Putin’s Tories: welcome to the Vlad and Dave Show
Denis MacShane says that the Conservatives’ refusal to align themselves with other centre-right parties on the Council of Europe has driven them into a shabby alliance with Russia
At the Nato parliamentary assembly, where Russian delegates were welcomed in the excitement of the end-of-communism era in the 1990s, Russians openly insult politicians from other countries. Bruce George, the amiable Labour veteran MP and long-time chair of the Commons defence select committee, was dismissed as ‘insane’ by a Russian MP at last year’s gathering of Nato parliamentarians. After a women minister from Georgia spoke, the Russian delegation leader declared: ‘In Russia there are two things it is pointless to debate with — a radio and a woman.’ This reversion to Soviet-style rhetoric in international bodies dismays many. But most hold their noses, thinking it is better to have the Russians half-in democracy’s tent in the hope that the Bear will become more like us.
But now the Russians are going a stage further with an audacious bid to win control of the presidency of the Council of Europe. And they have new allies — David Cameron’s Tory MPs.
Like the European parliament or the Nato parliamentary assembly, the Council of Europe is organised on the basis of the socialist, centre-right, liberal and left-over communist and green parties all forming political groupings.
But Britain’s Conservatives refuse to sit with their sister conservative parties from other European countries. David Cameron won election as Tory leader by promising the 40 Tory MPs who backed Liam Fox that a Cameron-led Conservative party would break links with all other European centre-right parties, including the governing parties in France, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Greece and Poland who are judged to be too supportive of the EU. Cameron and William Hague have been wriggling ever since as they unsuccessfully search for right-wing parties in Europe that are not mad, bad and dangerous to get into bed with.
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EyeSee
January 10th, 2008 9:48pmCan't say I know much about the Council of Europe so I don't know the validity of much of this. However Denis McShane is a faultless barometer; whatever he says, the opposite will be true/common sense. Also, it can't be happening at all because we have had a Labour government , for over ten years, IN POWER. Our national parliament is supreme is it not Denis? Difficult to keep making your stories fit together, isn't it? Need any more evidence of the pointlessness of 'European politics'?
Mr Angry
January 11th, 2008 2:51amBetter to be in bed with Russians whose motives are clear,apparent and nothing like as bad as the perpetually paranoid about Russia Scandic and Baltic countries want to believe, than with quisling euro federalists, all too willing to betray their own nations and national interests in hot pursuit of the "european project".
Dr. Ilya Perelmuter
January 24th, 2008 1:55pmTo seek cooperation with modern Russia, a really police state headed by a dictator, and to close eyes on antidemocratic practices of Putin's government - that is the policy of the greatest European powers. Nothing new! They have been betraying democratic movement in Russia for years and years.
Herbert Thornton
April 6th, 2008 10:37pmReading this is enough to make me wonder if - perhaps - the Tories may not be entirely bad.
What next? Will the Tories actually concede that problems similar to (and potentially worse than) Russia's in Chechnya also exist in Britain?