Britain Will Finally Have Its EU Referendum

The prospect of a British referendum on its European Union membership has loomed more or less large in the wings of British political program discussions ever since Britain joined the EU. But Wednesday, Prime Minister David Cameron put it on the front burner, pledging to offer citizens a vote on whether to leave the European Union if his party wins the next election in 2015, prompting rebukes from European leaders accusing the premier of putting the bloc's future at risk over domestic politics. Cameron used a long-awaited speech in central London to say that the terms of Britain's membership in the bloc should be revised and the country's voters should have a say. The Party will renegotiate the UK's relationship with the EU if it wins the next general election. "Once that new settlement has been negotiated, we will give the British people a referendum with a very simple in-or-out choice to stay in the EU on these new terms. Or come out altogether," Cameron said. His proposal antagonize other countries focused on stemming the Eurozone debt crisis. Britain, historically immensely independent, has never been an enthusiastic member of the bloc, seeing itself as culturally different and balking at having policy dictated by Brussels. But the popular demand for a referendum has grown over fears that new EU regulations to address the debt crisis will further restrict the country's control over its own economic policies. Many EU member states, which had in the run-up to the speech stressed the importance of Britain's presence in the bloc (as well they might since Britain is second only to Germany in its financial contribution to the EU), took a sharper tone after Cameron spoke. Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, said Cameron was playing "a dangerous game," and accused him of playing domestic politics. French President Hollande said the EU cannot be negotiated. Britain does not use the Euro currency, but membership of the EU has given the UK access to the massive joint European market as well as a say in how the region should govern itself and run its financial markets. The country has also benefited from EU funds to build infrastructure such as broadband networks. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Germany hopes Britain will remain an active member of the EU, saying "a policy of cherry-picking won't work." Cameron's position is that Britain is renegotiating the EU treaty - not leaving the bloc. He acknowledged that many other EU member states may be frustrated by Britain's attitude: "work with us on this," he said. Britain's goal is to reshape the bloc, protect and complete the single market, allow the transfer of powers on issues from crime to working hours back from Brussels to national governments, and make Europe's economy more competitive and its institutions more flexible and democratically accountable. He thinks it is misguided to require everything to be harmonized. "Countries are different. They make different choices. We cannot harmonize everything." Germany said it is "of course prepared to talk about British wishes, but we must always bear in mind that other countries have other wishes," a foreign ministry spokesman said. Even as he talked of a referendum, Cameron restated his view that Britain should stay in the EU. He said he wants a positive vision for the future of the European Union. "A future in which Britain wants, and should want, to play a committed and active part," Cameron said. "There is no doubt that we are more powerful in Washington, in Beijing, in Delhi because we are a powerful player in the European Union." Cameron's program of renegotiation and referendum hinges on a Conservative victory in the next general election in 2015. But he said legislation will be drafted before 2015 so that if his party wins, it can be introduced and passed quickly to ensure a vote "in the first half" of the next Parliament. Frans Timmermans said in a statement that The Netherlands agrees with many of Cameron's criticisms of the EU. But he added that he hopes Britain will remain in the EU because reform must come from within, not be "walking away.". Dear readers, David Cameron has finally voiced publicly what many other EU countries think but have been hesitant to express. The EU cannot and should not want to try to suppress the many cultures that exist inside the EU. Economic and trade rules should not take away each country's right to regulate its internal affairs. No one in the EU hierarchy seems to understand that the United States Constitution does not call for uniformity. It puts all powers at the state level except for those powers expressly given to the federal government. The EU has done just the opposite - putting all power in an unelected bureaucracy in Brussels that dictates to the member states. It cannot work, especially in a union as diverse culturally and economically as Europe. Let us hope that Mr. Cameron succeeds in devolving power back to the member states, for only then will the EU have a chance to survive and prosper.