it is a system problem, the conservative having a stupid like Camerón making this referéndum
It's difficult to have any sympathy with Cameron. He held all the cards, and all the advantage, and yet as an exercise in statecraft he's been out-manourvered by a local conservative party saloon bar bore, who has managed to build up enough pressure to force a Prime Minister into a seriously flawed decision that has potentially massive reprecusions (it isn't a judgement with hindsight as his apologists are now suggesting - the stupidity of this could, was, and should have been foreseen)
Cameron is (and always was) the sort of consultant you'd trust to pitch a sale with a powerpoint presentation but wouldn't allow anywhere near the project management. During the last election he mocked Ed Miliband for refusing to commit to this injudicious vote. The thing is this. Miliband was (and still is) a policy wonk. These guys might lack campaign verve, but policy wonks tend to immerse themselves in detail and strategy and don't make mistakes born out of cavalier bravado. Cameron had the opportunity to govern unchallenged for years, and yet he's conspired to throw it all away. He is the architect of his own demise 100%
Not only has a committed a grave error, he also stoked it by setting up his own corrosive drip feed for over a decade, both in opposition and in government. He's constantly been sniping about the Euro (he'd probably go crazy if European leaders started bad mouthing sterling now). He blamed the double dip recession on the Europe. He cemented things like the Human Rights Act, and Health & Safety legislation in the public consciousness as being bad European creations too. He pedalled the red tape myth. He alienated the UK in Europe with his own aloof manner and ended up pretty well friendless (even indulging mocking impersonations of accents, whilst his Foreign Secretary called the French "cheese eating surrender monkeys"). He took his own group out of the mainstream and allied them with fringe nationalists. He's been massively critical of Europe over their approach to Russia. The irony is that they could well ease sanctions on Putin now if the latest mood music from Germany's Foreign Secretary is an indicator, whilst the UK finds itself facing future tariffs!!! (we'll see). Then after laying down all these disparaging foundations, he turns around the country and tries to secure a positive vote! Is he mad?
He's also been feeding the refugee narrative too, even going so far as to compare them with insects I'd suggest when using the word "swarms". This kind of mixed messaging is bound to create confusion, and when you throw in a complex multi-facted subject matter, and a divvy electorate, it's a potent cocktail
So can he really be surprised when a degree of anti-European sentiment starts to surface and ultimately costs him his job?
The irony is that another European initiative he opposed (a European army) is going to be about the political leverage he has for negotiating a soft landing. I do wonder though if there is any scope for him to salvage this yet using emergency powers? We'll see. I expect the BriGret movement to grow and Cameron to come under pressure to try and do something to repair this.
I always said he was a berk
