Minister of Propaganda

I missed these gems of wisdom from McShame, the minister for EU propaganda, in the Guardian last week. In a conversation with a constituent the following exchange occurs:

What I mean is this new thing we have to vote on. It's irreversible, isn't it? Once in, we cannot get out, can we?" I tell him that the new treaty has a clause which allows a member state to quit the EU. So if we want out, we can leave. "Oh, I didn't know that. They don't give us the facts, do they?

After which the evils of a biased media are deplored by our very own Comical Ali. The exchange raises an important point however. The Get out of Jail Card in the constitution is being hailed as an insurance policy by the Vote Yes side, to swing the undecided. I have an alternative message for those who, unlike me, think that the EU is reformable. Up until now, the messiness of a country extracting itself from the EU without any clear guidelines on how, was a big incentive to come to an agreement on issues of all kinds. The Get out of Jail Card is actually the federalists trump card. Any major disagreement is bound to end in a Belgian or French diplomat inviting Britain to leave. At the same time, its existence can be used by the Vote Yes side in the campaign. If you want to see the UK win the argument in Europe (Whatever that means) agreeing to a treaty that gives us the all or nothing option is not the best way. The best way to win any argument in Europe is to stick two fingers up to this terrible treaty. That might slow the juggernaut down. Only then does it have a chance of changing direction. Unless you enjoy swearing at your computer, don’t bother to read the rest of his drivel.