Cameron's mistaken British identity crisis

David Cameron (Image: The Guardian)

The joys of a media spinning overkill is that one day, you'll get caught. Alastair Campbell, press secretary under Tony Blair's government until 2003, has experienced this first-hand when the Prime Minister pushed ahead with the Iraq war. While it was Campbell's intention, before the invasion, to brief the media of its legality due to Saddam Hussein government's corruption and alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction, the press had a field day when the latter was proved false. The legalities of that war is still being debated today, and Blair's credentials and reputation as Prime Minister diminished.

Even today, the Iraq War casts a dark cloud over the Labour Party - even their new leader Jeremy Corbyn's 'New Politics' spin isn't doing the job in salvaging their reputation. However, for the time being, his negative publicity is taking a back seat as Prime Minister David Cameron - the PR man known for his constant spinning, arguably gifting him the general election victory nearly a year ago - appears to have been caught out.

Prior to the general election, among other pledges, Cameron had a key tagline, 'One Nation', and a key promise - to negotiate and transform Britain's relationship with, and in, the European Union (EU) leading to an eventual referendum on the country's future in the organisation that has 28 nations as its member. It has been nine months since he won that election with these pledges and the public aren't satisfied - and I can totally relate to their frustration.

How do I think the 'One Nation' tagline is a myth? It has been clear that particularly over the past eight years, the Conservative Party is pro-London. Since Boris Johnson was elected Mayor of the English capital in 2008 and the Tories led the Westminster-based government in 2010, London has boomed with billions injected in developing skyscrapers, 24-hour railway and fancy bridges. This has led to property prices going through the roof and endless number of business investment opportunities making the city the centre of attention in Europe and beyond.

I appreciate the investment one country gives to their capital, but the rest of the country have been often ignored. Chancellor George Osborne last May, soon after the Conservative election victory, delivered what was then described as a 'landmark' speech about the Northern Powerhouse. This tagline, another spin term by the government, was their initiative to give the regions up north certain devolution powers. Osborne spoke proudly about how Yorkshire, Lancashire and the like would take control of their own destiny in tax, health, and so on.

George Osborne & Northern Powerhouse (Image: Daily Telegraph)

In essence, the North is set to be the next Wales and Scotland - possess their own political powers, eventually becoming their own principality. There is no guarantee that Westminster will support the North substantially with their Powerhouse scheme. I mean, since 2010, their financial support to Assembly governments in Cardiff and Edinburgh has dipped significantly, with discontent and mismanagement of communications leading to Wales and Scotland pondering to leave United Kingdom.

The Tories showed little passion to stop Scottish National Party (SNP) from holding that independence referendum in Scotland in 2014, I fear that the Northern counties are the next victim. I get the impression that 'One Nation' to the government means 'One London'. While Westminster focuses on capital matters with the Mayoral elections just around the corner, the British Isles soon could become a Six Nations, or more.

Furthermore, the infamous 'One Nation' tagline could be in escalated tatters should Britain vote 'Out' in the forthcoming EU referendum. David Cameron announced last year that if he were to be Prime Minister until the next general election in 2020, he would negotiate a better deal for the UK with Brussels. Nearly twelve months on, he has toured the continent trying to keep sweet with various nations stating his intentions on how Britain can live sustainably and in peace while remain within the European Union. This past week he announced his draft findings which has brought much debate.

Cameron hailed the renegotiations, thus far, as a success. However, many are left completely unconvinced. According to YouGov, a record percentage of people surveyed want Britain to leave the EU. The whole In or Out debate has turned into a debacle. The Conservatives are divided, Cameron doesn't know which side he wants to be on, despite reports suggesting that he's happy enough for the UK to remain.

The problem I have here is instant. We are under the impression that the upcoming referendum should be a political vote, where in fact it should be a business vote. Sure, there's politics involved, but when the European Union was originally formed, it was to unite businesses across Europe, running the economy through enterprise. It has benefitted countries that needed the investment. For example, this past week saw various cities in the UK celebrate Startup Europe Week, funded by the European Commission. It was a great opportunity for budding and already successful entrepreneurs to network and live up to the true EU spirit.

Sadly, this true EU spirit rarely gets noticed. Instead, we are plagued with media guff about the Greek crisis, Germany being 'too powerful', and most notably, immigration. Immigration is considered the key factor in deciding whether to leave or remain. This was fuelled in 2014, when citizens of Romania and Bulgaria could move and work to Britain without EU restrictions. But those who were, and some still are, strongly against this, should realise this was a business move, not a political one. If you believe in the current statistics, despite the British population increasing, unemployment levels is decreasing so the 'Eastern Europeans are taking our jobs' notion is a myth.

UK and EU flags (Image: Breitbart)

Don't get me wrong, the EU isn't perfect. They do have some daft rules that may be deemed unnecessary, and the press seem to thrive upon reporting these too. And don't get me wrong, we have voted in the most idiotic to represent Britain as MEPs. Those who are notoriously against Europe, who attend debates and dismiss the Union as if it's junk on their front lawn. It's like appointing me as the Press Officer of Manchester United (I support Chelsea). It's bound to cripple Brussels.

I see the Union having more benefits than flaws. I have seen first-hand its investments and grants that have boosted young Britons, local communities and the economy as a whole. The people of London may not have noticed as much because Westminster gives the capital so much incentive, and it blinds the national press into thinking that if London could cope out of the EU, which no doubt it can, then why not the rest of the UK?

I would love to believe those who want to leave the EU by stating that UK can cope without it, but if that was the case, the country will miss out on investing in potential big projects that the government are refusing to cough up on. We are already reading reports speculating that Scotland may have another independence referendum should Britain vote to leave, Wales aren't happy with the thought of leaving the EU either. And dotted across the British Isles we are seeing people and business leaders who realise its importance and fearing for the country's future. If this is Cameron's definition of 'One Nation' then I'll be damned.