EPP Escape Committee Update
Guido's co-conspirator in Brussels emails to remind that the Gravy Train for faction funding by the European Parliament has arrived today. March 31st is the deadline for applications for faction funding and it looks like the Gravy Train will be leaving without the new faction on board.In Westminster the word is that the Tories are waiting for Czech President Vaclav Klaus' ODS party to win the Czech general election in June. Hague wants to be able to point to the alliance with a governing party to counter any New Labour spin onslaught that the Tories are aligned with a bunch of oddballs who quaintly believe in national sovereignty, free markets and free trade.
The patience of the Tory right is fraying as they were promised a speedy exit. Like the war, they now hope the federalist nightmare will be over by Christmas.
Cameron knows that he has to deliver on this and he intends to deliver on it even if it costs the defection of a few MEPs.
14 comments:
It's all turning to poo in Camron's hands.
Word on the street is that Hague thinks the game is a bogey.
Missed your medication this morning?
From what I hear it my be more than a couple of MEP's who will defect. Good rriddance to them and good luck getting elected next time around without the Tory machine behind them!
Perhaps Digital Dave needs a refresher course in which end to insert a suppository.
Right up to the Hilts!
Would the public really know who these MEP's are if they did defect. I suspect whilst they may think their public loves them most voters would say "who?".
These MEP's are holding the party back to keep their cushey roles in Europe.
The Libs are welcome to them.
Let's get rid of the Europhile MEPS and reinistate ones which care about British interests such as Roger Helmer.
www.reinstateroger.com
It's all about money, not principle. The Tories are stuck because they need to team up with other parties to get their snouts to the trough. A more honest strategy would simply be to detach themselves from parties they disagree with, but then they'd lose their seats on the gravy train. The gravy train is heading for a station near us - this is what happens when political parties are funded with our tax money.
Anons-various.Couldn't agree more.
Roger helmer lost the Tory whip for what?Standing up to the Commision president who'd had a nice holiday off a shipping magnate and refused to sweep it under the carpet with the EPP.
I'd rather have him any day than some of the surrender monkeys and it gives hope to those like myself who aren't maybe as 'inclusive'as we should be that there may be a real Tory lurking under DC after all.
I've wrote Roger Helmer a letter once, when he replied he put the wrong name on the letter. Dear Mr Marshall indeed.
Cameron had damn well better deliver on this one, failure to do so will lose the Tory party most of its activists, including me. Europe, or rather opposition to a Federalist Europe, is one of the few genuine red lines amongst the active membership of the Party and even Diddy Dave can't do without them however clever he may think he and his team are!
Kirkhope needs to be taken out by the neck for the way in which Roger Helmer has been treated - it is a disgrace that the EPP should be dictating internal Tory discipline in this way!
Personally I think that if the Conservatives are waiting for the ODS, they'll be waiting for a lot longer than until after the June elections.
valerie,
My understanding is that the ODS MEPs voted almost unanimously (one vote against) in favour of setting up a new Group with the British Conservatives. Like most centre-right MEPs from eastern Europe, they are still seriously pissed off by the fudge over the Services Directive.
Although their party leader will almost certainly want to stay in the EPP-ED if he becomes prime minister, Jan Zahradil - the most likely foregin secretary - and other senior party figures are determined to join a new Group. A lot will depend on just how much personal goodwill Topolanek has after the election and how much of it he wants to use up by joining the EPP party. The way the ODS lead is shrinking in the polls, I don't think he will pick this fight so early in his term in office.
http://epp-ed.blogspot.com
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