And loses badly...A "Carefully Understated Natural Tory".
Or so Thaddeus Tremayne thinks.
Richard North also lays into DC's Telegraph article here.
I wonder whether Cameron or his advisers will bother to read the comments posted beneath Cameron's article on the Telegraph website...
One article that is worth reading in today's Telegraph is this from Frank Field.Although I understand how Field joined the Labour Party, and Dave joined the Conservatives, it is really hard to explain why each continues to occupy his respective position in light of today's revealing juxtposition of execreable mumbo jumbo from DC and the highly insightful piece from Field.
Can it really be that spin and nonsense is so much more valued and succesful than wisdom and straight talking?
UPDATE: The Devil has also put his boot in. Eloquently.
UPDATE II: Dan Hannan has also read what Cameron has had to say, and draws a rather optimisitc interpretation from it. But, Hannan asks, "Am I reading too much into one speech?"
His answer: "I don’t think so."
My answer: Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
UPDATE III: I have just read Dave's speech. My verdict: incredibly naive.
6 comments:
Yes AL but unless he said pack your bags we`re are leaving you were never going to be happy . he wants the EU to be one of strong nations states and open to world trade. I think thats about as close to saying we shouldn`t be in it ,as he cam reasonably be expected to go.
You are aware of the electoral history of this issue for the Conservative Party are you not ands you must see how difficult the line for him to take is to get right.
I would like us ou tof the EU but that is amatter of continuing to build agreement . It is not for the Conservative Party leasder to pick up a tattered pennant and fly into the attack
Newmania, I have wondered whether Dave is flying so low under the radar that his approach is undectable to the EU-philes.
But there are several things which do not justify such a hope.
1. The approach he laid out in his speech was to start a movement for reform within an EU institution. Since the EU institutions cannot be changed except by unanimous agreement by all member states at an IGC (which we all know is not going to happen in 1000 years), he still appears delusional about institutional realities.
2. He says: "I believe that the best way to pursue your national interest, is not to posture - but to persuade". Again, he must know that not even a majority will be persuaded. But in any event, only one veto is needed to block his plans. There would be at least 10 vetos.
3. He also said things like "Yes - of course we need a new framework to make a bigger EU work." This clearly implies that he wants Britain to be in the EU. He has said so in terms elsewhere.
4. I'm surprised that you haven't cottoned on to how the rhetoric works. When Cameron or one of his team says that they're not in favour of the EU having such-and-such powers, they mean that in a different and mroe ideal world, they wished the EU didn;t have those powers. What they don't actually mean is that they will leave the EU if they don't get them back. What they in fact mean is that they're willing to go along with ever incresing integration, even if they don't especially like it, because they are not prepared to pull out.
That has been the Tory line for the last 35 years.
Nothing ever changes because they don't understand the political and institutional realities. And that is why Cameron's plan won't work.
They also have no vision for Britain: they have a mirage.
That is why Richard North and Chrispoher Booker are right to label the EU-philes (including EU-philes masqerading as EU-sceptics such as DC) "the real little Englanders".
Mm , I can se what you are getting at but I see evrything with cameron as answering to the first question , does it help us win. To stong a line on Europe would have dissension in the ranks which has all but sunk the party. It also has associlations of fogeyishsnes and a sort of quasi racsim that takes the image of the party backwards . It has been a lot of work to become electable and he is understandably chary about rocking the image boat
I think he does not want to run ahead of this sense prior to an election . I must say i do trust cameron on the Constitution .
I agree with what you say except that I do not belive the EU framework is as intractable given the will of a sovereign state to change it . I do not believe such a will currently exists and I can understand that David cameron will be nervous of going ahead of the country.
I think its a matter of timing and now is not the right time .I think wht he has said about his own attitude is what you should listen to.
In isolation what you say makes perfect sense to me but "me" is not the problem
It took Mrs T FIVE HARD YEARS just to get Britain a rebate on its budget contributions. Read about it.
There is no way that more substantive economic and political changes in Britain's favour could ever be extracted. Remember de Gaulle and the "empty chair" crisis...?
Two towering nationalistic politicians from France and the UK respectively have not changed it. Blair, the sympering EU-phile has not changed it. There is no political possibility of it being changed. From anywhere. Not believing that cannot alter that reality.
As for the message EU withdrawal/re-negotiation would send: did you watch Live8 two summers ago?
For all of Blair's posturing, the tariff barriers haven't come down. It is those, more than state subsidies to unsafe and sometimes dictatorial African regimes which will help the poor. And you think Cameron couldn't find something in that on which to hook his campaign?
What about the approx. £8 billion net paid by the UK to Brussels each year? Are you saying Cameron could't paint a picture of all the schools 'n 'ospitals that would build?
What about the French catching undersized fish when British boats are hauled up onto the beach and smashed in the name of the Common Fisheries Policy?
Are you saying that Team Cameron could not find anything there on which to base a graphic, moving, stimulating, rage-inducing populist campaign? Based on facts, not euro-myths?
Well if he can't then he is one POOR politician...
UKIP haven`t managed it have but I think what you say is perhaps a good idea. I would do it a different way bu i have to go out so you`ll never know
I would say the only way to galvanise the political will to play hard ball with the EU is to manufacture isults to the country and arguemtns you present along those lines. This you cannot do from opposition.
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