Sadly, a recent trip to London did not turn me into any expert on British politics (but I did learn that ?Fleet Street? was only a metonym, as the newspapers had long since moved away).
Still, it was interesting to see British Prime Minister David Cameron?s address on his nation?s future in the European Union get relatively quiet play in the U.S. I?m as guilty of Ameri-centrism as the next guy, but it seems like a big deal when he pledges a public referendum on EU membership (assuming he holds his office through the next election).
So I was glad your local editorial board commented today on Cameron?s move, even if I had trouble answering a colleague who asked, ?Yeah, but why should anyone around here care?? I mean, the Brits probably don?t care about Craig Watkins? latest grandstanding, but they aren?t writing about it, either.
They obviously care a lot about Cameron. Here?s a selection of comment from the Fleet Streeters:
The Daily Mail: Not only did he promise to put a straight question to the British people: in or out? Crucially, he also set a deadline for the referendum ?within the first half of the next parliament?. That means no later than November 2017.?At the same time, Mr Cameron gave an unsparingly honest and intelligent analysis of what is wrong with the unreformed EU, as it spreads its tentacles into aspects of our national life that are nobody?s business but our own.
The Telegraph:?Not for the first time, Mr Cameron has shown a capacity to surprise whenever the pressure is greatest. Even though his speech was long-awaited and vigorously debated in advance, it lost none of its impact. It was well judged, elegantly phrased, persuasively argued and expertly delivered. No one should doubt its importance both for domestic politics and for Britain?s foreign policy, which for decades has been based on retaining a central role within the European project.
The Express:?This newspaper has had its criticisms of the Prime Minister and would much prefer the in/out referendum to take place before the next election rather than two years after it. But nobody should deny that yesterday David Cameron did something genuinely bold.
The Times:?Yesterday, David Cameron?s long awaited speech on Europe had not only the wrong people cheering but the right people too. This was deft. In promising an in/out referendum on European Union membership in 2017, Mr Cameron struck a domestic political blow, bringing greater unity to his party, depriving the UK Independence Party of their existential grievance, and throwing Labour?s European policy into obstructive incoherence.
The Guardian:?Cameron will enjoy a turbocharged good press. His poll numbers will move up too. Much of the praise will be misdirected, however. This was an important speech about an important subject. The tone, especially in the parts dealing with the European Union?s successes and failures, was practical and thoughtful. But the promise of an in-out referendum, far from being an act of great political mastery, could prove to be Cameron?s career-defining error.
The Independent:?Mr Cameron is attempting to reconcile the irreconcilable ? to steal the thunder of his political rivals, to knit together a Tory party threatening yet again to tear itself apart over Europe, and to do so with a vision of a re-shaped EU with which even sceptics might grudgingly agree. In practice, his proposals collapse under the weight of their own contradictions.
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