2008-06-22T11:28:31Z https://www.treffpunkteuropa.de/Cracks-in-the-Ice#comment4757 2008-06-22T11:28:31Z

<p>Hi Jeremy I like your article, it fills with me with optimism ! I guess the British ratification (or quasi ratification) inspired you a little... You write that things in Britain are gradually changing -the eurosceptics will gradually give way to acceptance : that the EU is positive for Britain ; the press is now more mainstream etc. But to be honest I really dont see anything changing unless there is a real big debate. There is too much fear in Britain amongst the pro Europeans - fear for example that if we have this referendum on Lisbon it would be so drastic that it would risk killing off our membership of the EU once and for all. In order to change perceptions and eradicate the constant « we joined an economic union » nonsense we need to tackle the problem face on. Wouldnt you support a referendum on membership ? Membership of a political European Union. Nick Clegg, as you will no doubt know, and many other prominent pro Europeans in Britain have been proposing this for a while now. If we dont have this, Gordon Brown and whoever next will just keep fudging their way along as they have done for the past 30 years. Why is there a constant feeling that Europe is a suppressed issue - i thnk it's time to tackle it face on - no matter how risky it is.</p> <p>ps. We really cant compare the amount of Independent readers to the amount of Sun / Telegraph / most others can we ?!</p>