UK Conservatives defy Cameron

On Monday, British Prime Minister David Cameron suffered a parliamentary rebellion. Approximately 80 conservative lawmakers defied his request that they withhold a vote on the issue of Britain's EU membership.

LONDON, ENGLAND (Catholic Online) - Cameron's government has stated its opposition to holding a referendum on the issue of EU membership. And while Cameron's government won their vote, with 483 opposed to referendum and 111 supporting it, the majority of the 111 dissenting votes came from Cameron's own Conservative party.

A spokesperson for Cameron's office explained that the government respected the fact that those members "felt very strongly" about the referendum, but explained that the referendum would not have been in the national interest.

Cameron's opposition to the referendum may put him at odds with his party, but there is a growing faction in Britain that wants to leave the EU. Currently, Cameron acknowledges that Britain benefits from the membership, but also wants to see reform in the 27 nation bloc.

The defection of 80 of Cameron's fellow party members is a significant blow to his reputation and agenda. Labour leader Ed Millband commented on Twitter that the vote showed the Conservatives  were, "more interested in fighting each other than fighting for Britain."

The members of the House of Commons who broke ranks with Cameron may face internal discipline within the party. Such displays of defiance are virtually unprecedented in parliamentary history. Cameron is insisting on reform of the EU. He has also argued that the nature of the current crisis is such that England should not threaten to walk out.

"When your neighbor's houses on fire, your first impulse should be to help him put out the flames. This is not the time to argue about walking away."

However, Cameron wants to see the 17 eurozone countries come together to deal with the current fiscal crisis. On Sunday, during a summit meeting, he threatened to "exact a price" if the 17 eurozone countries could not reach an agreement on how to address the crisis. His harsh words for euro zone leaders sparked sharp criticism from others, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy who told Cameron that he was, "sick of you criticizing us and telling us what to do."

Although the question of a referendum appears to be off the table for now, there appears to be growing support in England for Cameron to make good on his threats if the eurozone countries don't move to make changes soon.

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