Monday, October 20, 2014
Cameron pushing us out of Europe
The impact of the campaign by David Cameron and the Conservative party to renegotiate our position in Europe on our relations with other countries is not often commented on by the press, but inevitably it has undermined our position in Europe itself and weakened the British Prime Minister's bargaining position in terms of getting a better deal from the EU.
This is made clear today from the comments by the European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso who believes that David Cameron is pushing Britain closer to leaving the European Union by running a negative campaign that fails to take on Eurosceptics.
The Times says that Mr. Barrosa says that a British exit from the EU could have a catastrophic impact on the economy and would mean that the UK would struggle to retain even marginal relevance on the world stage.. Yet despite that voters may back the move regardless, unless politicians urgently make the case for the EU’s benefits:
Appearing on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC One yesterday, he chastised the prime minister for relying on EU freedom of movement laws only when it suited him. “I remember when prime minister Cameron called me to ask the commission to be tough in ensuring the freedom of movement between Gibraltar and Spain. British citizens have freedom of movement all over Europe. There are 700,000 living in Spain. So the principle of freedom of movement is essential,” Mr Barroso said.
“Freedom of movement is a very important principle in the internal market. Arbitrary caps seem to me . . . in contradiction with European laws.”
The paper adds that in an apparent attack on Mr Cameron’s increasingly hard line, Mr Barroso will warn today that “you can never win a debate from the defensive”.
“We saw in Scotland that you actually need to go out and make the positive case,” he will say.
“If people read only negative and often false portrayals in their newspapers from Monday to Saturday, you cannot expect them to nail the European flag on their front door on Sunday just because the political establishment tells them it is the right thing to do.”
In a cutting attack on the Ukip leader Nigel Farage, he will profess no interest in the “relentless march to one single super-state”.
“I may prefer a glass or two of red wine than a pint of beer when I am out on the election trail, but I, too, come from a country with a long history, proud of its culture and tradition,” he will say. “And it may be a revelation to some, but the vast majority of people living in Europe are also rather attached to their national identity.”
This is made clear today from the comments by the European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso who believes that David Cameron is pushing Britain closer to leaving the European Union by running a negative campaign that fails to take on Eurosceptics.
The Times says that Mr. Barrosa says that a British exit from the EU could have a catastrophic impact on the economy and would mean that the UK would struggle to retain even marginal relevance on the world stage.. Yet despite that voters may back the move regardless, unless politicians urgently make the case for the EU’s benefits:
Appearing on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC One yesterday, he chastised the prime minister for relying on EU freedom of movement laws only when it suited him. “I remember when prime minister Cameron called me to ask the commission to be tough in ensuring the freedom of movement between Gibraltar and Spain. British citizens have freedom of movement all over Europe. There are 700,000 living in Spain. So the principle of freedom of movement is essential,” Mr Barroso said.
“Freedom of movement is a very important principle in the internal market. Arbitrary caps seem to me . . . in contradiction with European laws.”
The paper adds that in an apparent attack on Mr Cameron’s increasingly hard line, Mr Barroso will warn today that “you can never win a debate from the defensive”.
“We saw in Scotland that you actually need to go out and make the positive case,” he will say.
“If people read only negative and often false portrayals in their newspapers from Monday to Saturday, you cannot expect them to nail the European flag on their front door on Sunday just because the political establishment tells them it is the right thing to do.”
In a cutting attack on the Ukip leader Nigel Farage, he will profess no interest in the “relentless march to one single super-state”.
“I may prefer a glass or two of red wine than a pint of beer when I am out on the election trail, but I, too, come from a country with a long history, proud of its culture and tradition,” he will say. “And it may be a revelation to some, but the vast majority of people living in Europe are also rather attached to their national identity.”
