Sec. Michael Gove rumoured to be ready to quit EU

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary/2012/10/michael-gove-believes-that-britain-must-threaten-to-leave-eu-if-we-dont-get-real-renegotiation.html


http://conservativehome.blogs.com/.a/6a00d83451b31c69e2017ee425f626970d-500wi


"Give us back our sovereignty or we'll walk out" is apparently what Education Secretary Michael Gove thinks Britain should tell Europe. Mr Gove hasn't given a formal interview to The Mail on Sunday but the newspaper has tomorrow splashed with the news, reporting that Mr Gove has told close friends that leaving the EU is not scary and only a threat of leaving the EU could produce substantial renegotiation.

My guess is that at least eight Tory Cabinet ministers would privately sign up to exactly that view.

This is interesting and (good) news if true. Tonight the debate has been brought one step further and also reassures me and others in the pro-independence camp that a referendum wouldn't simply be a establishment v UKIP show. One of the big fears of our side on holding a referendum is that it would end up looking something like this;

Remain in the EU

European Commission (access to millions in funding)
The BBC
Large corporations with political motives (RyanAir was a past example)
Labour Party
Conservative Party
Liberal Democrats
Green Party
Scottish National Party
Plaid Cymru
Daily Mirror

Out of the EU and for independence

UKIP
The Daily Express
An alliance of small businesses
Backbench Tory MPs with some Labour MPs
British National Party

With the pro-independence side, we'd lack large amounts of funding as well as being portrayed by the media as being a group of backward looking BNPesque granfathers and grandmothers. Again, with the newspapers - officially the bigger newspapers such as the Sun, the Daily Mail and the Mirror all officially support us remaining in the EU... although whether this would change in the event of a referendum remains to be seen.

But yes, if a senior member of government (along with the likes of Iain Duncan Smith and David Davis) is seen in our camp then it will do a lot of good - especially when the other side will be hammering hard at the lie that "3 million jobs depend on our membership" meaning many may be scared into voting to remain in the EU. Realistically, Gove knows fully well that renegotiation is a fallacy - so I suspect this has been 'leaked' with the purpose of putting pressure on the Prime Minister. But then the cynic in me would say that this is another "we side with you" media trick on the public.

But just look at how far the debate has changed since the Euro crisis and the rise of UKIP.

Thoughts?

[Inseriousity.]

I read the Sun and it's definitely not pro-EU. Have I been reading the wrong one? :P

[-:Undertaker:-]

I read the Sun and it's definitely not pro-EU. Have I been reading the wrong one? :P

It's the same with the Mail, however, but I know the Mail (and I think the Sun also) support the Tory 'in but with renegotiation' position (a fallacy). In the event of an in-out referendum of course, this could all change where we could see them back the pro-independence cause. But be wary.

I think only the Daily Express has come out and said we ought to leave and regain our independence.

[GommeInc]

Virtually all large organisations want to stay in. The EU provides quite a lot of advantages to large organisations, they would be insane to say no purely from a business perspective when one of the "four freedoms" of the EU is goods and services.