Wednesday 13 June 2012

Everyone Else But Us...

Witterings From Witney picks up on the news that the people of the Falkland Islands are to have a referendum on whether or not they wish to remain British. Cameron says via a statement:
 “I have always said that it is up to the Falkland Islanders themselves to choose whether they want to be British and that the world should listen to their views.
Next year’s referendum will determine beyond doubt the views of the people of the Falklands.  Britain will respect and defend their choice"
WfW calls it out for the hypocrisy that it is. If the Falklanders are to have a say on who governs them (and I'm not aware they are agitating for a referendum nor expressing a desire not to be British) then why not us on the most pressing issue of all - should the EU govern us.

Nor is this the first time that Cameron is standing up for others on the issue of who governs them. With some brass neck he has repeatedly accused SNP leader Salmond of being a coward for not holding a Scottish referendum on independence:
‘We have made the offer that we will devolve the power to hold that referendum, so a referendum can be made in Scotland and held in Scotland.
‘Frankly, I look forward to having the debate because I think there have been too many in the SNP who are happy to talk about the process, but they don't want to talk about the substance.
‘I sometimes think when I listen to them that it is not a referendum they want, it's a never-endum.’
He stood up for those countries undergoing changes in the Arab Spring:
Six months ago this country took the difficult decision to commit our military to support the people of Libya...[it's] right, because the Libyan people deserve to shape their own future, just as the people of Egypt and Tunisia are now doing. This has not been our revolution, but we can be proud that we have played our part.
Even on the issue of city mayors:
“Britain stands on the brink of exciting democratic change. This is it - one moment, one chance. One day when you can change the course of your city.”
This is a once-in-a-generation chance to change the way we run our country, so seize it, vote for it, go for it.” 
But on the "one issue that rules them all" (with apologies to Lord of the Rings)? Apparently it's not what the British people want right now

 “But in terms of our membership of the EU, [Cameron] feels that is not something we should have a referendum on now. That is not something that the British people want right now.”
So referendums are held on every other subject that no-one has asked for and Cameron stands up for others to govern themselves. Yet on the EU, we have had a cast iron promise that wasn't, a referendum lock that has more holes in it than a sieve factory and a refusal to hold one on our membership on the basis the British people don't want one, despite every indication that the opposite is true.

Utterly shameless.

2 comments:

  1. Ta for the link, TBF, as always.

    Odd how an issue ("Europe"), that the politicians tell us no-one is interested in, has suddenly become the topic de jour............

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  2. @WfW A pleasure as always. It is indeed odd...

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