Welsh leader to Cameron: 'Tone down the euroskepticism'

EurActiv ^ | 26 January 2012 | Jeremy Fleming

[Olog-hai]

UK Prime Minister David Cameron should tone down his euroskeptic rhetoric and avoid a repeat of the diplomatic failure of last December’s European summit, Wales’ First Minister Carwyn Jones has told EurActiv in an exclusive interview.

The leader of the devolved Welsh government, who is from the Labour party, distanced himself from Cameron, a Conservative, saying that he is less euroskeptic and more at ease with notions of European federalism.

Whilst agreeing with the substance of the veto cast by Cameron at the last summit, the chief of the Cardiff-based Senedd—or Welsh Parliament—said the UK premier had got the "mood music" wrong. …

He said the fault lay with the British government, rather than its diplomats. “I think what also didn't help is the fact that [Cameron] returned to the UK and spent time apparently celebrating what's been described as a ‘veto’ with the more extreme euroskeptic MPs in his own party,” Jones said. …

The Welsh have distinct interests in the EU because of their heavy reliance on farm subsidies relating to wheat and dairy production, and the European market for Welsh lamb and other products. …

[Olog-hai]

Sounds like a typically Labour-ish outlook. Keep Wales enslaved to handouts from the new empire, just like they were trying to have the rest of Britain so enslaved . . .

[cdcdawg]

David Cameron is far from perfect, but he does anger the right people from time to time.

[JerseyHighlander]

Why is Wales devolved minister relevant?
IT is a gross and net recipient of UK transfer payments.
IT is a gross and net recipient of Eurozone transfer payments.
IF Wales was forced to fully devolve, The Conservative party of England would be the natural governing majority of the London Parliament, the Welsh would be bankrupt and taken over similar to Kosovo by the Eurozone Parliament, and the Welsh would be facing a similar doom of unelected technocratic terrors akin to the future of Greece.

There is no reason for the Conservatives natural vote block in England to pay any more attention to the Welsh than is the bare minimum to maintain the London Commons plurality through continued bribery through transfer payments.

[rmlew]

Cameron isn't a Euroskeptic. He refuses to allow the Eurabian subjects in Britain vote on the matter. He merely doesn't want to subsidize the profligacy of other provinces of Brussels.
A true Euroskeptic would hold elections on this matter and he would tell Wales’ First Minister Carwyn Jones that prostitutes aren't nationalists. When Jones stop's sucking at the teat of Brussels he can call himself Cymru and not whore.

[Olog-hai]

That’s my view too, but the usual party line is that anyone to the left of Labour is automatically pigeonholed as “euroskeptic”, especially of course after Cameron’s big veto of the fiscal surrender of sovereignty.