Where is the Referendum

Iain Martin had a most interesting article in the Telegraph this morning, which you can read here. Although I think there is something in his assertion that Cameron is like Baldwin I think he is more like Macmillan. Macmillan was a good manager but believed the prevailing defeatist sentiment of the time that our great days were over and thus we had to accept gentle decline including over powerful trades unions, dispirited management, the welfare state and minimal ambition. There are of course differences and Cameron must take full marks for going ahead with the changes to the welfare state, education, policing and the local authorities. The disappointments include the economy where the deficit reduction is not aggressive enough and there are no tax cuts to encourage growth, the BBC which is to remain untouched in all its socialist glory, the NHS reforms which have been watered down and of course the EU where there is to be no referendum. I have no objection to a good manager, there are few of them in any government as our parlous state confirms, but the UK deserves more than that. We deserve a government with vision for our future, a government which treats its voters as adults rather than as idiots, a government which will set out all the arguments for the things it wants to do and is not afraid to put the issues to a vote. In other words a government that knows what we need out of the EU, which will tell the EU what our needs are if we are to remain a member, to walk away from it if we do not get what we want and to seek the authority in a referendum of the people to walk away. It won't happen of course and we shall drift gently further downwards until we get another Thatcher. Another Thatcher is not guaranteed though. So much better to bite the bullet and for Cameron to get on with the job himself.