Domestic Policy. UK.

CAMERON SETS OUT PRINCIPLES OF NEW
POLICY TOWARDS THE EUROPEAN UNION

By Rolando Arturo Leiva
21 november 2011

Heidelberg, (Germany) - Dissenting for the first time officially and publicy with the
rest of the 27 member countries of the European Union of which Britain is a member,
the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, enounced last week a series of
observations and judgments about the European Union, positioning somehow Britain
at odds with the rest of the 26 countries of the Union, with observations and opinions
that none of them has at the moment come to express.

According to British Prime Minister, the European Union, following the so-called crisis
of the Euro, has became an "organization in danger" and now, -he thinks- this
crisis opens a chance to Britain to do "ebb back“ its participation in the Union and
try to reshape it.

In Cameron’s, view the European Union is also no longer "in touch with reality" but, it
is’nt either in the interest of Great Britain to get out of it, he added.

"Believe me, -argued Cameron, speaking at a banquet to which he was invited-, if
Britain left the European Union, would be in a position that would be affected by
measures taken in it, but without intervention in the development of the same. "
Defining himself as Eurosceptic, the above words, are however considered a
message primarily aimed at members of his own party, the Conservative Party or
the Tories, after 81 lawmakers from the party, ignoring the directives enounced from
the party, asked last month that the participation of Britain in the European Union has
to be defined through a plebiscite.

Describing Europe as well as "a continent in trouble," Cameron added that the crisis
of the Euro common currency, is also an opportunity for England to renegotiate those
powers the European Union has, which must be "returned" to Britain.

At the mean time defining the European Union as an entity that contains also
"utopian visions" the foregoing is considered a dissenting position to the rest of the
26 European Union members, taking in account that most of them are today
discussing and have currently agreed to amend and strengthen the joint mechanisms
of the Union to deal with the problem of the debt of sovereign states.

Cameron's position has been equally criticized by the Labour party in Britain itself.
Britain -said recently a political figure at the ministerial level of the Labour party- is,
for one side, almost in worse financial situation than the rest of Europe and close to
a recession, and "under Cameron, Britain is sitting sideways on decisions that are
crucial to the future of Europe ".

Much of the today’s prevailing mood in the European Union countries has been in
turn better expressed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, stating recently that
"the aim of our generation is complete the action and build economic and monetary
union policy step by step what it means not less Europe but more Europe. "

In various European capitals, especially Paris and Berlin, have been also in strong
words criticized -according to the BBC-, the current tone of the information given by
the British media on Europe and the European Union, quoting the BBC the views of
some political sectors from these countries stating that Britons "are no longer
able to give lessons to anyone."

Also has the BBC recently displayed that the French newspaper LE MONDE,
referring to the European debate, wrote once that "Britain would do better to shut
up."

A particular contentius point between Britain and other European countries, has
became also the tax that the EU wants to apply to financial and stock transactions
to curb speculation, but an English minister rated the project "a shot directed at the
heart of the city of London. "

It is considered, however, that in terms of personal relationships between heads of
states, the relationship has became more fluid and natural -reports the BBCbetween
Cameron and Angela Merkel instead that with the French President
Sarkoyzy and Cameron, as Sarkozy recently express he was "sick" of the views of
Cameron and always being listening from him " what he needs to do" .-

Rolando Arturo Leiva
Heidelberg, Germany
21 november 2011

(Una versión de este artículo fue publicada en la News Letter - “InterEuropa Reporte”
- “La Crisis del Euro” noviembre 2011)