“I want my continent back”
In February 2016, I phoned James O’Brien’s LBC radio show to express my frustration with the upcoming EU referendum, declaring:
“If we leave the EU, I’ll want my continent back.”
At the time, Prime Minister David Cameron was attempting to renegotiate the UK’s terms of EU membership ahead of the June referendum.
On 2 February 2016, he announced a set of proposed reforms designed to address concerns raised by Eurosceptics.
However, I believed these reforms were unnecessary.
More importantly, I felt the entire referendum was an unwarranted distraction when the world faced far greater challenges.
During his show, James O’B asked,
“What does Cameron have to do to change your mind on Europe?”
I was the first caller and made it clear that Cameron – ostensibly a pro-European leader – had backed himself into an avoidable corner.
Britain didn’t need this referendum, nor the risks it carried.
▪ WHAT DID CAMERON ACHIEVE?
Despite claims by Brexiters that Cameron’s renegotiation with the EU had failed, he secured key concessions, including:
– An ‘emergency brake’ preventing EU migrants from claiming in-work benefits for four years.
– A commitment that British taxpayers would never fund eurozone bailouts.
– A recognition that ‘ever-closer union’ wouldn’t mean deeper political integration for the UK.
Yet, strangely, these achievements were scarcely mentioned in the referendum campaign.
The only major area where Cameron failed was in altering the principle of ‘free movement of people’ – and rightly so.
Free movement is a cornerstone achievement of the European project, essential to its core identity.
▪ A FUNDAMENTAL MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE EU
Back in November 2015, in my ‘EU ROPE’ blog, I wrote:
‘Does the Prime Minister know what he’s doing?’
I argued that Cameron’s proposals – particularly his attempt to limit the rights of EU workers in Britain – showed a fundamental misunderstanding of how the EU functions.
If the UK were allowed to discriminate against German, French, or Spanish workers, it would open the door for British workers to be treated as second-class citizens across the continent.
This could have led to a domino effect, undermining the entire concept of free movement.
Similarly, Cameron’s ‘emergency brake’ on EU citizens receiving in-work benefits was misleading.
As I pointed out in Independent Voices, 90% of EU migrants didn’t even claim such benefits. Cameron’s rhetoric misrepresented the reality of EU migration.
▪ A LEGACY OF DAMAGE
Perhaps the most tragic aspect of Cameron’s approach was his refusal to share responsibility for Europe’s refugee crisis, which I feared exacerbated the debate about our membership of the EU.
At a time when 90% of the non-EU migrants arriving in small boats across the Mediterranean were genuine refugees, Britain turned its back on its European partners.
Ultimately, Cameron won’t be remembered for his negotiations, but for forcing an unnecessary referendum that divided the country and damaged Britain’s global standing.
What a legacy.
- Watch the video about David Cameron’s proposed reforms and my phone call to James O’Brien:
