I guess it's time to admit defeat. The clowns have won, and perhaps it's been inevitable for a while.
I have been one of those who opposed holding a referendum on leaving the European Union. Last June I used this column to urge Labour leader Ed Miliband against promising a vote, following reports that he was contemplating making such a pledge.
It makes no sense to hold a referendum on leaving unless you actually want to leave, I said. To put it another way, the danger of asking people whether they want to quit the EU is that they might say 鈥測es鈥. Given that Labour didn鈥檛 actually want to hear that answer (and neither did I) it made no sense to ask the question.
But it now looks like a referendum will be held, one way or another. Of course, it鈥檚 David Cameron who promised a referendum in the end but I suspect though, that Labour will end up having to do something similar.
It鈥檚 hard to imagine Prime Minister Ed Miliband agreeing to significant changes to the way the EU works 鈥 even changes which we are not part of, perhaps because of an opt-out or because they only affect members of the single currency 鈥 without coming under intense pressure to offer a public vote.
That鈥檚 down to the success of 海角视频IP, the party condemned as 鈥渇ruitcakes, loonies and closet racists鈥 by David Cameron and 鈥渁 collection of clowns鈥 by Ken Clarke.
They have put the question of EU membership on the agenda. Previously it was one of those issues that sections of the public might feel strongly about but the political classes could safely ignore because they all had more or less the same opinions on the topic.
It鈥檚 also, however, partly because the EU is changing. Whoever is in power after the next election will be dealing with an EU in the process of reforming to ensure the current crisis affecting the eurozone can never happen again 鈥 perhaps by creating centralised taxation and spending mechanisms 鈥 and Britain will be left on the outside.
So how should we respond to that? Well, perhaps it鈥檚 only right that the public should be asked their view for once.
