With Italian bond yields reaching +7%, which resulted in other Eurozone countries facing a bailout, the Deputy Prime Minister is scheduled to make a speech to the European Parliament. Nick Clegg will advocate a reform agenda to bring jobs, growth and competitiveness to the European economy.
Gordon Brown spent his entire short premiership arguing just that. Nothing happened.
Brussels is very orthodox and embodied in protectionists; not just economic. Transparency has been lacking within the Commission and the inability to enforce treaties have lead to a crisis (Maastricht Treaty legally restricted fiscal deficits to -3%, with fines. Nobody was ever punished).
Nick is trying to save the Union he adores, and proudly worked for. Sadly, it is a lost cause. Italian bailout will be near a trillion euro’s and Europe cannot afford that figure. Liberal Democrats should not be publicly defending a League of Nations-esquse organisation that is rapidly falling.
danielfurr
It’s time for Liberal Democrats to stop believing the rubbish they read in the newspapers and start defending Britain’s only conceivable future, which is as part of a united Europe.
A united Europe? are you insane? The British public would never support being apart of a federal option.
See what I mean?
Perhaps the British public as it presently stands won’t go for it. The EU is a cringe-inducing hydra: there is no single head of authority, no meaningful checks or balances, and it lacks the basic budgetary apperatus of any federal authority.
But if the UK is going to have access to a broad range of hugely wealthy markets interested in work-a-day British products, then membership of the single market is an absolute must. Reject Europe as it stands, but for heaven’s sake don’t lose sight of the prize.