ON Wednesday, we took the first of many steps to “get our country back”.
I must first pay tribute to you, the electorate, and to a growing number of my colleagues in the House, who have fought so long and persuasively for a Prime Minister to stand up to Europe.
At last, David Cameron has done just that, with a speech which promises an ‘In/Out’ referendum if there’s a Conservative government after the next election.
In the interim, he plans to renegotiate our position in the EU, which, let’s face it, has gone nowhere to date.
However, while I welcome Mr Cameron’s promise, there were several ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ which concern me.
Winning the next election is a big ‘if’ to begin with, and no Party can take that for granted.
Only then do we get a referendum at all, with Labour seemingly ruling one out.
Can we renegotiate with the EU, how do we measure success and who decides whether that’s been achieved?
Although the Prime Minister states at the moment that he wishes to remain in the EU, failed attempts to renegotiate would force him to vote ‘out’, surely.
Mr Cameron will make any new terms as appetizing as possible but, if they don’t meet the needs of the country, and his Party, there will inevitably be blood on the carpet.
I welcome the fact that Mr Cameron has ruled out “ever closer union” with Europe.
And I agree that the eurozone problems will force fundamental change upon the EU, anyway.
Most importantly, Mr Cameron acknowledged that the only true sources of democratic legitimacy are national parliaments.
Lord Mandelson described the speech as “game, set and match to the Eurosceptics”.
I don’t think so, at least not yet, but the flame of true democracy flickers a little brighter.