The man — or woman — in the street
probably does not think much about sovereignty. Yet the true meaning of this
word will be at the heart of the referendum campaign on whether we should remain in, or
leave, the European Union.
It is the debate we should have had in 1972,
when Parliament passed the European Community Act. The then Conservative
government led by Edward Heath skilfully evaded the issue — and that is putting
it politely.
On yesterday’s Andrew Marr Show, the
current Tory leader and PM, David Cameron, dismissed the
presenter’s question about whether we, the British people, would regain
sovereignty if we were to vote to leave the EU, arguing: ‘That might give you a
feeling of sovereignty, but it would be an illusion of
sovereignty.’
Cameron went on to say that the real meaning of
sovereignty was ‘the ability to get things done’.
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We would regain sovereignty if we were to vote to leave the
EU.
