Good meeting in Guiseley with members of the local Labour Party including former MP Paul Truswell and former MEP David Bowe.
One member gave an amusing account of how he had been in his local pub when several UKIPers came in, with rosettes and balloons, for what they said was their inaugural event in the area. When he enquired about whether there would be a speech or at least some literature available to say what they stand for, he was told “oh no we don’t do any boring stuff like the other parties”. Convenient, of course, if you want to be able to say different things to different people in different parts of the country, without leaving any evidence…
Upon returning home, pleased to see the news item that Ed Miliband has reiterated he will not be matching David Cameron’s plan to hold an in-out referendum on EU membership. I have recently argued the same, for two main reasons:
- Cameron’s strategy on EU reform and referendum is double blackmail
- A referendum years down the line creates damaging uncertainty for British businesses
On the latter point, according to the BBC:
The CBI strongly supports Ed Miliband’s view that we are better off in a reformed EU than outside with no influence.
