British MPs back EU referendum plan

[webfact]

UK bill for an in-out EU referendum passes first hurdle
JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers overwhelmingly voted a bill setting up a referendum on European Union membership over its first big hurdle in Parliament Tuesday, with Prime Minister David Cameron gaining support from the Labour opposition but facing unrest within Conservative ranks.

Legislators voted by 544 to 53 to back the EU Referendum Bill. The bill, which faces more scrutiny and votes before it becomes law, lays out the rules for a vote on the question, "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union?"

Britain voted in 1975 to remain in what was then the European Economic Community, which it had joined two years earlier. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said that expansion of the now 28-member bloc "has eroded the democratic mandate for our membership to the point where it is wafer-thin and needs to be renewed."

"We need a fundamental change in the way the European Union operates," he said, with more protections for Britain and other countries outside the euro single currency.

Cameron says he will argue to remain in the EU if he succeeds in renegotiating the terms of membership. He wants to cut back the political powers the EU has over member states on sensitive issues including welfare and immigration.

The bill calls for a referendum by the end of 2017, but Hammond said it could be held sooner if negotiations go quickly.

Cameron faces pressure from dozens of Conservative lawmakers who advocate leaving the EU and want to be able to campaign for a "No" vote even if the prime minister disagrees.

Conservative lawmaker John Redwood, a leading Euroskeptic, said "successive parliaments have given away their birthright" by ceding power to Brussels.

The referendum bill was backed by the Labour and Liberal Democrat opposition parties as well as most Conservatives. Both Labour and the Lib Dems want to remain in the EU.

The bill was opposed by the Scottish National Party, third-largest in the House of Commons, in part because it doesn't extend voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds.

SNP legislator Alex Salmond said the referendum was only being held as "a sop" to appease Conservative backbenchers.

"Nobody seriously believes that the prime minister wants to take this country out of the European Union," he said. "The referendum is a tactic."

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-06-10

[green job]

The sooner they are out,the better. The EU and its unelected ministers, EU Banksters from Frankfurt Fiat Money ect ect ect

[fvw53]

Yes the EU institutions are expensive ...but the wars of the 20th century were much more expensive..so I prefer they talk and talk but let the member states live in peace.

If Mr Cameron thinks he can force all the other 27 member states to change the basic rules of the EU then he and some of his fellow conservatives still live in the 19th century when "Britannia ruled the waves"...

Edited June 10, 2015 by fvw53

[pedro01]

Yes the EU institutions are expensive ...but the wars of the 20th century were much more expensive..so I prefer they talk and talk but let the member states live in peace.

If Mr Cameron thinks he can force all the other 27 member states to change the basic rules of the EU then he and some of his fellow conservatives still live in the 19th century when "Britannia ruled the waves"...

Scaremongering.

The 2 choices are NOT in or war.

[lostinisaan]

The sooner they are out,the better. The EU and its unelected ministers, EU Banksters from Frankfurt Fiat Money ect ect ect

I'd deeply appreciate when Germany would back up and let the rest do what they want to do. You're right about the Banksters from Frankfurt, but you should be aware that plenty of your bankers aren't better.

The topic is so so complex that not too many people really know what's really happening;

Rising household and government debt levels[edit]

Public debt as a per cent of GDP (2010)

In 1992, members of the European Union signed the Maastricht Treaty, under which they pledged to limit their deficit spending and debt levels. However, a number of EU member states, including Greece and Italy, were able to circumvent these rules, failing to abide by their own internal guidelines, sidestepping best practice and ignoring internationally agreed standards.^[16] This allowed the sovereigns to mask their deficit and debt levels through a combination of techniques, including inconsistent accounting, off-balance-sheet transactions ^[16] as well as the use of complex currency and credit derivativesstructures.^[17][18] The complex structures were designed by prominent U.S. investment banks, who received substantial fees in return for their services.^[9]

Commentator and Financial Times journalist Martin Wolf has asserted that the root of the crisis was growing trade imbalances. He notes in the run-up to the crisis, from 1999 to 2007, Germany had a considerably better public debt and fiscal deficit relative to GDP than the most affected eurozone members. In the same period, these countries (Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain) had far worse balance of payments positions.^[27][28] Whereas German trade surpluses increased as a percentage of GDP after 1999, the deficits of Italy, France and Spain all worsened.

Please see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_the_European_debt_crisis

[Thakkar]

If Britain and Europe were a rom-com movie couple, Europe would be Harry and Britain would be Sally.

They squabble and they fight and they make up and they make out. They need each other, but they can't stand each other. Harry wants to settle down, but Sally wants to the play the field. In the end, Sally will become old and decrepit, ridden with STD's, knock on Harry's door and beg to be taken back. Harry will look her up and down, disgusted by what he sees, shut the door and live happily ever after.

Please buy my book: Hollywood Reporter's Guide to Understanding World Events

T

[Srikcir]

Ever notice that public referendums are a common occurence in democratic societies?

Then you see an almost complete lack of referendums in Thai governance. The NCPO has a rightful fear of allowing the Thai people to decide the nature and direction of their governance. They may not make the correct choices that the NCPO can accept.

[JockPieandBeans]

Yes the EU institutions are expensive ...but the wars of the 20th century were much more expensive..so I prefer they talk and talk but let the member states live in peace.

If Mr Cameron thinks he can force all the other 27 member states to change the basic rules of the EU then he and some of his fellow conservatives still live in the 19th century when "Britannia ruled the waves"...

Are you suggesting that the EU has kept peace in Europe ?

I think that can be attributed to NATO, founded in 1949. Years before the EU was born.

[green job]

The sooner they are out,the better. The EU and its unelected ministers, EU Banksters from Frankfurt Fiat Money ect ect ect

I'd deeply appreciate when Germany would back up and let the rest do what they want to do. You're right about the Banksters from Frankfurt, but you should be aware that plenty of your bankers aren't better.

The topic is so so complex that not too many people really know what's really happening;

Rising household and government debt levels[edit]

Public debt as a per cent of GDP (2010)

In 1992, members of the European Union signed the Maastricht Treaty, under which they pledged to limit their deficit spending and debt levels. However, a number of EU member states, including Greece and Italy, were able to circumvent these rules, failing to abide by their own internal guidelines, sidestepping best practice and ignoring internationally agreed standards.^[16] This allowed the sovereigns to mask their deficit and debt levels through a combination of techniques, including inconsistent accounting, off-balance-sheet transactions ^[16] as well as the use of complex currency and credit derivativesstructures.^[17][18] The complex structures were designed by prominent U.S. investment banks, who received substantial fees in return for their services.^[9]

Commentator and Financial Times journalist Martin Wolf has asserted that the root of the crisis was growing trade imbalances. He notes in the run-up to the crisis, from 1999 to 2007, Germany had a considerably better public debt and fiscal deficit relative to GDP than the most affected eurozone members. In the same period, these countries (Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain) had far worse balance of payments positions.^[27][28] Whereas German trade surpluses increased as a percentage of GDP after 1999, the deficits of Italy, France and Spain all worsened.

Please see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_the_European_debt_crisis

Yes all banks,,,,BUT the German banks ar far the worst of a bad bunch The Deutsche Bank were up to there ears in fraud.. They instigated the Carbon Credit

Fraud and financed it, They even gave instruction on how to do it as well as financing it. (carousel fraud )

https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/press/carbon-credit-fraud-causes-more-5-billion-euros-damage-european-taxpayer-1265