What’s Labour’s answer to the Tories’ likely election – renegotiate – referendum on the EU approach?

Interesting article, Jon, but I personally do think we need a referendum, while on the question of the implications of a repatriation debate for us, I see it as an opportunity for Labour and for pro-EU advocates. Here’s why- there’s plenty of policy areas in which people hate the impact of EU law on the UK, immigration being a prime example, and it’s that sort of thing that drives British Euroscepticism. But while I understand why the Tories dislike EU employment regulations, I can’t think of a way in which they could more easily own-goal themselves in a debate on the EU than to start publically arguing “Brits, aren’t you sick of all those Brussels bureaucrats attempting to guarantee you decent pay, reasonable hours and holidays?” Why start off by picking on almost the only aspect of EU law most people could plausibly like?

Allow me to translate. I am, by the way, a Tory Troll so stop reading now.
“It seems to me that the Tories are lining up an election – repatriate – referendum strategy.” Well, maybe. But this is much deeper than that.Imagine if I were to say that Labour are planning to increase spending on poor families and that  ”It seems to me that Labour are lining up an election strategy. ” Wouldn’t you be outraged? You believe deeply in helping the poor and the election has nothing to do with that. It is a matter of principle.

Two seconds on any Tory blog (Dan Hannan? John Redwood?) will convince you that there is a mass of very angry voters out there who would, please, like our country back. We also believe that you cannot “repatriate” powers from Berlaymont. It is like asking you, dear reader, to ban the Durham Miners’ Gala. It is not going to happen. (Remember the acquis communautaire).

The Foreign Office, for whom Mr Hague works, in no way wants either to limit Europe or to question it. The poor  little fellow is responding to a huge tidal wave of public opinion. In that sense, of course, your words ring very true.

“It seems to me that the Tories are lining up an election – repatriate – referendum strategy, “

Well done, Jon W, on responding to the comments on your article.

The fundamental problem for today’s generation of Conservatives is that, essentially, the EU is based on a collectivist philosophy. For these people, ” … an ever closer union …” (which phrase was in the Treaty of Rome signed in 1956) is anathema.

The UK government applied for membership of the then EEC for purely selfish reasons. It saw the economic growth of the then “original six,” compared that growth with its own record and took an entirely selfish view that there would be domestic advantage for the UK to join the EEC. The underlying reasons for “Europe” (espoused by Jean Monnet, Paul-Henri Spaak and Robert Schuman) passed by both the UK government and the UK people.

Having said that, I don’t think that Ted Heath had such a selfish view ; he had actually witnessed the devastation and immense human tragedy of WW2 and for him, it was “never again.”

Personally, I hope that the EU does succeed in going on towards “an ever closer union” ; almost certainly, that will lead to a federated Europe. All that is required is a sense of logic, a remembrance of history over the centuries (especially the disastrous first half of the 20C) and the compassion that fired Monnet, Spaak and Schuman after WW2.

As I look at the Conservative views on Europe these days, I am reminded of J K Galbraith’s observation that, “The modern conservative is engaged in in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy ; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness” (which has also applied to their domestic policies since 1979).