The Eu Referendum Bill 'unlikely' To Become Law

[Gromit]

The private members bill to promise a referendum on our pulling out of Europe is 'unlikely' to be ready in time to be in this years programme of bills. If it misses the 28th February deadline, it will not happen this year. It will have to sit for a year, by which time there will not be enough parlamentary time because the General Election will be a few weeks off.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10547669/Cameron-prepares-nuclear-option-on-EU-referendum.html

Not quite a U-turn, but a big let down surely?

[jno]

in the meantime, could we at least send out gangs of stout navvies to dig away at our coastline, to make the Channel a bit wider?

[askyourgran]

lol jno. Why am I not surprised, not quite a u-turn. It was promised for 2015.

[Gromit]

AYG

A bill like this will take considerable time to go through parliament. If it misses the 28th February deadline, it cannot become law in 2015.

[askyourgran]

Quite so Gromit, it would be a big let-down and Cameron must know that as it will be a vote winner for his party. Nigel Farage must be chuckling now.

[boxtops]

They come under it these days, too, jno!

[jno]

I'm thinking of symbolic moves here, boxtops. It could be paid for by the Ministry of Futile Gestures (successor to the Silly Walks one).

[bazwillrun]

how handy is that

no government gives a referendum if it thinks it wont get the answer it wants

and we already know the answer cameron wants

[bazwillrun]

and the also know that the longer they drag this out the more chance of the vote they want

[jim360]

I was hoping for this referendum to happen. Kind of tempted to vote Tory now to try and make sure that it does...

[Khandro]

I was given as a Christmas present a boxed set of 'Yes Minister' and it is surprising how little has changed in 30 years, Sir Humphrey's "Stalling Cabinet Ministers: the 5-stage formula";
1. The administration is in its early months and there's an awful lot to do at once.
2. Something ought to be done but is this the right way to achieve it?
3. The idea is good but the time is not ripe.
4. The proposal has run into technical, logistic and legal difficulties which are being sorted out.
5. Never refer to the matter or reply to the Minister's notes. By the time he taxes you with it face to face you should be able to say it looks unlikely if anything can be done until after the election."

[Gromit]

Jim

Cameron wanted this to stop his party haemorrhaging votes to UKiP at the next election. It was always a bizarre idea, passing a bill obliging your successor to legislation you want. As such, its passage through parliament was always going to be rocky and slow.

But without being able to deliver this legislation, disgruntled tories are likely to vote UKiP if they want out of the EU.

[jim360]

I don't think you even had to want to vote "no" to want this referendum. I certainly wasn't planning on voting that way. But it's surely important to have the debate, and I was certainly prepared to change my mind. That this bill may die doesn't spell the end for a referendum necessarily, but still it seems to be a bad sign.

[EDDIE51]

Do any of you seriously think that the referendum will ever actually take place?
More chance of hell freezing over!
All 3 main partys will stop at nothing to make sure that it never happens while keeping up a pretence that they will allow it.

[whiskeryron]

//
EDDIE51
Do any of you seriously think that the referendum will ever actually take place?
More chance of hell freezing over!
All 3 main partys will stop at nothing to make sure that it never happens while keeping up a pretence that they will allow it. //

The more I read about governments in this country the more I want to vote for the Mafia, I am sure we couldn't possibly be any worse off.

WR.

[DaisyNonna]

Is there a minister of ineptitude?

[EDDIE51]

Cameron is not daft, he knows he has zero chance of 'renegotiating' the EU treaty. His only way out is to make sure the referendum never happens while all the time pretending he is working towards it. Now he can say ''not my fault, it ran into procedural problems, I did my best to get it''

[tonyav]

The more I read about governments in this country the more I want to vote for the Mafia, I am sure we couldn't possibly be any worse off.


LOL, they would probably be more honest, Ron.

[DaisyNonna]

Cameron seems to have an unerring knack of doing something just too late to make a difference.

[Gromit]

Eddie,

I'm not sure Cameron deliberately set this up to fail. He was responding to a problem - the surge in support for UKiP. The promise of an In-Out vote was seen as a way of neutering that threat.

Daily Mail 6th May 2013

// Rattled Tories talk up EU 'in-out' referendum to keep UKIP at bay ahead of 2015 election

Conservatives to rush legislation on referendum to keep voters

The Conservatives are to rush forward legislation paving the way for an ‘in-out’ referendum on Europe, ministers said yesterday.
The move came as the party struggled to respond to the surge in support for the UK Independence Party.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said ministers were examining whether draft legislation in preparation for a referendum after the next election could be published as early as next year. He added that the move would be ‘a very good idea’. //

[bazwillrun]

@Eddie

youre spot on