Nice try

An authored piece headed, "Come on, Gordon - give us a referendum on the EU", finds its way into The Guardian today. It is written by Jackie Ashley, columnist and political interviewer. This is a taster:

It's easy to see why the prime minister may not want a referendum. Surely, here is the moment to show himself a committed European and to reassert the powers of parliament, by pushing it all through the Commons. Yet to my own surprise, the more I look at the proposed new treaty, the more I find myself in the referendum camp. They may be a strange alliance, from rightwing newspaper types to anti-Brown leftists, from dissident Labour MPs to the UK Independence party. But those calling for a national choice are absolutely right and, if they are listened to, will strengthen not weaken the government. Brown and Miliband need to think very carefully before trying to bolt the door on them.

This is The Guardian for heaven's sake – you know, the Europhile, left wing, Labour-loving Gruaniad.

Things are not quite as black as I thought they were - go read the rest.

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