Tories pray for no more from Europe

NewBritannia

Or we could just ignore the absurd rules from Brussels. What are they going to do? Invade us?

Vulture

I bet the spotty Henrys whom you grandly dignify with the title 'Tory strategists' were hoping to keep Europe off the agenda.

Their efforts to complete the obliteration of the last shreds of this nation's freedom, independence and prosperity were going just ticketty-boo until Jose and his mates let the latest rabid cats out of the Euro-bag.

So even the quiet man is getting noisy you say? Yeah, right..I bet they're quaking in Brussels.

From now on there's only one question that Conservatives need to ask their politicians. Are you implementing an in/out referendum to take us out of this corrupt and criminal racket. If not - why not?

Chris

What on earth is 'extraordinary' about the commission ruling? The whole basic point of the EU is that we get the same rights everywhere.

There are, for example, millions of British people in Spain and France, enjoying all the rights they give their retired.

William Blakes Ghost

I will only vote for a party that wants to govern this country and not abdicate their resposnibility in a dereliction of duty to foreign parasites. Labour don't want to govern, the Liberal Democrats don't want to govern and increasingly it seems nor does Cameron.

No vote without restoring sovereignty!

Rhoda Klapp

Posturing, that's all. Cameron will never do anything about the EU. Nor will Hague. All the things they complain about as coming from the EU were passed in parliament by successive governments. There is no enemy in Brussels. The enemy is here, and to a large extent it is us. We gave it all away. But the power which allowed us to give it away also allows us to take it back, any time we like. We, the people, that is. Not the scum of the political class, who think to feed us ridiculous stuff like this and have us believe it. Oh, this means you, Spectator, there is no longer any room to pretend that you are on our side.

Rhoda Klapp

Oh, Denis, please post the same thing again, somebody in the editorial office seems not to have understood it the first twenty times.

Greenslime

You'd almost believe that there is a malevolent 'Star Chamber' in Brussels which sits and thinks up ways to encourage the British - or at least the English - to edge ever closer to secession.
If the reaction of the Question Time audience last night is a guide and, of course, our elected representatives represent our wishes, our continued membership of this madhouse is rapidly drawing to a close.
Interestingly, I was listening to a Dutch commentator recently who said that we (the British) used to be seen as a joke because of our anti-EU stance. Now, he said, the Dutch are frequently voicing exactly the same concerns.
EFTA here we come.

Russell

As a lifelong supporter and voter for the conservative party, I hope the EU problems are tackled head on at the conference.

We demand a referendum on whether to entirely leave the EU or renogiate a trade only (Common Market) position which is what the last referendum was about.

We don't want EU law and we don't want to pay for thousands of useless beurocrats/MEP's enjoying millionaire lifestyles at our expense.

We want to have our laws made by our elected government, our fishermen and farmers to get away from EU madness, and our manufacturers to have their own standards, albeit they will have to adhere to certain standards on EU exports.
We can crucify the EU as we import £billions from food to cars, all of which could have restrictions placed on them (tariffs) if they refuse our goods.

This is serious and if the conservatives do not address it, they really will only be a one term government, as the LibDems, and Labour will also suffer massively.

Andy Carpark

I like to move it, move it
I like to move it, move it
I like to move it, move it
But IDS is a noisy man
I like to move it, move it
I like to move it, move it
I like to move it, move it ...

Austin Barry

The welfare claims issue if effected will be the tipping point - the moment for everyone, except, of course, our coalition of well-heeled tossers, when the EU finally ‘jumped the shark’ into rabid lunacy.

Peter Harrison

The European Court has not, of course, made any ruling about welfare claims. The European Commission has threatened to take legal action against the UK. Not the same thing at all. It may be that the ECJ, if and when it eventually makes a ruling, will not agree with the EC, although I agree that history suggests they probably will.

Having said that, the fact that the EC is even willing to consider taking legal action against the UK on this front is appalling. We don't pay our taxes to provide benefits to people with no connection to the UK.

Bickers

What is the point of Parliament if all it exists for is to rubber stamp directives from Brussels?

Membership of the EU is becoming more burdensome by the day. We're being told how to live our lives by unaccountable overpaid bureaucrats in Brussels.

Time for our MP's to represent their constituents and re-negotiate our relationship with the EU; they're strangling us.

Steve

Sajid Javid's article is superb. Very incisive and worth reading.

Ross Matthewman

We should stay in the EU for trading reasons but ignore all directives and initiatives from European supranational institutions. There is quite literally nothing these institutions could do to us without intergovernmental support.

michael

Tories pray for no more from Europe -so do something about it...If we walk off the plot the Eurozone will be forced to be honest with itself.
As this '20% of what's really needed' bailout thing is largely a face saving exercise for liars we have to be in an extraordinarily powerful position.

FvH

There will only be progress on this if big business / industry change their minds about the pros and cons if membership

Currently they see the single Market as the reason for staying in

If that changed that would be a tipping point

In the meantime it is sickening to see Cameron and co posturing and flouncing -

saddleworth

This is all p***ing in the wind.
No political party in England is going to move to disengage from this monstrosity. They have for years conspired not to have this discussed and have vilified any opponents.
The anti-democratic institutions of the EUSSR are not going to give an inch because they know no English politicians have ever got serious.
For all the noise from voters over the years nothing whatsoever has been done to slow the tide.
The only way in England to make governments listen will be civil disobedience and the only way to get the EUSSR to listen will be violence against it. The former is of course infinitely preferable, but the English generally don't do civil disobedience. They might however get the hang of it if it is started in a small (defacing anything bearing EU symbols, tearing down EU flags etc). If we could get the hang of that then next steps would take us to towards ignoring EU derived law and withholding tax payments proportionate to the danegeld paid to Brussels.
It is of course all wishful thinking, just look at the number of cars proudly displaying the symbol of oppression on their plates.
Just pour another drink while you can still afford it and wait to die as a slave.

David Blackburn

Pete Harrison,

Thank you for the correction; I've amended the copy.

Publius

"Will David Cameron adopt the same slogan in 2015, but direct it at a different target?"

Oh give it a rest, Mr Blackburn! Do you really think anyone will believe a word Cameron has to say on the subject in 2015?

I resent it that you seem to write pieces that are designed merely to irritate. It reflects the same sneering contempt for your readers that Fraser Nelson has begun to show.

Frank Sutton

"Tories pray for no more from Europe"
Or they could just say "No".

Annie

Does anyone actually believe Cameron will be PM in 2015? I don't. This EU boil is growing daily along with the clamour to lance it. An election is looming faster than anyone realises.

I too have been a lifelong Tory voter but they won't be getting it again until they put a real Conservative leadership in place.

As to the Party managers hoping to gloss over this at cenference time well it bloody well serves you all right. You have sold all of us down the line for years now and I really hope it all blows up in your faces (metaphorically speaking of course).

David Blackburn

Publius,

It's a genuine question, especially as it looks like the economy will remain fragile and the deficit may not have been eradicated. They'll have to campaign on something and there have been indications that they are preparing the ground on Europe. But, at the moment, I agree with you: all there's been is hot air.

Heartless Romantic Perry

The Tories may pray [for no more on Europe], but the inviolable laws of nature say that nature ALWAYS fills a vacuum.

And, given that there is a void, - both of National Will, and an honourable Tory Party, - why of course, - the EUSSR will fill it!

Again, - simples!

oldtimer

What is the point of a party conference if every controversial issue gets swept under the carpet?

It is about time there was a revolt in the Tory party ranks about the leadership provided by the non-Tory PM. A good start would his peremptory removal from the office of leader and his replacement by someone who actually is Conservative. What better place and time than this upcoming conference?

London Calling

The up and coming Broken Britain is Great Conference…cant wait…what ever you do, don’t mention the EU….

denis cooper

OK, Rhoda.

Osborne "is expected to reiterate his call for closer union among the Eurozone states, but without requiring a treaty change that would affect non-Eurozone countries."

Well, that would be quite easy once the MAJOR EU TREATY CHANGE ALREADY AGREED ON MARCH 25TH:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:091:0001:0002:EN:PDF

had come into force, freeing the eurozone states to go off and do whatever they wanted together, provided what they wanted to do could by some stretch of the imagination be represented as part of a "stability mechanism" to "safeguard the stability of the euro area".

So, for example, if Barroso was prepared to settle for a financial transactions tax just for the eurozone, as a good start, he could probably get that put in place without needing any further EU treaty change beyond that agreed on March 25th and without the UK having a veto over the proposal.

Yow Min Lye

Given everything that he signed this country up to in 1972 I suppose Ted Heath asking "who governs Britain" has a delicious irony about it.

Baron

You seem to be all floating in a world of fantasy, a commendable state for abit of a rant of little use, the EU is here to stay, any full dismantling of the construct would come only in a violent conflict, if that’s what you wish for then you must also be prepared to return to a world of near penury, the only way forward is to have a go, make the EU more democratic, transparent, less costly, the decision making more accountable to the European hoi polloi.

Baron recognizes that what he says doesn’t appeal, but one has to be pragmatic, there ain’t much mileage to be got in reaching for something that cannot be reached, the time for stopping the juggernaut has long past, our future has been coupled to that of Europe to a point of no return, the man on the street has been well conditioned, brainwashed, it matters less to him whether the laws that govern him are made here or elsewhere, provided he has a reasonable chance of having a job, owning an abode, downing a pint over the weekend, can raise pigeons, grow carrots, trim a hedge.

Just have a look at what’s happening on the Euro front, those in charge seem likely to cobble up a solution that will invariably lead to a common Treasury function for the synthetic currency, they’ll get there by setting up a proxy vehicle that will satisfy the markets de facto, the courts de jure, if only because a full meltdown is unthinkable, should be unthinkable for you, too.