In out, in out, you shake it (Mr Cameron) all about

The Liberal view of history is that mankind continues to progress, going from strength to strength.  There may be a few blips along the way (The Dark Ages, world wars) but the serene movement is not long delayed in resuming its course ever upwards, with people becoming more sensible and peaceable.

This concept is being tested severely during the economic crisis.  It could be argued that this is current affairs, not history but, with the growth in communications, history is speeding up.  One would have thought the current crop of politicians in the UK would be more rational than their predecessors, yet the irony is that Northern Ireland seems the most settled part of the realm.  The 2010 intake of Conservative MPs are, if anything, more ferociously anti-European than what went before.  Acolytes of Thatcher though twisting her legacy in the process, they are intent on taking Britain out of the European Union.  A letter has been sent to David Cameron demanding a referendum in the next parliament on whether the UK should remain part of the EU.  John Baron, the MP for Billericay, organised the letter. “The case for a referendum is growing by the day,” he said. “The heart and soul of the Conservative Party believes it is now time to consult the British people about this.”

This is fulsome sophistry of a dangerous kind.  Baron thinks the case for a referendum is not growing but absolute.  The heart and soul of the Conservative Party believes it is now time to withdraw the UK from association with Brussels (presumably to imitate Norway and Switzerland – international non-entities, who have to abide by EU rules though they have no say over them).  That they would use the mechanism of a referendum is merely to cloak it in democratic legitimacy.

Prejudiced they may be, the Tory MPs are not overtly foolish.  With the turbulence of the Euro, they see a golden opportunity – a once-in-their-political-lifetime chance – of taking the British people with them.  There is also still an in-built right-wing majority in the press, with the journalists at these media outlets belittling the EU at every turn – they would engage happily in an EU-phobic campaign.  It has to build up plenty of political capital on this issue in case the Leveson inquiry comes down against them.

The fact that the main benefits of the EU – no war, economic boosts (at least before the crisis) and cosmopolitan harmony – are intangible makes the EU-phobics case all the easier.  The British future lies either as a partner in a European-wide association (maybe a multi-speed one), remaining friendly with the USA or as a servant of the USA (think Puerto Rico), with frostiness towards the continental Europeans.  These are the only future options available to the country and, personally, I’d rather be a partner than a servant.