Op-Ed: A veteran Tory politician now a Lord in 'that other place' has said that if the UK EU referendum majority vote is to leave the union David Cameron must surely quit as the country's Prime Minister. The man telling Cameron he will have to go is Lord Tebbit. Cameron said ahead of the May 2015 General Election that he did not intend to be in office as Prime Minister come the next general election scheduled for 2020 but how and when he retires from that role is important. Like so many British PMs Cameron will probably want to go on his terms and at a time to suit; like so many other British PMs he may be denied both options. Saturday the Daily Mail reports civil war is breaking out in the Tory party and says "Former party chairmen Lord Tebbit and Liam Fox both suggested that the Prime Minister will be forced to step down if Britain votes to leave the EU. They spoke out amid growing Tory anger over Mr Cameron’s increasingly strident warnings about the dangers of Brexit. Writing in yesterday’s Daily Mail, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith accused No 10 of waging a campaign of ‘spin, smears and threats’ in a bid to bully voters into backing the Remain side in June’s referendum." But before those members of the electorate that hate David Cameron think yippee let's vote to leave and rain on Cameron's parade they must take a deep breath. Unless there are party sackings or resignations that affect the balance of power in the House of Commons there will not be a general election. Likely Tory successors to Cameron touted as Theresa May, Boris Johnson and George Osborne will be dusting down their CVs and working behind the scenes to shore up support ready to step into the PMs shoes. But it could be a rank outsider that replaces Cameron as party leader and PM. There is much more at stake than who will be the next Tory PM of the UK. The Daily Mail continues "No 10’s approach has enraged many Tories, who feel the Government machine is being deployed in an attempt to crush those bidding to take Britain out of the EU. In the past fortnight, the Government has published two ‘dodgy’ dossiers on the risks of leaving, big businesses and have been corralled into issuing statement of support for EU membership and French President Francois Hollande was persuaded to warn that Britain would face reprisals if it left. Lord Tebbit said it would now be ‘extraordinarily difficult’ for Mr Cameron to continue in office if Britain votes to leave." Tebbit is famous to British people of this writer's generation for being caught up in a Tory party bombing and for avidly encouraging the jobless of the UK to cycle more often. There was a direct bomb attack on the British Government at the Conservative party conference in Brighton in 1984. At least two people died and many others sustained serious injuries, including two senior Cabinet ministers. "The blast tore apart the Brighton Grand Hotel where members of the Cabinet have been staying for the Conservative party conference. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her husband Dennis narrowly escaped injury." Mr Tebbit, was shown on TV visibly in pain as he was being stretchered to safety; his wife suffered neck injuries which left her paralysed. Tebbit was also famous for telling the unemployed of the 80s to get on their bikes to find work which highlighted just how out of touch he was even then. He compared his father's quest for work during the depression to eighties Britain. Related reading: BCC suspends director general John Longworth over EU stance [Please bear in mind some of the report is sourced from the Daily Mail which is a right-wing supporting publication-it may or may not be neutral on Brexit also]
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Op-ed: BBC1s Sunday Politics was UK EU referendum centric but if you hoped the politicians appearing might help you decide how you will vote on June 23 think again. One thing was evident however and that is the Labour party have their act in order on this one and will be campaigning for the UK to stay in the EU. There may be the odd Labour fringe movement running at a tangent but the party line is it is better for the UK to stay a European member and Hilary Benn made a good case Sunday. Footage of Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn also explaining why for him and the party in 2016 #Bremain is the only sensible option was also compelling. So what about the Conservative Party and its leader David Cameron? The Tory party has the lion's share of referendum spending limits based on their share of the election vote in 2015. As the Tory party is split on stay or leave which campaign gets the bulk of their share of the allowance is still up for grabs. The SNP which is the majority party in Scotland will be left picking up scraps from the campaign spending limit table. Perhaps this is why the BBCSP host seemed keen to ask Hilary Benn, Labour, how much they would spend on Labour's Bremain campaign and would Labour join Cameron's better in campaign and support him. He carefully avoided answering the spending question but stated that Labour will not be campaigning alongside Cameron. Since Corbyn was elected in September as party leader too many Labour members and politicians have undermined Mr Corbyn and along the way helped the Tories and it is good to know that will not happen this time. The Conservative party has deep divisions on the European Union and it is safe to say Cameron is finished if the country opts for#Brexit. But if that is enough to persuade you to vote leave remember he is finished anyway. Ahead of the 2015 general election he said he would leave his job sometime before the 2020 election. Just how and when he leaves office is debatable. Chris Grayling for the Tory Brexit camp said Sunday the party would be behind Cameron all the way in spite of the split on the EU but will they be armed to stab him in the back? One thing is clear and it is this. The Tory party is split on the EU issue but is getting an easy ride by mainstream media at least so far. When Corbyn allowed his MPs a free vote on bombing in Syria he faced a barrage of media abuse and cross party attacks. David Cameron promised an EU referendum to win back voters who had jumped ship to join Ukip and to appease some in his own party. He has made his bed so let him lie on it and do so alone. David Cameron may try telling the electorate that he secured a good deal for us to base our vote on but he has been unable to persuade his party of that, just some of them; and some of them will have made their minds up ahead of the renegotiation talks. DWP boss Iain Duncan Smith thinks the UK is vulnerable as an EU member citing the Paris attacks to support his case but as this man is often called 'vile' due to his damaging work his words will be a kiss-of-death to some. David Cameron appearing on the Andrew Marr show Sunday thinks the opposite and we are safer staying in Europe. Boris Johnson is doing what he does best dithering and will announce which side of the Brexit Bremain fence he will jump later. Those pushing to stay in the EU argue that the UK can work to change the union for the better as a member but considering the time and effort which appears to have been spent securing Cameron's mediocre reforms that's a hard one to believe; appears could be the key word here. Op-ed: Does anyone have a clue what UK PM David Cameron is trying to achieve with his endless European meetings allegedly relating to a new EU membership deal for the UK and an upcoming EU referendum - and I include Cameron in that question. This week Cameron has gone all out to secure a deal that he can bring back and put before the electorate but why the rush? Thursday could have been simply a signing off of the new deal but instead interested parties in Brussels continued debating into the night. A baggy-eyed looking David Cameron has told the waiting mainstream British media that there has been no agreement yet but on what we wonder. Side issues that are probably more important than Dave's dealings, such as the refugee crisis in Greece and other parts of Europe, are also being debated. What the main stumbling block is for Cameron is not clear. Could it be the protection he wants for the City of London that is a big game changer? Sky News political editor Adam Boulton made a slip up saying can't instead of can referring to the negotiations Friday and it was probably more accurate. Does Cameron really want a deal and a UK in the EU? As his Tory party is still fairly split on the issue anything is possible. As Dave has said he will retire from his role as party leader and PM sometime before the 2020 election maybe he is waiting to get Europe under his belt before he skid addles. Either way these EU negotiations appear to be being squandered to further Tory ideals and that is a shame. |
British political scene
The next General Election in the UK may not be scheduled any time soon but the British political landscape is changing. With that in mind this blog will concentrate on the political scene but with a left wing perspective. Opinion pieces and news will bring you the stories that the MSM prefer to ignore. Archives
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