British discontent
October 25, 2011
British Prime Minister David Cameron squared off with rebellious members of his Conservative Party on Monday over a proposed referendum that would have allowed citizens to vote on whether or not the United Kingdom should remain in the European Union.
Parliament ultimately backed Cameron's call to reject the referendum, with 483 representatives voting against the measure and 111 voting for it. Around 80 members of Cameron's own Conservative Party supported the referendum, a major blow to the premier's authority. Euroskeptic members within the Labour Party also supported the measure.
'Not now'
Cameron said he shared the "frustrations" of his party members, adding that he would fight to "repatriate powers" from the increasingly influential EU in the future. But he warned his party from voting in favor of a referendum, saying it was the "wrong time."
"When your neighbor's house is on fire, your first impulse should be to help them to put out the flames - not least to stop the flames reaching your own house," said Cameron in reference to the financial crisis in the eurozone.
He defended the UK's membership in the EU as being in the British interest given that Britain conducted 50 percent of its exports with the bloc.
Foreign Secretary William Hague, a known euroskeptic, backed the premier, saying, "it is the wrong question at the wrong time."
Another fly in the ointment
But David Nuttall, the Tory parliamentarian who brought the motion, said that timing was a moot point as a referendum would be "years away," even if the motion were accepted.
The proposal stands little chance of passing, as all the major British parties have instructed their parliamentarians to vote against it. But it comes as an unsettling distraction for Cameron as he fights to make Britain's voice heard in negotiations to solve the eurozone crisis.
On Sunday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy reportedly raked Cameron over the coals for wanting to be involved in crisis talks and lecturing Europe from afar without participating in the single currency.
According to a poll for the Mail on Sunday newspaper, 61 percent of Britons want a referendum on EU membership. However, only 34 percent said they wanted to leave the EU, with 44 percent wanting to stay and 22 percent who did not know where they stood.
Author: David Levitz, Spencer Kimball (AP, dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Ben Knight