14/03/2011
Yet another half-baked campaign for an EU Referendum starts up today, this one supported by
The Daily Mail. Allied with the
Democracy Movement, we are told by the "
People's Pledge" that there are five key reasons why we should have a referendum:
- No one under the age of 54 has had the chance to vote on our relationship with Brussels
- The EU now makes a majority of the laws we must obey
- The UK has less than 10% of the votes in the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament
- The EU is costing Britain more and more money
- The EU wants to give itself new powers of 'economic governance'
Fine. So we have a referendum. Then what? The question, of course, isn't answered. It isn't even addressed. But, in the unlikely event that we ever have a referendum â and Euroslime Dave
isn't set to rush into the breach â that will be the reason why we lose it.
The truth is that this is another make-work scheme for the Democracy Movement, yet another funding vehicle to keep the boys and girls going until the next half-baked idea lurches onto the horizon. But until someone is able to come up with a "
positive object, it will do no better than
the last attempt.
Speaking strictly personally, I am getting sick to the back-teeth of these
ill-thought-out campaigns, and just a look at the
campaign team and some of the supporters tells you all you need to know about this one. And I know it is terribly old fashioned to suggest it, but unless you devise an
intellectual base before you set up a campaign, you will fail.
But then, these campaigns are in many respects designed to fail. They give the plebs something to do, make a few of them feel important and stop others actually thinking about what they should be doing - all the while soaking up funds that could be better used to drive a genuine campaign. And soon enough, there will be another one along ... so sign the pledges while you can folks! You know it makes [no] sense.
UPDATE: Raedwald
isn't thinking, but Edward Spalton, on his comments, most certainly is. What is it about heroic failure which makes it so attractive to the Eurosceptic community?
COMMENT: NEW "ISM" THREAD