the thread where I have (in posting 5 to this thread) just posted a link through to.

NoMoreEUSSR

But surely, a referendum on being in the Evil Union in the first place - making the naïve assumption that it would be fair and unbiased - is the best thing one could wish for? If the populace are silly/masochistic enough to want to remain in the Evil Union then aren't they getting what they deserve? I think Matt Davies already made that point.

Trouble is, the tricky part would be getting a fair referendum. But if it is fair, go for your life!

Britannist

There are not enough people committed to voting against the EU for us to be sure we would win a referendum on leaving the EU (although it is certainly possible for the pro-sovereignty side to win a referendum on quitting the EU: europhiles could find they lose control in a referendum campaign on UK membership of the EU and find public support for getting out rises rapidly during the course of the campaign).

The Liberal 'Democrats' tactics on this (calling for an EU membership referendum) are based on the assumption that people would vote for the status quo (i.e. to stay in the EU).

In other words - we got no referendum on joining the EEC/EU (as you know were only asked in 1975 - two years after entry) and now we are in the EEC/EU the europhile tactic is to count on people backing the status quo.

At this point in time, our efforts should go into stopping this EU Constitution (EU 'Amending' Treaty) - in other words in stopping the EU getting even more power.

I am confident that, in time, support for quitting the EU will rise but think that we have a 100% chance of winning an EU 'Amending' Treaty referendum but less than a 100% chance of winning - at this point in time - a vote on whether the UK should stay in the EU or leave it.

If we lose an EU referendum on "in our out" then the europhiles will push every more forcefully for more EU Treaties handing over what sovereign powers the UK Parliament has left to the EU.

If the europhiles lose a referendum on the EU 'Amending' Treaty - then the europhile movement in the UK would be damaged enormously . The minority europhile element in the UK would then be in the position of having no EU Constitution (EU 'Amending' Treaty) and no prospect of a Treaty on taking the UK into the hated euro .

eublues

The Lib Dems know that there is absolutely no chance of an in or out of the EU referendum being held in the foreseeable future. (On the other hand what might just possibly trigger this?)