The President of the European Commission used the “F-word” in a speech about the future of Europe this week, sending shockwaves through Westminster.
I’m talking about “federalism”, obviously, though I wouldn’t be surprised if a few oaths escaped the Prime Minister’ mouth when he heard the speech.
Jose Manuel Barroso, the unelected leader of the EC, announced to a stunned European Parliament on Wednesday that he would bring forward plans for a fiscal, economic and political union before the next European elections. That means changes to the European Union’s treaties could be set in motion at any point after 8 June 2014, something that would automatically trigger a plebiscite in the United Kingdom as a result of the “referendum lock” in the 2011 EU Act.
