Tory Euro Pickle

Blimey, what a Tory pickle over Europe. This week they scuppered their own proposals for a law making an In-Out referendum on Europe happen in 2017. They had a the chance to lance the UKIP boil.

Instead of allowing both a Lib Dem bill to fix the bedroom tax and their bill for a referendum to make a Euro referendum happen in 2017 they spiked both. It is clear the Tories are more concerned about maintaining the bedroom tax than their flagship EU referendum pledge.

Why would the Conservatives sabotage a chance to legislate now for an EU Referendum?

Perhaps they simply don’t want to enshrine an In-Out referendum in law before the General Election. If they did David Cameron would be forced to reveal his hand by either backing calls to leave Europe or fight the pro-EU case. He simply can’t make the sensible case for Europe and keep UKIP voters and his Eurosceptic backbench MPs happy.

The Lib Dems back an EU referendum and we want Britain to stay in because that is how we keep our country strong, prosperous, safe and green.

It isn’t perfect but we believe Europe is vital to our economic recovery and we can only make it better if we stay inside influencing from it from the centre. I’ve spoken to people who actually do the negotiations with Europe. Being outside but wanting to trade with Europe we’d have to accept unpalatable changes. The EU would lurch without the UK towards a federal Europe making us a very marginal country on the periphery.

So come on Tories get your act together – either you want a referendum or you don’t.

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