Originally Posted by Britannist:
Before or after the next General Election?

Either. :-)
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Originally Posted by kernow:
Unfortunately none of them will do anything to get the UK out of the EU

David Davis has said that he wants to remain in the EU - I've got a quote of him on file saying so in a television interview with Jeremy Paxman.
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Originally Posted by Britannist:
David Davis has said that he wants to remain in the EU - I've got a quote of him on file saying so in a television interview with Jeremy Paxman.

Really? Any chance you could post it here?

Fox it is then.
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Originally Posted by ModernUKIP:
Either. :-)

The latest opinion polls out today point to the Conservatives actually having a net LOSS of seats at the next General Election (i.e. Populus 10% lead for Labour in today's Times and an 11% lead for Labour in a YouGov poll in today's Telegraph).

One poll published last week revealed that pro-EU and anti-UKIP David Cameron is now less popular with the public than his party is - that is not a good position for a party leader to be in at all (especially on the weekend before a party conference).
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Originally Posted by ModernUKIP:
Really? Any chance you could post it here?

Yes, give me a couple of minutes and I'll post it into this thread.

By the way, I have followed what Conservative MP Dr. Liam Fox MP has said carefully on EU matters in various television interviews in recent years but have not heard him actually use the words "I want to stay in the EU".
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Originally Posted by kernow:
Unfortunately none of them will do anything to get Britain out of the EU , they all toe the party line on Europe. None of them are committed enough to put their job on the line and say, " Britain must leave the EU"! If Brown wins the next GE comfortably I fear a one party state aided and abetted by the EU!

You can't blame them for not wanting to put their jobs on the line, I mean would you if you were in their position?. And just think about it, what use is it if an opposition leader calls for Britain to leave the EU?, Cameron just doesn't have enough sway in parliment to push through something that major.

In my opinion the Tories are waiting for an election win before they reveal their true opinions on Britains place in the EU. But since an election win for the conservatives looks unlikely at the moment we aren't going to see any changes for a long time to come.
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Originally Posted by ModernUKIP:
Britannist wrote: David Davis has said that he wants to remain in the EU - I've got a quote of him on file saying so in a television interview with Jeremy Paxman.

Modern UKIP replied: Really? Any chance you could post it here?

Here it is, Modern UKIP:

BBC 2 Television Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman asked David Davis (at 10.42 pm on 11.11.2005) "Can I ask you about the European Union - Are there any circumstances under which you would consider withdrawal from the European Union?" Mr. Davis replied "No, I’ve, I’ve, I’ve literally got a very clear view on the European Union which doesn’t involve withdrawal."

Mr. Paxman enquired "the answer to the question is No?" Mr. Paxman then pressed Mr. Davis further on the matter "There are no circumstances under which you would consider withdrawal from the European Union (JP strongly emphasising the ‘No’ in his question)?" Mr. Davis responded "There is… I can see of … I can foresee of none."
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Originally Posted by Octavian:
....what use is it if an opposition leader calls for the UK to leave the EU?, Cameron just doesn't have enough sway in parliment to push through something that major.

You could say that about any issue - the implication of your comment above is that the leader of Her Majesty's Official Opposition should call for nothing to be done in a different way on anything - as long as s/he has no majority in the Commons.

Not a clever tactic if the Opposition Leader is trying to persuade millions of voters to back him/her as an alternative Government.
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Originally Posted by Octavian:
In my opinion the Tories are waiting for an election win before they reveal their true opinions on the place of the UK in the EU.

Why the big secret (if your claim is true)?

The important thing is to let the nation know before an election what the view of the Conservative Party on this matter is so that the message gets around to all voters.

There's not that much time in a three-week General Election campaign when the pro-EU media (i.e. the Brussels Broadcasting Corporation - BBC) may try to suppress the EU/sovereignty issue (just as they have done in the last TEN General Elections).
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Originally Posted by Britannist:
You could say that about any issue - the implication of your comment above is that the leader of Her Majesty's Official Opposition should call for nothing to be done in a different way on anything - as long as s/he has no majority in the Commons.

Not a clever tactic if the Opposition Leader is trying to persuade millions of voters to back him/her as an alternative Government.

I just don't think that the opposition leader would take a risk on the more sensitive issues such as the UK's membership in the EU when they haven't got the support (at the moment)to make a real difference, because it could severly disadvantage them come election time if not handled correctly. And since gaining votes is the main aim of the conservatives at the moment, causing an uproar over the EU now would just lose them the votes and the support they need.
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