David Cameron Has Begun a ‘Battle for Britain’ in the EU—But How Can He Possibly Win?

David Cameron has called his four key demands for reforming the EU’s relationship with the U.K. a “battle for Britain.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron at a press conference as part of an extraordinary council at the EU headquarters in Brussels on Dec. 17, 2015, after a leaders summit. Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images

David Cameron has called his four key demands for reforming the EU’s relationship with the U.K. a “battle for Britain.” And at last. he has been able to fight it in person—albeit over a dinner of chicken terrine and venison, where the EU member state leaders had their first collective chance to discuss the U.K.’s demands.

The agenda of the European Council dinner in Brussels was to “discuss the state of play” and address political issues before a concrete proposal. None of the four issues Cameron is campaigning on are easy to tackle, politically or legally; they go to the heart of what makes the EU what it is, and even what it was before the U.K. even joined in 1973.

None of the four issues Cameron is campaigning on are easy to tackle, politically or legally; they go to the heart of what makes the EU what it is.