The EU needs a new Treaty. The only way for the euro to survive now, in anything close to its present form, is if there is some robust mechanism by which Brussels can scrutinize the budgetary decisions of Eurozone Member States. There must be a coordinated fiscal space and a system of economic governance to go with the debt union. Even these measures may not be enough to save the euro. Without them, it's probably toast.
The Single European State is an excellent, visionary project that Britain should support as a friend, even though not a member. We should not act in ways that imperil the formation of the Single European State for narrow short-term, selfish partisan reasons. The Times reports Cameron today as saying "There is no question of agreeing to a treaty that transfers power from Westminster to Brussels. That is set out 100 per cent clearly in the coalition agreement. Britain obviously is not in the euro and Britain is not going to be in the euro, and so Britain would not be agreeing to any agreement or treaty that drew us further into supporting the euro area." Well...okay. But even Alistair Darling could agree with that.
What we should be doing is welcoming this new Treaty, and saying that as part of that we would be clarifying that we are not "pre-ins" to the euro (as Brussels officially treats us), that we shall not be parts of the fiscal state, the debt union or the Single European State in general, and as such this is a good moment to clarify and rationalise certain other parts of our relationship with the Single European State. I do not believe that, at this time, there would be much resistance to that at the EU level. The Germans must be clear in their own minds that, as they now wish the Greeks had never joined, they certainly aren't going ever to let in the Bulgarians. The EU must hereafter evolve along two lines: one "deeper track" (deeper not merely faster) involving those Member States that are ultimately going to be members of the Single European State, and one "shallower track" (not merely slower) of states - including Britain - that are not going to be part of that and hence do not need even to be parts of a number of existing programmes - such as the common criminal space.
The same Times report states "The Prime Minister stressed that any new European treaty, even one applying only to the eurozone would need unanimous agreement, effectively giving Britain a veto." What I fear this might be signalling is that Cameron will seek to veto any new Treaty, even if that would seriously undermine the euro and the entire future of the Single European State, because the sort of renegotiation in which he ought to engage as part of such a new Treaty would create difficulties within the coalition.
Mr Cameron. Mr Hague. The European Question is not something you can put off in the hope that it will go away. An undertaking not to allow further tranfers of powers from Westminster to Brussels but without any repatriation of existing powers would be totally unacceptable. That is not what the Conservative Party believes; it is not what the country believes; it is not what is in our best interests. And trying to avoid the issue by vetoing a Treaty even if the consequence is the collapse of the euro would be totally unacceptable. We are talking about the lives and constitutional futures of hundreds of millions of people and the greatest constitutional project in the world, built over more than half a century. Imperiling that for your short-term personal interests would not be on. It would not be statesmanlike. It would not be responsible. It would not be right.
Now. I say that I fear he might do that. But, of course, he has not done any such thing, yet. The opportunity to turn all to triumph still exists. Prove the doubters wrong, Mr Cameron! Show them that you are, indeed, a Conservative Prime Minister as you've claimed! Take the chance that fate has presented to renegotiate our relationship within the EU, save the euro, and establish a deep and lasting friendship with (albeit not membership of) the Single European State.
