Why a law is needed to secure an EU referendum
AFTER issuing and yet failing to deliver on a "cast-iron guarantee" of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, David Cameron must work hard to convince voters he really does mean to hold an In/Out referendum in the next parliamentary term.
So Conservative backbenchers urging him to try to push legislation through the Commons before the election to enable such a referendum are on to something.
Passing a law guaranteeing a future In/Out vote within a fixed time frame would go a long way towards convincing even the most hardened cynic that this time the Tories mean what they say.
And while it is true that Labour and the Liberal Democrats probably have sufficient votes in the Commons to block such legislation, to do so would involve them explicitly lining up to prevent the British people from having their say.
If his promise cannot be written in blood then having it written into law would be the next best thing
These Left-wing parties know they would pay a heavy political price for doing such a thing and would therefore surely have to permit legislation to pass.
If the Prime Minister wishes to persuade Eurosceptic voters that he is now an ardent supporter of an In/Out referendum after having opposed one for so long, he will have to do more than simply include a pledge in his manifesto.
If his promise cannot be written in blood then having it written into law would be the next best thing.
