Leaked minutes reveal a party short on ideas and low on confidence

Publius

You know, Mr Blackburn, often your pieces are such transparent attempts at baiting that I really wonder whether you're just some sort of troll.

The Huntsman

"Of course, that does not preclude the Obama and the Tories co-operating closely as the governments of individual sovereign states."

1. UK sovereignty will be a thing of the past next month, not least becase

2. Foreign affairs will be essentially a matter for the EU as a result of Lisbon not least because

3. Cameron has affirmed the Tory party's commitment to our membership of the EU which now includes Lisbon which makes it mandatory to support the EU's common foreign and security policy.

Why not read and understand the Treaties and their import? Then you might appreciate the extent to which UK indpendence is beikng trashed by the Ruling political class.

ROJ

Perhaps we should withdraw British troops from Afghanistan, and then Obama could see how he gets on dealing with the EU.

Bob Dixon

The UK needs to make its mind up, are we in or are we out.

Once the General Election is out of the way we need a referendum to decide, are we in or are we out.

Toby123

'Obama administration key players made it clear they don’t want to have to deal with a Eurosceptic Tory Government here as they want to be able to deal with the EU as a whole'

So what?

Are the Labour party suggesting we need to fold into Europe so that we get to speak to Obama?

Andy

When dealing with the EU Foreign Minister (as he'll have to because ours will have no influence any more) Obama will find the EU nowhere near as accommodating as we've been.

THX1138

"Leaked minutes reveal a party short on ideas and low on confidence"

Talk about a dog bites man story - No s**t Sherlock! Phew...Investigative journalism is alive and kicking at the The Speccie.

John Smith

Would the U.S. administration really be interested in a non-entity like Claude Moraes, who is part of a party about to lose power in this country?

The Gipper

This is all nonsense.

Do you really think that the Obama administration is going to "call Brussels" when they need more troops for Afghanistan?

This is all Labour spun conjecture. And come on, how many influential officials from the administration are going to meet a Labour MEP? Reminds me of the scene from In The Loop at the White House...

Sir Graphus

Obama will have to deal with whoever we the people wish to elect. That’s the way democracy works; I’d have thought he’d appreciate that more than anyone.

Since Obama has, thus far, maintained the decorum of not interfering with key allies’ democratic process, one can only assume this hearsay nonsense is completely made up piece of dirty fighting, like the “lightweight” smear, that typifies Brown.

Verity

Who gives a monkey's what jerky opportunist Obama thinks? He's one-quarter the way through his term, during which he has accomplished absolutely nothing. He's a one-term wonder.

Dennis Churchill

Britain being in the EU has always been thought to benefit US policy objectives, it is probably why we joined and remain a member.
The question, for the British electorate, is whether it is in their interests, and there is a growing realisation that it is not.

.... .... ......

Obama will be voted out at the next election over there so who cares?

Robert Mason

The Lisbon treaty places the EU superior in everything that counts. Cameron has postponed the issue until after the election when he will assess the makeup and inclination of the party. Most think it will be more euroskeptic. Without the destabilising Clarkes, Heseltines, etc. it will become clear that only an in/out referendum will settle the matter.

Pat

What puzzles me is why anyone thinks Obama's oopinion matters. Even if he was the greatest ever- does someone think that our government shoulld be arranged for the convenience of the USA. And if his poll numbers carry on in their present direction he may well be gone in three years.

Noa Zrk

Given the excellent mian article in this weeks Spectator its obvious that Labour has been leaderless ever since the USSR collapsed. Their replacement idealogical comfort blanket has been the EU. Always the follower, never the leader. The tragedy for the UK is that Cameron offers no alternative.
The result will be a weak government, possibly a hung Parliament and either it's complete absorption into the new Iron Curtain or the destruction of the current rump of the Parliamentary system and the rise of a new nationalism.
is its replaceBerlin

ChrisP

Only the 25% of people in the polls still prepared to back Labour think we should be poodles to Obama and do whatever he says.

I think you see the usual suspects on here moaning about Cameron, and saying this minor issue for the electorate will lose him the election. Only 3% of people unprompted list Europe as an issue when asked about the most serious issues facing our country. This is despite the level of UKIP support at Euro elections.

Before I even heard what Cameron had to say I thought the best course of action would be to set out a reasonable position relating to getting power back from Brussels. Then when it is shown that even this simple thing cannot be achieved, Cameron will have all the ammunition required to call a referendum, without looking like a knee jerk europhobe like most of the commenters on here.

It will be easy to argue that we shouldnt be part of something that is one way to federalism, but he should give the EU the chance to prove it can change.

Is it flexible on moving backwards as well as forwards (i.e Ireland)?
Is it able to deal with the issue of supremity of leglistures?
Can being in a right of centre non federalist grouping be seen as being compatible with being a sensible party in Europe, and if not why not?

Cameron and Hague will get the answers to these issues over the next parliament, if elected, and will have a real base of evidence to call a referendum if the response is not satisfactory.

In the meantime he can get on with things that people do actually care about / vote for such as education and health, and reform of these sectors.

The Masked Marvel

It could be that Labour simply plan to use Obama's Cult of Personality - still staggeringly popular amongst the Left in the UK, especially at the BBC - as a vote-getter: Vote Labour because Obama doesn't want a Tory government. They are that desperate, and the BBC will help push that narrative.

Dennis Churchill

ChrisP
I think you are right. Further this will happen even if not deliberately planned. There is now a momentum in the EU that is both contrary to British culture and impossible to conceal.
The Masked Marvel
As our political and media classes are so out of touch they probably do credit President Obama with a cult like status he does not have among the British electorate. In fact the general reaction seems to be mystification as to what the fuss is about.

greenslime3

Obama is a pragmatist. He will talk to whoever lives at No10 Downing Street. Yes, he would prefer a stable Europe to deal with but equally, the US knows that there strongest, longest ally is the UK.

The Americans , on the whole, admire our armed services (particularly the special forces) and put much effort into having Brit presence alongside them. Our relationship goes back a long way and the American's know that.

The fact that Moron's clan have run out of ideas is hardly new. In the next 6 months their every waking hour will be spent trying to undermine Cameron's Tories. This is going to be a dirty fight because it is, potentially, a matter of life and death for Labour. Moron is deeply experienced in the disembly, dishonesty and misrepresentation of facts - he did it as a student, he did it in opposition and he did it whilst at the Treasury. He has continued to do it as prime minister. He plots and schemes and makes sure that there is always someone else there to take the blame. Records are not kept so there is little or no evidence trail to audit his activites. Is it really any surprise that the rabble he leads will seek, and attempt to exploit, any weakness.

Geoff Miller

Why should we care what Obama thinks?

His first act upon entering the White House was to throw out Churchill's bust - a gift from the British people.

The Yanks have woken up to the fact that Obama is a snake oil salesman and Marxist racist.

I don't think we need worry about him being around for too long.