Holding a Lisbon referendum regardless would have been potentially disastrous for the Tories, the country, or both;it might have set Britain on a path that led to its ejection from the EU.

若是执意举行公投，则要么对保守党不利，要么损害英国利益，要么就是两败俱伤，也许这样就让英国走上了被欧盟除名之路。