Nicolas Sarkozy to address Tory conference (via video link)

Three possible world leaders of tomorrow are now set to address this year's Tory Party Conservative.

David Cameron and John McCain (who warmly endorsed the Conservative leader earlier this week) are already on the programme and ConservativeHome has now learnt that French interior minister and leading presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy - 'the right-wing sun of French politics' - will be sending a video message to Bournemouth.

Mr Sarkozy's 'appearance' will be a significant boost to Mr Cameron's internationalist credentials.  It will worry some eurosceptics, however.  Mr Sarkozy was one of a number of European leaders who threatened to ostracise Mr Cameron if he fulfilled his pledge to take Tory MEPs out of the EPP.  Furthermore, today's Telegraph reports Mr Sarkozy as favouring a "single European asylum office".  This week's Economist calls on Mr Cameron to fully abandon his EPP pledge because "the best way to exercise influence in Europe is from within its biggest political group, rather than from the fringes".

Comments

[The Orator]

Internationalist credentials? Is there such a thing? This is gonna be a three ring circus. Everyone has come to bask in the sun shining out of DC's arse. I cannot think of a better way to make John Reid look more in touch with the people than to invite essentially hostile foreigners in and give them a platform.

The only Foreigner i'd get to appear at the Tory Conference is the rock band - a great example of Anglo-US cooperation between Mick Jones and Lou Gramm. They could sing to Dave, "I've been waiting for a guy like you".

(Ok it wasn't that funny but it's first thing in the morning)

[James Hellyer]

Mr Sarkozy is also pledged to veto Turkish entry to the EU, should he assume the French presidency. So he hardly lends internationalist or forward looking credentials. Insular ones, maybe.

[changetowin]

I was actually wondering why Mr Sarkozy hadn't been invited, so am absolutely delighted to hear he will be appearing on video link. Sarkozy is an exciting figure on the centre-right of politics and it is great that he sees fit to address us. When added to John McCain's appearance this shows that we are being taken seriously again around the world. This is thanks to the strategy pursued by David Cameron.

It is also very pleasing that there seems to be a global movement towards modern, compassionate conservatism that is replacing the Third Wayers. This augers well for the future.

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

If Sarkozy will veto Turkish entry into the EU, he's just shot up in my estimation of him.

Turkey has no place in the European Union, and that will remain the case for a very long time while it continues to maintain the illegal occupying force in northern Cyprus, while it continues to oppress the Kurds, while it continues to neglect human and civil rights and while a vast chunk of the country remains an economic basketcase.

There is talk of membership of the EU being held out as an incentive for Turkey to rectify these deficiencies, but Turkey has grasped this carrot whilst dodging the stick as it pays little more than lip-service to serious reform.

In my opinion, the overtures to Turkey about joining the European Union are being made for entirely the wrong reason - i.e. as a token gesture to demonstrate that western Europe is not inherently anti-Islam.

Any fair-minded, rational person will realise that western Europe is not inherently anti-Islam, and those that don't will hardly be convinced by a glorified PR exercise.

[Sean Fear]

There's something in that Daniel, but I would take the view that the Turks had every right to protect their people in Cyprus.

[malcolm]

Sarkozy is just a typical French political hypocrite. No doubt if he and Cameron both get elected they will end up loathing each other as British and French leaders usually do.
I suppose having Sarkozy in on the Conference will make the Conservative Party (not just DC) seem more internationalist.But it really is a small matter that will be forgotten soon anyway.
Hopefully Sarkozy will veto Turkish membership.Thus France takes the blame from the Turks and Americans angry at this decision and we are spared the trouble of having to prevent millions of Turkish workers trying to get into this country.

[christina speight]

This conference season is turning into a farce like competing hostesses in Hollywood seeing who has the most supposedly "prestigious" guest list.

Sarkozy is totally opposed to everything that all British governments SAY they want to reform in the EU. He was in favour of Chirac's outsmarting of Blair at budget time, he is protectionist and would continue to hamper our world trade and he is in favour of the iniquitous CAP which impoverishes the Third World and has ruined our agriculture too.

What idiot invited HIM? Now if Cameron had invited John Howard from Australia - - - Ah well, dream on.

[Martin Cole]

Nicolas Sarkozy has set out his beliefs and objectives in his book 'Temoignage' which has been selling like hotcakes in France since its launch last summer.

In the section on the EU he pushes for an inner core of five nations (including Britain) and cites his own responsibility for achieving such an inner 'advisory' core in the field of immigration and security. He is absolutely firm that Justice and Home Affairs cannot continue in an EU without frontiers with the present national veto arrangements. With an EU of 27 ex-nations and free movement of people who can argue that he is not correct.

Cameron is signed up for such an EU, his decision over continuing with the EPP has already made that plain. Confirmation comes with his continuing silence on sacrificing our veto on matters of justice and home affairs - the last remnants of national sovereignty.

M. Sarkozy boasts in his book of the accomplishments of the G5 since its first meeting on 16 May 2003 in Spain. This fact should be of considerable concern to both British eurorealists and the 22 nations thus excluded.

Why should the EU now need a Constitution at all, given the reality desacribed by the French Interior Minister?

By inviting Nicolas Sarkozy to address the Conservative Conference, David Cameron, unsurprisingly, would seem to be associating himself with such ideas and of course with the present EU status quo. Yet another betrayal of his supposed Eurosceptic background.

[Foreign Correspondent]

The Prime Minister of Thailand's got some free time on his hands at the moment. Couldn't we get him?

[tired and emotional]

Yes Christina, Steven Harper from Canada would have been a good invitee also...

[The Orator]

Hear hear, Christina!

