As the refugee crisis continues, and Cameron’s renegotiation rumbles on, is the balance tipping towards Brexit?
Brian Monteith, communications director of Global Britain, says Yes.
The Prime Minister’s commitment to an EU referendum started as a tactical ploy to kill off Ukip and keep his party united. It has failed.
He had already broken his promise to have a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty and badly needed to recover credibility with members who were leaving his party in droves over other issues.
Having set out his stall with his Bloomberg speech, he has since drifted and is no longer precise about what he wants, or can say how or why he should get enough to satisfy the most basic demands.
The Eurozone Greek debt crisis and the migrant crisis show how events he cannot control will always expose the EU’s fault lines. The polls are narrowing, and now players like President Hollande are saying that the choice is between closer union and Brexit.
Talk of an early poll is fast evaporating, as David Cameron faces defeat from a public growing in scepticism that any deal will be good enough.
Lucy Thomas, campaign director of Business for New Europe, says No.
Commentators may churn out column inches on the impact of external events on the EU referendum. But this misses the point – Britons know the EU is vital for our national prosperity, and that leaving would put it at risk. Europe allows us to sell to the world’s largest market.
The EU’s power in trade talks creates opportunities for our businesses. Being in makes the average household £3,000 a year better off. The renegotiation may take time.
But the smoke signals suggest David Cameron will exempt Britain from “ever closer union”, make the EU more business-friendly and protect us from Eurozone caucusing.
While the EU is not perfect, it is improving. And cutting ourselves off would do nothing to deal with problems like the refugee crisis. And anti-Europeans cannot even decide who will lead their campaign, let alone what Britain would do outside Europe.
The balance is not tipping towards Brexit. The British people understand that our country is stronger, safer and better off in Europe.