Labour falls silent on Europe
Anna Sonny, 4 October 2013
The issue of a referendum on Europe, which gained so much traction at the beginning of this year, seems to have dropped off of Labour’s radar altogether.
A few months ago there were calls from inside the party for Labour to demand an early referendum on Britain’s membership to the EU. Some party members, including Keith Vaz, former Europe Minister and MP for Leicester East, felt that Labour should ‘lead’ on the issue and not let the Tories set the terms for the debate. Holding an early referendum during the coalition’s term in office could also mean that Labour would not be held responsible for any chaos that might ensue after a ‘no’ vote.
The tricky issue of European membership has created fault lines in the Conservative Party, with pressure from Ukip on one side and eurosceptic defectors on the other forcing Cameron to bring the date of the proposed referendum forward by 2 years. But polls consistently show that Europe is not a main concern for voters; Ukip’s success rests mainly on its anti-immigration stance, making Cameron’s panicked and rather reactionary decision seem unnecessary.
Miliband, on the other hand, has not reacted to the calls to decide on Europe as soon as possible, and now appears to be ignoring the subject altogether. During the Labour Party Conference last month, the Labour leader did not even utter the word ‘Europe’ once, focusing instead on improving living standards for Britons and freezing the price of energy bills.
A few months ago, it looked as though Miliband would have to choose between ‘following’ the Tories, and campaigning on the issue at the time of the possible referendum in 2015, or ‘leading’ the debate by calling for an early vote.
But for now, ignoring Europe could be the smartest thing for the Labour leader to do. Europe is a fringe issue; campaigning on it will hardly win votes and it’s too unpredictable – too much hangs on whether the Tories win or Labour forms a government. If Labour does win in a few years’ time, will the public still event want a referendum? It looks like Labour has realised this and won’t be risking any votes discussing such an uncertain issue. If the issue is to be discussed it should be done to find cross-party consensus – only that will eliminate the huge question mark hanging over Britain’s future in Europe.