At the time of writing, the Prime Minister has been busy negotiating with the other members of the European Union trying to secure a deal he can put to the country in a referendum. His idea of being able to unveil all at an ‘English breakfast’ has now given way to an ‘English lunch’ but no-one knows what one of those is. Possibly delaying until tiffin would be better.
However, even before the deal has been done, opponents of continued membership have already made clear that the Prime Minister has failed to deliver anything meaningful.
There has been other political news as well though…
So what can we learn from the political news this week?
- Labour in Europe – how split Labour is on Europe remains the source of some speculation but Jeremy Corbyn this week paid a visit to Brussels. He met with the Party of European Socialists complaining that the basis of the PM’s renegotiation strategy was wrong. He should have focused on worker’s rights and ending austerity. That would not, though, appear compatible with George Osborne’s economic strategy.
- Tim Montgomerie quits. The resignation of the Montgomerie from the Conservative Party is either a non-event or a sign of Cameron’s failure to bring his party with him in government. In his resignation piece, Montgomerie details why he is leaving and says that Europe has made the difference. “This charade over the EU is the final straw and it follows abject failure on immigration, deficit reduction and inequality.†It’s not just Labour who have problems…
- Let them eat cake. Emma Thompson’s comments that Britain is “a tiny little cloud-bolted, rainy corner of sort-of Europe, a cake-filled, misery-laden, grey old island†in support of continued membership of the EU has led to her coming under attack from a range of anti-EU newspapers. This shows the type of attack that anyone else who speaks out in favour of membership will be subject to. Maybe they are trying to stop people from making such comments?
- Sugar and spice, but mainly sugar. A report into the sugar content of high street hot drinks this week showed that some contained more than 20 teaspoons of sugar. There was complete shock that a “Hot mulled fruit – Grape with chai, orange, and cinnamon – Venti†could contain such amounts of sugar. A sugar tax seems to be edging ever closer.
- Where is Boris? According to one poll this week, the position adopted by Boris could swing the result of the European referendum. But others are asking where he is. As the PM spends his time in Brussels, Boris is keeping a low profile. Maybe he is just waiting to have that ‘English lunch’ with the PM….
On reflection, maybe most things have been about Europe this week.