Sir John Major - the former UK Prime Minister was regarded as pro-European. He now accepts that the UK must have a referendum on EU continued membership. He makes a point about being cordial and polite with other member states and speaks, I think, from the point of view that the UK referendum will bring about the UK remaining in the EU with returned powers and vote winning concessions.
Hooray! Little rabbits in green fields, a beautiful blue sky and a rainbow, in fluffy bunny land - NOT!
I can understand that he wants our ministers to talk politely with all EU states. He talks about gaining understanding. This is admirable and correct, but it is also the way we get patronised by our political classes before they feed us the usual 'big nothing' and this stinks to high Hell.
Europe will be cordial and polite and try to offer minuscule concessions that will be reclaimed at a later date - slowly, slowly, catch a monkey. Both these quibblers (EU and UK) might be talking along lines that don't mean anything to the anti-EU voters. The one thing John Major did get right; is that this is a huge gamble. He means for the pro-EU Brits.
Mass uncontrolled migration - irresponsible, cruel, inconsiderate, migration is the one reason why UKIP may win enough votes to carry its argument on Britain withdrawing from the EU. No one is allowed to voice this too strongly for fear of being called racist, for fear of being ostracised by left wing apologists. I don't think it will matter what the UK and EU negotiators thrash out. Its like two arrogant teachers squabbling over whether to make the class learn Biology or Geography. The class is fed up and wants to go home and they don't care about the subjects on offer. Teachers that teach but refuse to learn are useless and school is boring. The voters may want to leave and find their way because all UK political parties are oblivious to the real problem with the exception of untested UKIP.
However, there remains 60 million voters that know these problems. Some are happy with the mass migration, while a great many are not. Perhaps the majority of this electorate will not vote from the point of view that John Major and many of the political classes are negotiating on. Many of the British electorate feel betrayed by the political classes in the UK. Whatever concessions the political classes claim to win may not matter. I honestly think that this John Major speech does nothing for the 'UK remaining in the EU' argument. I don't think the electorate are hostile to the new EU policing laws or the industrial laws. They are just concerned about mass migration that they have no control over.
If someone wants their house clean and tidy and they are restrained from doing this, its no good offering them a dog biscuit or a set of golf clubs. No one is interested in these little gifts - they mean nothing. I don't think the pro-EU Brits will be able to sell this reclaimed powers thing in a referendum. A large portion of British people are are fed up with mass uncontrolled migration into the UK from Eastern Europe and other countries. At the end of the day UKIP will argue against minuscule gains if the government tries to renegotiate the UK's relationship with Europe. UKIP can show the 'big nothing' for what it is, and still present the problem of mass uncontrolled and irresponsible migration to the British electorate. A multitude of angry voters who will only see this one huge irresponsible past undertaking of their deeply distrusted political classes, talking the usual patronising - 'big nothing.'