News Analysis: Cameron's reform demands likely to widen UK-EU political divide

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday set out his four key demands for the European Union (EU) reform as conditions for keeping Britain in the bloc, but only to find himself rounded up by domestic Euroskeptics as well as his opponents in continental Europe.

Formally launching his bid to renegotiate Britain's membership in the EU, Cameron highlighted four objectives for reforming the union, including protecting the single market for Britain and others outside the eurozone; exempting Britain from "ever-closer union"; limiting EU migrants' benefits in the UK; and enhancing competitiveness of the EU.

Political observers believed that Cameron's harsh demands for the EU could worsen the already strained, awkward relations between Britain and Europe, which is still plagued by a string of ongoing troubles, including the Greek debt crisis, the migrant crisis, and the unresolved Ukraine crisis.

Cameron's EU reform proposals are also likely to widen the political divide between the two sides, with some Eastern European nations reacting angrily to the British demands.

Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia have slammed Cameron's demands as discriminating against their nationals and violating the EU's fundamental principles.

"We are not happy about any moves to segregate people according to where they come from. If Cameron wants to divide people according to their nationality then that is against the free movement of labor and the treaty," Witold Waszczykowski, Poland's next foreign minister, told the Telegraph.

The EU's spokesperson Tuesday classified Cameron's demands into three categories: the feasible, the difficult and the highly problematic.

"We see a number of elements which appear to be feasible, like finding ways to increase the role of national parliaments; some issues which are difficult, like ever closer union and relations between the euro ins and outs; and some things which are highly problematic as they touch upon the fundamental freedoms of our internal market. Direct discrimination between EU citizens clearly falls into this last category," elaborated Margaritis Schinas, European Commission's spokesperson.

If Britain's prime minister set out to be "tough talking Dave" in his quest to reform the EU, it didn't make much of an impact on a political Richter scale, according to analysts.

Cameron described his four-point shopping list as a "mission possible" as conditions needed to keep Britain as part of the EU.

The ink on his letter was hardly dry before opponents to continued EU membership described Cameron's stand as a "gimmick." Euroskeptics within his own party were both critical and underwhelmed.

Former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson, a member of the House of Lords, described the four goals as "disappointingly unambitious."

For Cameron, the job at hand demands that he becomes a juggler and a tightrope-walker at the same time.

As a supporter of Britain's continued membership of in "a reformed EU," Cameron's mission is to extract changes that will satisfy the millions willing to bid farewell to Europe, and at the same time win over many influential Conservative politicians also eager to wave goodbye to Brussels.

Those four points will cause multiple headaches for Cameron, both at home and on mainland Europe.

The whole purpose of the union is free access to all legal citizens of the EU, rather than a slightly opened door that lets some EU residents in, but keeps others out, if it means migrants wanting to claim British welfare benefits.

Cameron made it clear that if the country votes to leave, then leave it will, with no second vote.

In its main editorial column Wednesday the Guardian lamented: "For too long, David Cameron's European strategy has been a crabwise gamble by a leader who sees the big global picture but who struggles to manage his own party.

"Mr. Cameron has tried to spin out the phony war on Europe for as long as possible, hoping not to provoke his backbenchers unnecessarily and trying to persuade the more reasonable ones to accept his approach. But he has to accept that the phony war will end soon," it said.

Michael Deacon, a political writer at the Daily Telegraph, commented: "Not once did the Prime Minister use the word 'demands'. Instead he used the softer and more malleable word 'objectives'."

Peter Bone, a Conservative Member of Parliament said in a tone of sarcasm: "No longer do we have to pretend there's going to be a substantial renegotiation -- we can get on with campaigning to come out."

With no date set for the referendum, apart from a 2017 deadline, Cameron must be thinking it's going to be a long and winding, and sometimes lonely road ahead to keep his country in Europe. Endit