{"id":1866,"date":"2011-10-25T21:37:47","date_gmt":"2011-10-25T20:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/?p=1866"},"modified":"2011-11-18T11:07:42","modified_gmt":"2011-11-18T11:07:42","slug":"government-squashes-referendum-hopes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/government-squashes-referendum-hopes\/","title":{"rendered":"Government Squashes Referendum Hopes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It will be increasingly difficult for Cameron to continue to present himself as a Eurosceptic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The motion to give the people of Britain a referendum on the EU was defeated in a vote of 483 to 111 after David Cameron ordered his MPs to vote against the proposal.<\/p>\n

(How did your MP vote? \u00a0Click HERE<\/a> for surname order, or click HERE<\/a> for constituency order.\u00a0 Both pages have links to the debate itself and for your MP’s email address<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

But while the coalition Government was successful in blocking the referendum (to read the text of the motion, see our earlier report<\/a>), they have been significantly weakened after the largest backbench rebellion since they took power.<\/p>\n

The outcome of yesterday\u2019s vote was practically guaranteed after the Prime Minister invoked a mechanism known as the \u2018three-line whip\u2019, requiring MPs in Government jobs to follow the Prime Minister\u2019s lead or lose their positions.<\/p>\n

Despite the pressure from Downing Street, Tory MPs Stewart Jackson and Adam Holloway defied the Prime Minister\u2019s whips and will consequently be resigning from their posts. They were joined by numerous backbenchers (see list below) in their insistence that the people of Britain have a right to a referendum.<\/p>\n

\u2018Humiliation to the Government\u2019<\/h3>\n

Referring to the 81 Tories who defied the Prime Minister, Labour leader Ed Miliband said the backbench rebellion was a \u201chumiliation\u201d to the Government. \u201cIf he can’t win the argument with his own backbenchers,\u201d Miliband commented, \u201chow can the country have confidence that he can win the arguments that matter for Britain?”<\/p>\n

A Spokesman from Number 10 Downing Street defended the Prime Minister, saying, \u201cIt was important to take a strong lead – because Britain’s best interests are served by being in the EU.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018U-Turn\u2019<\/h3>\n

Christian Voice accused David Cameron of making a \u2018U-Turn\u2019 after years of promoting himself as a Eurosceptic. Robin Phillips, press secretary for Christian Voice, commented, \u201cHe continually promises to change Britain\u2019s relationship with Europe and even gave a \u2018cast iron guarantee<\/a>\u2019 that his Government would support a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. After yesterday’s events, the image of Cameron as a Eurosceptic will be increasingly difficult to sustain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it is not just David Cameron that is guilty of making a U-turn\u201d Phillips continued. \u201cIn the run-up to the last general election the Liberal Democrats campaigned for a referendum<\/a> [see photo below from their campaign flier]. However, when faced with a choice of keeping to their promise, they have capitulated to David Cameron’s europhilia.<\/p>\n

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What You Can Do<\/strong><\/h2>\n

WRITE<\/strong>: to your MP. Check the Roll of Honour below and if your MP is not in the list, ask him or her why! Point out that it has been 36 years since the people of Britain were consulted. Back then the people of Britain were told that they were merely entering a Common Market.<\/p>\n

Sign our online petition:<\/p>\n