There is a sense of innuendo when Mark Leonard calls Britain's prime minister "Neville Cameron". Whether a metaphor or a trope, it does not flatter David Cameron to be compared to another prime minister in Britain's history, Neville Chamberlain, whose name is still synonymous with vacillation and weakness, 76 years after he signed the Munich Agreement with Hitler. In September 1938 Britain and France accepted that the Czech region of the Sudetenland be ceded to Germany, believing that by appeasing Hitler, who made bellicose threats of military action, they had secured "peace of our time".

In March 1939 Chamberlain's hopes that this humiliating sacrifice would satisfy Hitler's major territorial demand and thus avert another catastrophic war were dashed when Nazi Germany invaded Bohemia and Moravia in the Czech region, making Slovakia a Nazi puppet state. Later in September Hitler invaded Poland, prompting Britain to declare war on Germany. Chamberlain's premiership saw an inglorious end when he resigned in May 1940, and Winston Churchill became prime minister. Churchill is said to once have quipped, "Poor Neville will come badly out of history. I know, I will write that history".

Leonard sees a parallel between Cameron and Chamberlain, because the former, as paraphrased by Churchill, "was given a choice between his party and his country, chose his party, and ended up losing both". Indeed, Cameron may even go down in history as the one who took Britain out of the European Union and being the last prime minister of the United Kingdom, should Scotland break away. In his effort to avert another war, Chamberlain chose to pacify Hitler, only to find himself in the wrong and humiliated.

The author says even though "stakes were certainly higher in Chamberlain’s case, at least his polices could be reversed before they destroyed the country". But for Cameron the ramifications would be detrimental, if he lost "both the EU and Scottish referendums". It is most unlikely that his successors would "be able to put the EU or the UK back together again." In fact he has dismissed questions about drawing up plans to resign in the event of a defeat, saying he would remain as prime minister even if he lost the referendum. He confirmed that he would follow the example of Harold Wilson, who suspended collective cabinet responsibility during the 1975 European Economic Community referendum on Britain's membership. There is also a parallel between todays in/out vote on Britain's EU membership and the 1975 referendum. The Labour party was hopelessly split, and Harold Wilson allowed cabinet members to campaign according to their consciences. Labour left-wingers played a leading role in the "No" campaign. In the end, the pro-EEC lobby prevailed, and Britain kept its membership.

Indeed, "fortunately for Cameron, he has a lot going in his favor." and there's a saying: "Better the devil you know" . No doubt "the UK’s economy, security, and international stature all benefit from EU membership. And broadly, the business community, trade unions, parliament, the media, and even a plurality of the British public all favor remaining in the EU. Meanwhile, opponents of EU membership have yet to make the case for a credible alternative." Despite challenges Brussels has been facing in recent months - "refugee crisis, terrorist attacks, and the lingering effects of the global economic crisis" The EU may still be resilient enough to forge reforms and to weather the storm.