David Cameron has hinted at plans that his government will
hold a referendum on whether or not Britain should remain a part of the
European Union, and whether greater involvement is needed.
A letter to the Sunday Telegraph back in June of this year
made it clear that an immediate in/out referendum was not going to happen in
the near future. Instead, he wanted a “real choice” for voters, so that they
could make an informed decision about the issue.
Some MPs have labelled the move as “party management” and
citing the Eurozone crisis as a more prevalent issue. However, pundits
considering the UKs departure from the EU have made it clear that Britain
cannot remain where it is. Sharon Bowles, Lib Dem MEP, has claimed that some Eurozone
countries blame the UK for the current crisis.
Not only was this caused by the fact that the City of London
banks agreed that they had let the 2008 financial crisis occur, and
subsequently the Eurozone crisis, but recent scandals involving the Libor
rigging, money-laundering and PPI mis-selling have made the Eurozone
increasingly untrusting of the British financial system.
Some pundits have also accrued Britain’s detachment from the
Eurozone, the fact that it has a separate currency and less obligations, have
sustained the current problems. If the UK were to stay within the EU, calls for
further integration and closer ties would be made. The government has to decide
not only whether to stay, but how much sovereignty to award the EU, an issue
that is hotly contested throughout the UK.
It is expected that David Cameron will make a major speech
about the British relationship with Europe ahead of the EU Leaders Summit in
December this year. Then, it is expected for the Prime Minister to lay-out his
plans for the future of British involvement in Europe and a response to European
Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, call for a new EU Treaty to create “a
democratic federation of nation states.”
Amalgamating into a federation of states will be a much
closer association with Europe than the UK has previously experienced. The
decision is expected to be made by the people of Great Britain, during a
referendum.
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