PLAYING WITH FIRE The Tories and Europe

There is a spectre stalking the British political scene, though as far as I can tell few, if any, of our political class, are acute enough to have sensed its presence. As the Tories implode, yet again, over Europe and a European referendum, Scotland gears itself up for a vote on whether to secede from the UK. Consequently, we could be debating two game-changing constitutional matters over the next year or so as more and more Tory little Englanders emerge to back leaving the EU.

Leaving the EU as it is currently presented in the British Press could certainly prove popular in England. Moreover, the EU could not have done more to repel ordinary citizens from the European project if it actively tried. 
Still, the case has not yet been made for our continued membership of the European club. Still, it could be possible to win an Out vote in a referendum in England; the same I suspect may not be true of Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. For different reasons, EU membership provides far greater attractions for citizens of these countries. Wales and Northern Ireland have benefited considerably from EU financial support. Whilst Scotland has also benefited there is the additional attraction of EU membership for those who might otherwise be nationalistically inclined, EU membership making the Union more palatable; the social democratic traditions within most European countries and EU social policy is much more in tune with Scottish traditions than the current Westminster administration. The Scottish National Party, acutely aware of this has consequently strongly emphasised the continuity of Scotland’s membership of the EU. If an English vote looked like taking Britain out of the EU this could provide a whole new front in the independence debate, possibly one that could swing it in favour of independence.

For the Northern Irish nationalist community EU membership also serves to make the ongoing link with Westminster more palatable, providing as it does a supra-national dimension to what otherwise would be a purely British identity. Would this community welcome becoming solely British again? I think they will not.

Thus the Tory party is now opening up a Pandora’s Box with untold consequences. If England votes to leave the EU, would the rest of the multinational entity that is Great Britain sheepishly follow? Not for the first time the Tories, solely concerned with English matters, are playing with fire. They may end up starting a fire that burns down the union. 

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