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National Referendum on the European Union

Tesco, great company that it is, is also very popular in Thailand, whose application for membership of the European Union I am currently unaware of. The Foreign Secretary made a final point that we would lose opportunities by going for a referendum now. Well, of course we would not; we would gain them. We are negotiating on the budget for the next few years on the basis of an absolute majority and a one-vote veto. This is not the intermediate budget. Our position is quite strong. As I see it, we have a wonderfully united Conservative party, upset by the Liberal Democrats. I admire the Liberal Democrats. They are good, honest people, but, when push comes to shove, getting a proper relationship with the European Union is more important than the coalition. If the Liberal Democrats want to go into a general election saying, ““Let's have more rules from Brussels and from Mr Barroso””, let them try it. We shall see how many seats they win on that basis. It is for us Back Benchers to say to Her Majesty's Government: ““Stiffen your sinews, summon up the blood and imitate the action of a tiger, for that is how you should behave towards our European partners, not like Bagpuss.””