- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

EU Membership Issue Dividing UK Conservative Party: Open Europe Think Tank

Subscribe
The issue of Britain’s EU membership is splitting the UK Conservative Party more than ever and may even lead to the Tories’ permanent division, the director of Open Europe, a think tank that calls for a thorough reform of the European Union, told RIA Novosti in an interview Tuesday.

BIRMINGHAM (UNITED KINGDOM), September 30 (RIA Novosti) – The issue of Britain’s EU membership is splitting the UK Conservative Party more than ever and may even lead to the Tories’ permanent division, the director of Open Europe, a think tank that calls for a thorough reform of the European Union, told RIA Novosti in an interview Tuesday.

"The Tories [Conservatives] have remained divided on Europe for a long time and … they will be divided," Mats Persson said. "What is unusual about the Tories is how incredibly passionate they are about Europe and if there is a split, how quickly they can heal … they [Tories] can actually literally split into two, that’s a danger. I don’t think that it will happen, but there’s a risk.”

Since taking the office in 2010, Persson has seen how Euroscepticism has developed in the United Kingdom, in parallel to the anxiety toward the eurozone and the rise of the UK Independence Party (UKIP).

The prospect of a referendum on EU membership in 2017, promised by the British Prime Minister David Cameron, will serve to further strengthen the division, according to Persson.

The referendum, says Persson, will be “a gamble,” although it may ultimately become “a powerful tool” in the hands of the British government. “Cameron and the rest of the Tory leaders can just say: it’s not us, it’s not up to us. I mean, we can say whatever we want, but ultimately it’s up to the public.”

Despite the reluctance of Cameron himself to the appointment of Jean-Claude Juncker as the European Commission president, Persson believes that the European Union has entered its next stage of evolution and is hopeful that the United Kingdom can renegotiate the conditions for its stay. He also thinks that there is room for the United Kingdom in a reformed European Union, and that the bloc is also realizing the great disruption at all levels that would arise if the United Kingdom leaves it, from trade to its contribution to the budget.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала