Monday 2 July 2012

Vince Cable describes EU referendum as "horribly irrelevant"

Vince Cable has responded to David Cameron's vague suggestion that an EU referendum might not be entirely out of the question as long as everyone votes Tory and he gets to ask the right question to get the right answer by describing an EU referendum as "horribly irrelevant at a time of upheaval taking place in Europe".

Let us know if you find out Vince
Wee Willy Vague said that that there may be a "powerful case" for an EU referendum but we can't have one until the EU has decided what it wants to do about turning itself into a country.

Labour's shadow foreign secretary, Douglas Alexander, said that Cameron's comments mean he is weak whilst Liam Fox said "life outside the EU holds no terror".

Up to 100 Tory MPs are apparently demanding Cameron passes a law to force the British government to hold an EU referendum after the next election.  Presumably these MPs are aware of the constitutional principal that no parliament can bind its successor, rendering any such law completely useless.  They were no doubt aware that the already useless EU Bill which contains the so-called referendum lock also can't bind the next parliament and isn't worth the paper it was written on.

If the Tories really are serious about honouring their many promises for an EU referendum then it needs to be held in this parliament.  The Tories won't win the next election, even with a Cast Iron Guarantee™ of an EU referendum so it's now or never.  If these 100 Tory MPs demanding a referendum are serious about it then one of them needs to grow a pair and put in a private members bill now or show us how important their principles are by defecting to UKIP and getting our low tax, small state, pro-independence agenda into Westminster where it belongs.

As for Vince Cable's statement that an EU referendum is "horribly irrelevant", I think most people would consider jetting around the world to get agreement to change the law simultaneously in 16 countries to give "equal rights" to female heirs to the throne was "horribly irrelevant".