Cameron Can't Ignore Europe ; Chris Moncrieff the Doyen of Lobby Writers

Summary

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NOW DAVID Cameron is at it. He has suddenly transformed himself into "Mr Fudge and Mudge" over whether the Tories will hold their promised referendum on the Lisbon Treaty should they win the General Election. He simply will not give a straight answer even though, time and again, he regularly demands a "yes or no" response from the Prime Minister over a variety of issues during their weekly tussles in the House of Commons.

The Conservative leader seems to think his "we will not let the matter rest" line will satisfy critics who believe the Tories should honour their pledge - but it won't. The suspicion is that he (like Labour) is frightened that the British people will reject the treaty if a referendum is held. Well, so what? The "yes" vote in the Ireland referendum, scandalously forced on Dublin after the original "no" victory, could hardly have come at a worse moment for Cameron. He fears that this now very touchy subject (which the Tories appear to have been trying to avoid) may dominate the party conference in Manchester this week - the last thing he wanted to happen. Tough luck.

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Cameron Can't Ignore Europe ; Chris Moncrieff the Doyen of Lobby Writers

The Euro-sceptics are hell-bent on giving the Tory leadership a hard time on this issue. London Mayor Boris Johnson, now the most powerful Tory in the land, is among those ...

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