[Al Ahram] British Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... faced searching questions Saturday over his veto of a new EU treaty to solve the eurozone crisis, despite receiving a hero's welcome from his party's politicians.
Cameron hosted a dinner for a number of Conservative MPs on Friday night at his country residence after he returned from a summit in Brussels where he took the historic step, his Downing Street office told AFP.
Finance minister George Osborne dismissed suggestions that Britannia would now lose influence within the EU, saying Cameron had to protect Britannia's interests, including the City of London financial services hub.
Cameron's veto torpedoed a new EU treaty aimed at saving the eurozone, but the other 26 EU states looked set to join a "new fiscal compact", proposed by La Belle France and Germany, to resolve the crisis.
"We have protected Britannia's financial services and manufacturing companies ... from the development of eurozone integration spilling over and affecting non-euro members of the EU," Osborne told BBC Radio.
"This is not about letting the City off regulation, this is about the right regulation for a very large financial centre, which is much, much larger than any financial centre in La Belle France or Germany or any other country of the EU."
Downing Street said there was a "pre-planned meeting" for Conservative politicians late Friday at Chequers, the prime minister's official country house outside London, but gave no further details
The BBC reported there were around 30 politicians present, including leading eurosceptic MP Andrew Rosindell, who had urged Cameron in parliament last week to show "bulldog spirit" at the Brussels summit.
Cameron was "very relaxed" and the mood was "extremely positive", Rosindell was quoted as saying by the BBC.
But former Conservative cabinet minister Michael Heseltine, a key figure under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, warned eurosceptics that Britannia could not protect its interests by walking away from the EU.
He backed Cameron's use of the veto but added: "In saying he wanted to protect the interests of the City, there is no way you can protect those interests by floating off into the Atlantic, frankly."
He said there would now have to be a discussion about the City's relationship with the eurozone.
There were also tensions with some Liberal Democrats, the junior partners in the coalition government, although Deputy Prime Minister and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg insisted the coalition was "united" on Cameron's demands.
Eurosceptic newspapers hailed Cameron's decision, with the mass-selling Daily Mail describing it as "The Day He Put Britannia First".
Rupert Murdoch's Sun tabloid put a picture of Cameron dressed as wartime leader Winston Churchill on its front page with the defiant headline "Up Eurs -- Bulldog PM sticks up for Britannia".
But other newspapers warned London was now dangerously isolated.
"The EU leaves Britannia", the Independent said in a headline, while the left-leaning Guardian said "Cameron cuts UK adrift" and accused him of acting not for the good of the economy but to appease eurosceptics.
The Financial Times and The Economist criticised Cameron's decision, saying it could lead to the City of London losing business to eurozone rivals Frankfurt and Gay Paree.
"Mr Cameron must now find a way to restore the UK's influence over the single market," the FT said in an editorial. "One thing is clear: an empty chair resolves nothing."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/11/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Bravo. I didn't think the spineless twit had it in him, and I still don't think he fully comprehends what he did. Britain now has one foot out the door of the EU, and will probably be shoved the rest of the way out. Excellent for all parties concerned.
"Mr Cameron must now find a way to restore the UK's influence over the single market," the FT said in an editorial. "One thing is clear: an empty chair resolves nothing."
Yes it f*cking does. It makes the other 26 chairs worth that much less. The UK's influence will continue just by keeping on keeping on. Eject the jihadis, eat too-curvy bananas, let homeowners kill armed intruders. Liberty is within reach. Let the continentals bury each other alive.
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David Cameron