I take it back, there are many foreigners that would be great guests at this conference. Ones that are (a) conservative and (b) have ALREADY been elected as heads of government. Bush, Howard, Angela Merkel, the new Swedish guy should have all been ahead of mere hopefuls like McCain and Sarkozy. Whom do they represent?

It appears that the Conservatives are so blinded by the sunlight coming from the above mentioned direction that they cannot see that they have not actually won an election, and neither have their guests.

Where's that humility so highly prized at present? Democracies from ancient Athens to the present day have punished hubris with hemlock.

[George Hinton]

Sarko can go and get stuffed.
For all his comments and hard-line on the Islamofascists this man is very wedded to the EU programme. His recent comments concerning asylum and immigration and the need for a new organisation to run this, shows that he has no place in the UK and absolutely no place at the party conference.
Sarko is a typical piece that the French produce, an elitist who has nothing but contempt for the little people, flits between government and industry, which in the days when everything was state owned was very handy for keeping the boys employed and in funds, and ensured that the appropiate parties got outside illegal funding.
Any proper thinking Tory should demand that Sarko be removed and not allowed to spout his sedition and mendacious claptrap about the greater and better Europe.

[James Maskell]

Im not convinced that inviting Sarkozy to speak to the Conference is a good idea.

[Gareth]

Are we so timid, and do we hold our own opinions so slightly, that we are frightened of hearing another point of view?

Running the country means rubbing along with other governments with whom we might not agree on every issue, but with whom we need to do business. Sarkozy may well be the next French President, it is eminently sensible to build links with him.

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

Gareth, is just goes to prove how the loons on the Eurosceptic Right would have Britain isolated not just in Europe but also on the international stage.

[christina speight]

Justin hasn't grasped the fact that in every one of the growing number of subjects ("competences" in eurospeak) where the EU rules us,we are totally isolated from the world. We have to leave Brussels to speak for us.

For instance it is Mandelson who does all trade negotiations and makes international deals. This has made it difficult for us to trade as we would wish and with partners that suit our economy.

This happens in area after area but the ignorance of unthinking europhiles means that these facts are never faced. The Party is run by europhiles and it suits them and the Cameroons here to sweep the whole subject under the carpet to make sure that the matter is NEVER settled. And IF it is not settled the party will continue to be riven until the party ends altogether,

[Rob S]

According to the BBC, the new Swedish PM will indeed be addressing the conference via videolink, Orator.

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

Want a Party committed to EU withdrawal? Return to UKIP - you're in the wrong Party.

[anthony scholefield]

And now that Cameron has begun to descend in the polls perhaps one will remember the lesson of Bromley-if you want LibDem policies you will vote LibDem

[Goldie]

Off-topic, but Cameron's results in the latest YouGov are simply devestating.

I'm not surprised.

There is one way, and only one way, for Cameron to win the next general elections: behave like a Conservative.

The fluffy stuff ain't working.

[Monday Clubber]

Last year "Sarko" is supposed to have told Cameron he was a "coward" because he pledged EPP withdrawal in order to obtain Eurosceptic support.

Now that Cameron has spectacularly broken his promise, all is obviously well again between the two devious Europhiles.

Forget these "celeb" talking heads. How about a party conference in which the ordinary representatives are once again given the same full rights to speak from the floor they possessed for years?

[changetowin]

So excited about Conference. It is shaping up to be really great! Brimming with good ideas and great speakers. We seem like a party with energy and momentum again - I have never known this in my time as a Conservative party member.

[Monday Clubber]

On another thread I asked what a "troll" was (other than somebody who dares to cross swords with the Dave clique)

Having read changetowin's schoolgirl witterings above I think I now know the answer.

Is this guy for real?

[changetowin]

Charming. Luckily the fact that you choose to call yourself "Monday Clubber" discredits everything you say to every decent reader!

[Monday Clubber]

Well changetowin, given your strong views on the subject maybe you'd like to ask "Dave" why he employs a right-wing former Monday Clubber as his chief speechwriter.

I understand The Mail on Sunday may enlighten us tomorrow.

"I have never known this in my time as a Conservative party member."

How many months would that be?

[Mr Speaker]

Order! Order!

This is not a competition about how long people have been members of the Conservative Party.

Try to stay on-subject please - a discussion about party conference.

[Monday Clubber]

OK. Well I can certainly recall some great party conferences brimming with something or other. This, however, usually happened late at night in somebody else's hotel room.

It those days most of us preferred the opposite sex, although there were exceptions.

As I haven't been for several years I'd like to ask how much the contributions from the floor have been cut back. I understand the changes have been devastating.

Perhaps changetowin or some other enthusiast will tell us how this advances the cause of democracy.

[David Banks]

Aah Monday clubber , mixing your contempt for the party with patronising references to people of a different orientation. How good it must be to be you. Is it likely that a plethora of comments from the floor would really increase inter party democracy or merely provide a soapbox for right wing bores, a position now filled by online line blogs rather like this one?

[Monday Clubber]

Oh I see, David.

The voices of ordinary party members, which were heard and valued for decades, are now to be dismissed as the ravings of "right-wing bores"

But as you say, "how good it must be to be you", to feel so comfortable about pronouncing such lofty judgment upon people I would call colleagues and you, presumably, "The Great Unwashed".

My contempt is for Mr Cameron and his clique. Yours, however, is indeed directed at the party itself.

[David Banks]

Really Monday Clubber , what a drama queen. I expect you shall be immolating yourself on the pyre of Traditional Tory Themes ( ie what made us unelectable) for the good of the party. Well , get on with it. tell you what , why don't you goosestep off and join UKIP, i'm sure Chad could give you some fine debates.