> Ellipsis, you’re playing with fire
Agreed. I have to, because I don't want either "In" or "Out", I want "In Something Better".
> On the eve of a referendum, with us, allegedly, having the much lauded ‘clout’ the ‘Inners’ are confident we possess, Europe, one would have thought, would be conducive to compromise. However, the government failed to achieve much at all in the way of reform
Yes, I agree. That was a disappointment.
> so how likely is it to achieve more after an ‘In’ vote? I’d say its chances are nil.
You have to assume, given how little was offered, that Europe was feeling comfortable that we'd vote to remain. A really tight vote, with an appetite for another vote soon, would hopefully prompt a better set of concessions. If not, we need to go.
> this is our one opportunity to reclaim our country. We won’t be offered another
I think if there was a really tight vote then we would be offered another. The In side has a lot in its favour, so if the vote was really close then the Out side would be justified in asking for another vote really soon. And given that many of the Outs are Tories, and they're the party in power for the next four years, I think Cameron would find it difficult to resist the calls from his party for another vote, and would therefore have a really strong negotiating hand to take back to Europe.