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: The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) agreed that its delegates would not promote either side of the Britain is better in or out of the European Union campaigns leading to one man, John Longworth, who apparently broke those rules being suspended. The campaigns to persuade British voters to either opt to stay in the EU or leave have three months to run but already the knives are out. "John Longworth, the Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), backed a 'Brexit' from Brussels during a TV interview on Thursday. He said: "With the reforms that we have received so far, the UK would be better off taking a decision to leave the European Union." According to the Financial Times that vocal opinion led to his suspension from the BCC group for breaching its official stance of neutrality. If you vow to be neutral you must all sing from the same song sheet and after Longworth's suspension others better make sure they obey BCC guidelines. Checking out the BCC website for more information on Mr Longworth Sunday he was still listed as the group's Director General. His bio on that site begins "John Longworth was appointed Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce in September 2011. Over the course of his career, John has done business on every continent and has had Executive Board positions at Asda Group Ltd and Asda Financial Services Ltd and the Operating Board of Tesco Stores Ltd and the CWS Ltd." The bio continues with Longworth's busy and extensive business career and goes on to praise his talents. Those same talents may now be forgotten, at least in the short-term, as he is pushed aside for sharing his opinion. Monday after he resigned the link is broken and Mr Longworth has vanished from BCC website. The Express reports Saturday "Ukip MP Douglas Carswell [a former Tory MP who jumped ship and joined Ukip in 2015] reacted with fury to the reports [of Longworth's suspension] saying: "This is an outrageous decision. "It shows that we are not just dealing with Project Fear, the Establishment is also prepared to bully and intimidate people to try to silence them." He added: "I hope now that David Cameron will distance himself from this and make it clear that this sort of action is unacceptable"." Monday Mr Longworth is toast. John Longworth resigns as commerce boss over Brexit debate reports the Guardian. The Conservative party made an EU in or out referendum pledge part of their 2015 election manifesto in order to win back some supporters who had fled to Ukip. But Cameron was unable to unite the Tories on Britain's EU membership so instead has allowed the party a free run which is quickly morphing into various right-wing campaigns for BRexit or BRemain. As the Tory party struggles to hold it together enemies and allies are made but post-EU referendum how will these people be able to work as one and govern the country? Related reading: Lord Tebbit says Cameron will have to quit if UK leaves EU Op-Ed: With the devil as always in the detail who is eligible to vote in the upcoming UK EU in or out referendum is crucial. If you have registered to vote in the UK you will be eligible to vote in the EU referendum. You do not have to register again. But there are some voting restrictions in the EU referendum which will take place June 23, 2016. The government denied appeals to lower the age of voting for this referendum even though that happened in Scotland for that country's independence referendum. Scotland lowered the age just for referendum voting to 16 but the eligible age in the UK EU referendum is 18; whether that move was a good idea is debatable. As young people have in many ways more to win or lose on the result of the EU referendum. It is after all their future that is at stake. Overseas voters will be allowed a vote in the EU ref if they meet the following criteria: If you are a UK citizen living abroad, you can apply to be an overseas voter. If you have not registered to vote in this year’s elections, including the EU referendum, you still have time.
The cut-off date for registering to be able to vote in the UK EU referendum is Tuesday June 7, 2016. According to the Telegraph "Just over 4.5 million Britons live abroad, with approximately 1.3 million of them in Europe, according to the United Nations." They mainly live in France, Spain and Ireland although there will be pockets of expats in countries such as Portugal and Italy. There are claims that expats in the EU may be forced to return to the UK if the country votes to leave the European Union but that is not proved and condemned by some as scaremongering. Likewise Britain has various EU citizens living and in some cases working in the UK. But while eligible expat voters may be having their say on the future of British EU membership changes at home have resulted in thousands disappearing from electoral registers. "An estimated 800,000 people have dropped off the electoral register since the government introduced changes to the system, with students in university towns at highest risk of being disenfranchised, the Guardian has learned." It is worth checking online if you are registered to vote and the latest guidelines for ensuring that you are. You can do both if you follow this link. However the UK may also dish out a fine if you are asked to register to vote and do not, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Like so much in 2016 the goalposts are being shifted at record speed and keeping up is tricky. EU resident voters in the referendum can vote by post or appoint a proxy. Similar options are also available for UK residents. Election and Voting information at the Electoral Commission Register to vote at this link Op-Ed: As UK PM David Cameron announced the date of the upcoming 2016 EU referendum, June 23, 2016, it was all 'jolly good show' and ‘all pals together’ but that did not last long. The Tory government boss David Cameron and his senior ministers tried to say the party remained united, best of friends and so much more and would not fall into the trap of publicly arguing over the EU issue but the cracks soon started to show. Tory MPs are allowed a free run in the EU referendum campaign, at least up to a point. There is no whip telling them how they should campaign and which side of the fence to jump. This has led to serious divisions in the Conservative party and to fairly equally matched in and out campaigns by senior figures. If it was a popularity contest and you were a Tory party supporter Cameron’s better in Europe campaign would have to be your choice. The better out campaign has the likes of Boris Johnson, Iain Duncan Smith and Priti Patel trying to persuade the electorate to leave the EU. Of course if you are a Tory fan you may not see that group of individuals as vile; if you are not you may. There seems to be a conspiracy theory for almost each and every action in the 21st Century and there are a few surrounding the UK EU in /out referendum. One claims that the EU out Tory campaign is full of their most hated MPs to encourage the electorate to vote for the country to remain an EU member; another theory hints that the people of Scotland will vote to leave the EU simply to force a second Scottish Independence referendum. But however the Tories try to spin or buy the news there is no Tory party unity over the EU. The referendum is making for strange political affiliations such as George Galloway and Nigel Farage sharing a campaign platform. There are some breakaway Labour groups campaigning to leave the EU but the party has taken a firm stance and is campaigning for the UK to stay an EU member country. As the Tories straddle the fence with two semi-official campaigns running alongside each other unity has left the building. DWP boss Iain Duncan Smith has accused Cameron of being pessimistic over a UK future outside of the EU and having a ‘low opinion of the British people’. Various Tory ministers are making statements to the mainstream media which illustrate that the party is as expected at odds over the EU. Some MPs and voters will not be happy with Cameron’s renegotiated terms as they do not go far enough but others are long time Eurosceptics who simply want the country to leave the EU. Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party have said they will not share a platform with Cameron’s better in campaign and that is a wise move. Cameron promised the referendum to shore up his political party not for any unselfish reasons. He has made his bed and must lie on it. But apart from that Labour are campaigning for the EU to stay as part of the EU on a very different mandate. This time the Tory party must sort its own dirty laundry and in public; the knives are out. More at: Metro - EU referendum: Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle says Labour is not split on EU but the Conservatives are in "meltdown" New Statesman - the Tory split that Labour craved has arrived – but the party can't exploit it Op-ed: British PM David Cameron was on his feet for a couple of hours today as he made a full announcement and brief debate on the UK EU in or out referendum. This writer opted to just catch the last few minutes when there was just a handful of MPS left in the House of Commons and those bottoms occupying the Tory benches appeared to belong to Cameron faithful busily trying to suck up to their party leader. John Bercow the Speaker of the House of Commons was there and his presence evident but earlier he was either asleep, not doing his job or AWOL. It is sickening to read in the Independent that Tory backbenches opted to try once again to drown out the words of the leader of the Labour Party, the official political opposition in the Commons but this time they overstepped the public school bully boy mark. Chanting 'who are ya' as Mr Corbyn began to speak shows the Tories in all their despicable glory. A bunch of hoodlums who do not respect democracy or our parliament. Neither do they respect the electorate many of whom will have tuned in. Once again however it illustrates how afraid the Tories are of Mr Corbyn and how rotten the Commons and the role of Speaker are these days. If they had nothing to fear from Corbyn they would let him speak and make a pig's ear of it. They however know that he is an intelligent and thoughtful speaker and they are scared to let him be heard. They prefer mob rule tactics to put Corbyn off and distract him. But in doing so they bring their party into disrepute and do nothing to further the Tory cause. Those who continue to attempt to undermine Mr Corbyn from within Labour are no better and let their voters down time and time again. The Tories are divided and in disarray over the EU ref and will clutch at any straws to hide that fact. So tonight on Twitter we respond and ask #WhoAreYaCameron and we hope you will join us. [Check out the Independent report here which begins "Last week - like him - I was in Brussels, meeting with heads of government and leaders of European socialist parties, one of whom said to me - The footballers' heckle 'Who are ya?' rang out from the Conservative backbenches, and was met with laughter. But the braying didn't die down. Instead it escalated until several Tory MPs were chanting #Who are you?' over and over and over while others rocked in their seats with laughter.] 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: So those in the UK who wanted a referendum on whether the UK should stay in the EU or scarper will be able to vote on just that on June 23, 2016. The date was only announced Saturday but has been in the media for weeks. The Daily Telegraph is now using referendum news to launch yet another attack on Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn saying he is campaigning to stay in the EU now although previously he did not. Perhaps JC guarantees them good viewing numbers or is still about more than that? Well let's tell the Telegraph a piece of news - times change. There will be many older citizens of the UK who have changed position on the EU since this country was finally accepted into the old EEC begrudgingly after many years of French President De Gaulle preventing that happening. The economic community began for trade with security of the continent a side issue although some these days seem to want to insist it was always about creating a peaceful Europe after the actions of Germany led to two world wars. These days German Chancellor Mrs Merkel is winning another EU dominance battle but this time economically. Down the years the concept of the EU changed many times; the gravy train that means bureaucrats in Brussels can make a fortune for just being there has added carriages and another line or bureaucracy between ordinary voters and politicians who in many cases have become out of touch with reality. This writer is feeling rather could not careless about the upcoming EU referendum but then she is an old crock and has previously had a vote on the EU issue. Younger voters must and surely will engage with the EU referendum as it is their future that lies in the balance. The cross political party's attempts to get your vote to Brexit or Bremain will now begin in earnest. Batten down the hatches as it will be every man and woman for themselves. There will be a media bombardment too so it says a great deal about the Telegraph that they have chosen the Corbyn slant. Five days ago the Daily Telegraph reported "Why Jeremy Corbyn may privately support Brexit." How did I vote first time around? I voted not to go into the EU. How will I vote this time around? I really do not know and am bordering on the spoiled vote protest; because the problem as I see it is we are screwed either way. If we leave the Tories will impose plans that currently are scuppered under some EU laws but if we stay the bureaucrats in Brussels may screw you anyway. Some will say stay in Europe and try to change it for the better. That is one way but it may not be possible. British voters will now vote on a renegotiated UK EU membership that is supported by some and dissed by others. David Cameron and EU ministers have spent hour after hour and euro or is that pound after pound getting any sort of reform on the table. Is it enough to persuade you to stick around the European Union or are you looking for the nearest exit. 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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