Posted on 11/01/2012 2:34:15 PM PDT by Olog-hai
British Prime Minister David Cameron suffered an important defeat in parliament on Wednesday (31 October) when opposition Labour party MPs sided with euroskeptics in his own Conservative party to demand a reduction in the EU budget.
MPs voted by 307 to 294 in favor of a Tory-rebel amendment calling for the 2014-2020 EU budget to be “reduced in real terms.”
Ahead of the vote, Cameron portrayed himself as tough on Brussels but left wiggle room to agree to an EU budget increase in line with 2 percent inflation. …
(Excerpt) Read more at euobserver.com ...
Good job by the British Parliament. Now our Congress should do the same regarding the UN.
Chaurchills’ allies in 1940, many of them, were in the Labour Party. The Tory elite hated him. Cameron is a slick, unprincipled joke.
“The vote is not legally binding.”
That’s key. In Parliamentary democracies following the Westminster system (Britain, Canada, Australia, etc.), a defeat of a budget bill equals defeat of the government. That usually means an immediate election — but, not always. If the Opposition leaders can show they have enough votes to pass an alternative budget, the Queen may decide that they can form government instead. There would be a new governing coalition, a new Prime Minister, and new Cabinet; without the need to hold another election.
Political parties are completely beside the point (they aren’t mentioned in Canada’s constitution — nor are they mentioned in the American constitution). What matters is having enough votes in Parliament to form an effective government. Among other things, an effective government can pass a budget.
Usually, Parliamentary rules prevent the Opposition from proposing any bill or motion that has an effect on the budget. (Budgets are proposed by governments — and the government stands or falls on the budget.) Clearly, there are different rules regarding the EU, and its budgets.
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