Stated in June: 'I’ll
be over there in Brussels myself but I’m not expecting much and here's
why:
There
are three major factors of particular significance that mean the Cameron agenda
is going nowhere fast.
The
first is the continuing disaster unfolding in Greece.
With
great human suffering continuing as the country remains locked inside the Euro,
we have the spectacle of the Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras at
loggerheads with the IMF, with neither side looking as if they are going to back
down.
Compromise
between Greece and the IMF is totally impossible when the two sides are more
concerned with abusing one another.
The
other major factor occupying European leaders is the humanitarian crisis and I
would argue, terrorist threat, when it comes to the huge number of migrants
risking their lives in crossing the Mediterranean in order to reach the shores
of Europe.
Tens
of thousands of migrants are now entering Greece and Italy, with the latter
threatening to grant all of those migrants temporary settlement so that they can
then leave for other surrounding countries, of which I’m sure Britain would be
one.
As
I keep saying, this represents a huge potential security risk given that these
boats are coming across from Libya, a country increasingly controlled by Islamic
State.
There
is a very real danger that some of those coming across on these boats wish do to
Britain great harm indeed and is a huge problem that is simply not going to go
away anytime soon.
The
third and final factor that is going to scupper any sort of radical reform
whatsoever is the disturbing attitude of those driving this EU project
forward.
For
Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament, to announce that
Britain “belongs” to the EU demonstrates the Brussels
mind-set.
It
also demonstrates how those at the top of the EU are paying absolutely no
attention to the Prime Minister.
Schulz
has specifically said Mr. Cameron has no chance of exempting the UK from the
principle of “ever closer union” which has been in place for EU members ever
since the Treaty of Rome in 1957, nor would he be unlikely even to secure treaty
change as this would require support from every EU government. Doesn’t sound too
hopeful, does it?
The
Prime Minister’s entire agenda from the very start has been to attempt to sell
the idea to the British people that he is attempting some grand reform in order
to keep us locked inside the EU indefinitely.
The
truth is that not only is Cameron’s agenda modest in the extreme, but given all
that is going on, not even high up on the agenda.
The
Prime Minister is likely only to secure very minor changes such as on benefits
rules, which have been pre-agreed with other European leaders as a crumb off the
table. Is that really good enough for Britain? I don’t think it
is.
The
EU with its single currency has turned some European nations into economic
basket cases, and opened us up to international security threats by scuppering
border controls.
The
answer, as ever with the European Union, will be more centralisation, more
control and more human misery as a result.
Sorry
Mr. Cameron, but you are whistling in the
wind. Express.
