It is not actually part of the EU but rather of the Council of Europe (to a large extent the same suspects). The government could choose to ignore it - so why doesn't it?
1) The Tory leadership doesn't want to.
2) The Lib Dems certainly do not want to.
3) The Tories can blame the Lib Dems.
The consequence is that our rights as a state are being trampled!
ALL we have to do is withdraw - nobody can MAKE us stay a part of the thrice cursed thing however much posturing it causes.
The one good thing in all of this is how mutinous so many Tory MPs are becoming and how separated they are from their leaders.
They KNOW how angry the general population are getting.
Time to defect to UKIP, guys?