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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Word Cloud of Cameron's Europe speech


Presented without much comment, although we would note that European looms large, while words such as renegotiation, repatrition and exit barely appear (if at all)...

4 comments:

Denis Cooper said...

I can't see "ever closer union" in your word cloud, but Cameron did say something about that which we could regard as being highly significant if we believed that he meant it:

"Let me make a further heretical proposition.

The European Treaty commits the Member States to “lay the foundations of an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe”.

This has been consistently interpreted as applying not to the peoples but rather to the states and institutions compounded by a European Court of Justice that has consistently supported greater centralisation.

We understand and respect the right of others to maintain their commitment to this goal. But for Britain – and perhaps for others - it is not the objective.

And we would be much more comfortable if the Treaty specifically said so freeing those who want to go further, faster, to do so, without being held back by the others."

"And we would be much more comfortable if the Treaty specifically said so", that is ostensibly he wants the treaties changed to remove the fundamental commitment to a process of "ever closer union".

But as his false analysis is that it should apply to peoples and not to states and institutions, and as his stated reason for wanting it removed from the treaties is not "freeing those who do not want to go further with the process of "ever closer union" from their present treaty commitment to accept it", but instead "freeing those who want to go further, faster, to do so, without being held back by the others", and when he knows that in many cases they already have the option of "enhanced co-operation", it is difficult to believe that he does actually mean it.

If he does mean it, and if he seriously intends to follow up on it rather than leaving it as a throwaway line in a long and wordy speech, why doesn't he ask the British people whether they agree with him that their country should withdraw from its present EU treaty commitment to this unremitting, unlimited and largely uncontrollable process of "ever closer union", and why doesn't he ask them that question now?

Rik said...

@Denis Cooper
Important issues will have to be dealt with in the treaty itself. Whether the EuroZones like that or not.
Doing it not makes the thing pretty dodgy from a legal perspective. Which by itself could cause direct political problems (as say parliaments refuse to rubberstamp for instance).

Just yesterday the Dutch State Council said they had real problems with how the present EU especially rescue measures were made.
Basically they stated that it stretches things to the border and will have to put in a proper legal framework and giving a democratic foundatioin lateron. Which is more or less official language that: now we have no choice but is is likely/possibly illegal what has been done and certainly not democratic.

christina speight said...

This is the most extraordinary attempt by our prime minister of "very little brain" and absolutely no principles to sell his snake oil to a foolish electorate (he thinks) and a venal Party. If he wants renegotiations why not start NOW and put the answer to us at the General Election. To delay even the start of DOing anything is cynical in the extreme. How can we assess him until he's proved himself

To see Tory politicians praising him for this latest act of treachery is sick-making. I will not vote Conservative again until he is removed from office.

Andrew Smith said...

The proposition is that the UK electorate vote into office a man who has failed to deliver what he said he would do when he negotiated the coalition behind closed doors, but delivered a lot else we didn't want.

He promises he would allow a [free and fair?] referendum AFTER the next election IF he were to be Prime Minister on a proposal we do not yet know. He tells us there are powers which ought to return to the UK Parliament but which ones we do not know.

What we DO know is Cameron will campaign to remain in the EU and the other member states do not want to weaken political integration. On the contrary, they intend a new treat in 2016-7 which would lead to GREATER political integration.

So the "ask" is - let the Conservative Party have one more throw of the dice, after umpteen failures, and we "promise" (sic) to give you a referendum. Maybe. Possibly.