Cameron must allow debate on Europe
In May last year, to the Prime Minister’s surprise as much as anyone else’s, the Conservative Party won a small majority in the House of Commons. It was a moment of celebration for David Cameron, and of vindication – his leadership during five tricky years of coalition government, as well as a bold and uncompromising election campaign, had earned him the voters’ trust.
The truth is, however, that Mr Cameron didn’t win the election single-handedly. He knows that despite the brilliance of his election strategy, the Conservatives would have got nowhere without the hard work of the voluntary party. These are the members and activists who went out all over the country, whatever the weather, to persuade people face-to-face to vote Tory. Without them, to put it bluntly, Mr Cameron would have had to pack his bags and leave No 10 to make way for Ed Miliband – an utter disaster for this country.
It is therefore regrettable that relations between the Prime Minister and his party’s volunteers have been so turbulent in recent days. Today we publish a letter, signed by representatives from 44 local associations, which explains the cause of the upset. Sadly, there is no escaping the fact that Mr Cameron’s comments to his MPs last week are the main exacerbating factor. Speaking in the House of Commons, he warned Conservative backbenchers that they should not take a view on the EU referendum vote “because of what your constituency party might say”. Instead, he said, “do what’s in your hearts”.
Whether or not he meant it in such a way, this has been viewed as a snub by many Tory activists – who in their hearts are mostly Eurosceptic. They deserve better, for as their letter points out, they “pounded the streets… knocking on doors, running street stalls and raising money to ensure their Conservative candidates were elected and Mr Cameron would secure a Conservative majority”. The Prime Minister owes them a lot, which is why he is usually more careful to keep them on side. When he has failed to do so, as in the hurried debate over same-sex marriage in the last parliament, he has come to regret it.
It is crucial to note that the letter’s signatories – be they from Edinburgh North and Leith or Somerton and Frome – are not out to cause trouble. Conservative activists are not malcontents, prone to emotional or noisy politicking, as their tone underlines. Instead they are quietly decent and patriotic people – many of them readers of this newspaper – who are willing to play their part in the political process for the simple reason that they believe it is the right thing to do. They volunteer their services to the Conservative Party, rather than anyone else, because they identify with its traditions and support its aims. They were pleased that Mr Cameron kept his promise to hold the referendum. Moreover, they do not view Euroscepticism as an act of rebellion – nor should they, since their party’s official position is that it will remain neutral during the campaign.
That campaign could be over in a matter of months: Britain’s voters do not have long before they must make perhaps the most important political decision of their lifetime. After a 40-year wait, they will be able to choose whether the UK remains in, or leaves, the European Union. Either way, the consequences for Britain – and probably for the future of the EU itself – will be profound. The ongoing migrant crisis and the turmoil in the eurozone have only highlighted this. A healthy and rigorous debate is not only desirable, therefore, but absolutely essential. It does not yet feel as if we are having one.
Every Tory in the land, from the Prime Minister to the newest local recruit, recognises that the referendum will also have an impact on the future of the Conservative Party. There is a danger it will badly divide the party and cause lasting internal tensions. That would harm its standing, something that only helps Jeremy Corbyn and his hard-Left associates. By far the best way to avoid such an outcome is to listen respectfully to views from all sides – including the grassroots – about Britain and its relationship with the EU over the coming weeks and months. The country will be the better for it.