Quite serious, this....really!
S.
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Cameron Admits He Won't Honour An Out Vote In A Referendum
As has been well documented here and elsewhere, his promise of a referendum on our "relationship" with the European Union is a sham, will be rigged and is not possible. Trying to renegotiate a looser relationship with the EU goes against the very fabric of the organisation.
However there is now a sting in the tail, as noted by Richard North, Cameron has no intention of honouring an out vote in the unlikely event one would occur. In an interview with the Spanish El Pais with the headline quote from Cameron; "The best solution for the UK is to stay in a reformed EU", he was asked the following (via Google translate):
In case of a Yes victory in the referendum that will organize on leaving the EU, would you be willing to withdraw from the Union?
And Cameron's response:
I would not. (No me gustaría)
That Cameron makes such an admission - of willfully ignoring a referendum vote - in a foreign newspaper is revealing. Truly he's the child of Europe, his hero evidently instead is Barroso (EU Commission President):
“They must go on voting until they get it right."
Slightly amazingly "cast-iron" has managed to sink even lower.
The Boiling Frog online here
British Prime Minister, David Cameron , embarks this week on a European tour which takes you to Madrid, Paris and Berlin. For this reason, the tenant of 10 Downing Street met with several European journalists to explain, in particular the January 23 speech, in which he promised a referendum on the UK staying in the European Union.
Question. In case of a victory of itself in the referendum that will organize on the output of the EU , would you be willing to leave the Union?
Answer. I would not. What I would like is to get a reform of the European Union. That is the meaning of my speech. The EU is ripe for reform suffer. We are in a global race in which we compete with countries like China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia. It needed a more open, more competitive, more flexible. That is our goal.
In my opinion, there are reforms that can be made. Some have already been undertaken. For the first time since the founding of the EU, we have a European Commission has pledged to withdraw proposals, promote deregulation, favor the reduction of business costs, especially SMEs. And for the first time in the history of Europe, the EU budget will decrease rather than increase.
Q. Do you want to stay in the EU despite the Conservative Party and the British public are in favor of the opposite?
A. The best solution for Britain is to stay in a reformed EU. But be aware that support for our accession to the EU and the changes it has undergone the latter is scarce. Politicians worthy of the name should recognize this and not hide problems.
Q. Do you think that your demand to renegotiate the treaty, albeit limited, is dangerous and unpredictable?
A. When I took office as prime minister three years ago, someone told me: "Do not worry, the only certainty is that treaties are not changed." Well, since then has been three.
Sure I vetoed one of the three and therefore developed a separate treaty. But the other two modifications, the accession of Croatia and the European Stability Mechanism, yes were approved. And of course the UK, as good Europeans, adopted the two. I'm sure at one time or another there will be changes in the treaty, if only to remedy the problems of the eurozone.
Q. Can you give examples of some power that you would like to recover?
A. I do not want to make a list. I think we should have a discussion at European level on how flexible the EU and to make clear that it is possible to return powers to the states and vice versa.
Q. Are you surprised by the reaction of Paris and Berlin, saying that the review required by the British division of powers between London and Brussels is an internal affair of the UK?
A. Not at all. What if this or that competition can have the best the UK or the European Union? Of course it's a British concern, since we who ask, for example, common fisheries policy favoring our interests or not. It's not something you see with other EU countries. It is an initiative that should be for our own benefit.
Q. It seems that the only thing that interests the British is the single market ...
A. For the UK, the single market is the most important section of European politics. We are a nation of shopkeepers. The continent is our main export market. The single market has been a great success for Europe and the UK has played a crucial role in that success. But it is a work not yet completed. We complete our labors in the fields of energy, digital transactions and services.
It is wrong to say that Britain is only interested in the single market. We are a major European power, a European actor of the first rank. But at the same time, we believe that the EU, at times, wanted to cover in excess of their policies, interventions and interference. And that must change.
Q. Are not you feeding xenophobia by pointing to Romanians and Bulgarians, full members of the EU, which will be allowed to settle in the UK from January 1, 2014?
A. We have created, and we have done well, temporary controls for people from the new Member States. When are abolished shall have the right to settle and work in the UK. The British exercised this right in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Cyprus. And there is another question: do we have a system of social rights that we work well as a country, or have a system that is one of the factors of attraction for foreigners? This is a perfectly legitimate question.
Q. One of the priorities of the British presidency of the G-8 is the fight against tax evasion, topic in France ...
A. That I have understood.
Q. But at the same time the UK has the largest network of tax havens in the world. Do not we have a double standard?
A. Not at all. The UK has included this item on the agenda of the G-8. We believe there a series of principles of transparency e exchange information which can we foster in the G-8 and the G-20 to same time we encourage our overseas territories already other places of the that we are responsible to join to that network. It is a good purpose.
Q. With regard to Syria, do you understand the fears that the rebels surrendered weapons falling into the hands of jihadists?
A. I totally understand that concern, but the strategy developed so far has not helped. Have died and 60,000 to 70,000 people. The system is armed to the teeth and uses these weapons, some even illegal, massively against their own people. François Hollande and I have reason to ask the question: Is it fair to keep the arms embargo that prevents properly defend Syrian people?
Interview of Carlos Fresneda (The World), Iwona Kadluczka, (Gazeta Wyborcza), Stefan Kornelius (Süddeutsche Zeitung), Leonardo Maisano (Il Sole 24 Ore) and Marc Roche (Le Monde)
Translation of Maria Luisa Rodriguez Tapia
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