Last Sunday I had the great honour of making the final of the Maidstone and the Weald selection just missing out to the refreshing Helen Grant. There was an interesting dimension to the process in that we all faced an interview by Ian Hislop in-front of the membership. It was a surprisingly enjoyable occasion and interesting to see he thought us of more talent than he expected (although his expectations may have been very low!). There was an interesting moment when he turned to me and said, "Europe." I looked back at him and said nothing. He then said, "You are not answering the question." I replied, "You have just said a word not asked a question." A little banter ensued before he asked, "Right the EU." There was a clear expectation that at the mere mention of 'Europe' a Conservative candidate would spontaneously start to foam at the mouth.
Sometimes I think that we have not really understood that our Euroscepticism is now where the moderate mainstream of public opinion is and we no longer need to speak of it with the same passion as we did 10-15 years ago. Thats why I believe that the ratification of the new treaty is such an opportunity and such a danger. If we can keep the focus on the flagrant breaking of a manifesto promise and the pushing through of a treaty that we believe is bad for Britain then this debate will enhance our reputation with the public. If we allow some of our more single issue friends on the airwaves then Ian Hislop's expectation of spontaneous foaming will be met and our reputation will be diminished. Watching the excellent clip Tim put up earlier I'm sure William will get the balance spot on.
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