David Cameron is facing a major revolt by the Conservative Party grassroots over his policy on Europe, according to a survey for The Independent.
The poll of 2,205 Tory members by the ConservativeHome.com website found that more than eight in 10 want him to call a referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon even if it has been approved by the next general election – a pledge he is refusing to make.
Total withdrawal from the European Union is the most favoured option among party members when asked how a Tory government should handle the issue, putting them totally at odds with a Tory leadership committed to British membership. Some 82 per cent want to freeze Britain’s financial contributions to the EU.
The findings suggest that the damaging divisions on Europe which destabilised the last Tory government could resurface at the party’s annual conference in Manchester. Mr Cameron has played down the issue but it is firmly back on the agenda because of yesterday’s referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland, the result of which will be announced today. The expected Yes vote would remove the biggest remaining hurdle to ratification by all 27 EU member states. Mr Cameron has promised a referendum in Britain if he becomes prime minister and the treaty has not been ratified by then. But he is reluctant to call one if it has already won EU-wide approval, as withdrawing from it would plunge Britain’s relations with its EU partners into chaos.
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This is not at all surprising. There will be additional disquiet in the British Tory ranks when Cameron actually starts to say what he stands for. Lisbon is just the thin edge of the wedge. Not being a conservative himself, Cameron knows that he would fit better into the Lib-Dem’s ranks, and he certainly wants to keep that under wraps as long as possible. For the Tories, having chosen him because they think he can beat Labour — well, unfortunately now they will pay a hefty price for the likely victory when Brown falls.
It seems to be a problem with conservatives these days. They elect leaders who are just not conservative and are, instead, only interested in the acquisition of power.
This story is the first I knew that the UK Conservative party was not a clone of UK Labour. It seems to me that Canadian conservatives went through this horrendous situation some years ago and it is only in the recent past we realized what was happening and acted (Harper).
I suppose that if I were a UK voter I would be with the people who want to pull out of the EU. I have been following the situation for years and I cannot believe that the country my mother was so proud of would give up everything that made it what it once was for money.
I was born there but thankfully my father took his new wife and son to Canada — not a moment to soon.
“You see” — the UK has never needed the EU. The EU needs the UK and there is a world of difference. Now the EU plans to install Tony Blair as their first real president. My view is “good luck with that one” because we all know what Tony Blair did to Britain and I wish them all the best. In short order the EU will implode and as far as Britain is concerned that will be a very good thing.
“Go ahead” — elect or appoint him. And watch what happens next. He will boggle socialist minds throughout Europe as he does to them as he has already done to Britain.
Blair destroys everything he touches and in his own good time he will also destroy the EU.
He is not to be trusted because at best he is a really good used car salesman. Nothing more. For certain he is no Margaret Thatcher, a woman who knows what her country is and wants it to remain as it always has. A female Nelson who knows about fast talkers and has no use for them at all.
Margaret is right.
I’m sorry to see Cameron isn’t willing to listen to his party. That’s never a good sign…