Timothy Kirkhope and James Elles to contest Tory leadership in Brussels

Conservative MEPs will later this month vote for a new leader, who will be in place for the crucial period leading up to - and immediately after - the elections to the European Parliament next June.

Timothy Kirkhope, who was leader of the group from December 2004 until November 2007 (when he was ousted by Giles Chichester) is seeking a return to the job, with one other candidate, James Elles, throwing his hat into the ring.

Neither candidate could be described as an avowed eurosceptic and when the ballot of MEPs takes place on November 18, personal enmities are likely to play just as much a role as policy in deciding how the votes stack up.

However, there is one issue on which any potential group leader's position is vital: his view about David Cameron's pledge to leave the federalist European Peoples' Party faction in Brussels and set up a new group of eurosceptic, free-market MEPs.

All Conservative candidates for next year's election will have to sign a pledge to back such a new group. However, concerns have already reached us about the level of commitment to this vital pledge being given by the candidates for the group leadership.

David Cameron was elected party leader with a mandate to get our MEPs out of the EPP and William Hague and shadow Europe minister Mark Francois are currently working hard to ensure that it happens after the European elections.

Any attempt to scupper this - whether through active intervention or a simple failure to work towards that end - would be nothing short of a dereliction of duty.

With this in mind, ConservativeHome will today be inviting Mr Kirkhope and Mr Elles to set out their stall, and, in particular, to state their position as regards setting up that new grouping in the European Parliament.

We will publish their responses when we get them, so that party members know where they stand and, if they so wish, lobby their MEPs to vote a particular way on November 18.

Incidentally, there will also be a ballot for a new deputy leader of the group, which will be contested between Richard Ashworth an Geoffrey Van Orden, and we will also invite them to set out their stall for ConservativeHome.

Syed Kamall has been nominated unopposed for the job of Treasurer, whilst Martin Callanan and David Sumberg were the only nominees for the two vacancies on the Bureau.

Jonathan Isaby

Comments

[GB£.com (34% of Tories open to the Euro)]

" William Hague and shadow Europe minister Mark Francois are currently working hard to ensure that it happens after the European elections"

Look, we know the Tories are not going to leave the EPP.

Can we stop playing the silly game of charades?

[Malcolm Dunn]

You don't know that at all Chad.
Eurosceptic MEPs will I hope support Van Orden who is a good guy.
Kirkhope does not fill me with confidence don't really know anything about Elles.
I hope both of them submit pieces Jonathan.

[Martin Cole]

There is only one way to ensure the Conservatives quit the EPP after next June and that is to cast your vote elsewhere next June!

[dick wishart]

The brass neck of some/most of our MEPs never ceases to amaze me, here we have Mr "Whoops a daisy I made a mistake" putting his name forward for Leader of the Conservative group when in fact he along with several others should have been kicked out long ago.
Whats even more disheartening is that they have been automatically selected to stand again.

[GB£.com]

For the record Malcolm, would you care to share with us the date that you 100% sure the Tory MEPs will not be members of the EPP?

[resident leftie]

Forgive me for my ignorance - where might I read the current Tory policy on the EU?

[John Wilkin]

What we do know about Elles is that he set this up in 2002.

[Ken Stevens]

resident leftie

It's on the Tory website, if you can grit your teeth and have a look:

http://www.conservatives.com/Policy/Where_we_stand/Foreign_Affairs_and_Europe.aspx

"Reforming Europe

We believe in an open, flexible Europe in which countries work together to achieve shared goals, not the ever greater centralisation of power in Brussels.

We believe that in democracies nothing lasting can be built without the people’s consent. But people have been denied their say on the renamed EU Constitution.

So if the Lisbon Treaty is not yet in force at the time of the next general election and a Conservative Government is elected we would put the Treaty to a referendum of the British people, recommending a ‘no’ vote. If the British people rejected the Treaty, we would withdraw Britain’s ratification of it.

But if the Treaty is in force we will be in a different situation. In our view, then, political integration would have gone too far and the Treaty would lack democratic legitimacy in this country and we would not let matters rest there."

On the face of it that looks quite clear, though I would have preferred those last seven words to be a bit more explicit.

My worry is that actions will not match fine words.

[Cleethorpes Rock]

I don't know much about Elles, but Kirkhope has been about as much use as a one-legged man in an arse-kicking contest since he was elected. He does bugger all in the constituency and has gone way too native.

In fact, as he'll obviously be running again in Yorkshire and Humber, he can forget my vote which will now be going to UKIP, unless he pulls his finger out and plasters some sound stuff on these pages as per Isaby's invitation.

Why can't Roger Helmer, Dan Hannan and the like put themselves forward so we can see who the sound ones are and then shibboleth-ise the fellow travellers out into the open?

[resident leftie]

Is this really it? Are there any more detailed policy documents? I thought there was some kind of pledge on the EPP. Incidentally, why does the referendum pledge depend on what other countries have done?

[michael mcgough]

"we would not let matters rest there."
we will do what ??????????????????

[Shaun Bennett]

Tory MEPs will have perfectly good reasons for not leaving the EPP once the election is over and done with, and David Cameron will do nothing to force the matter because he's not prepared to take on powerful interests within the party.

The ONLY way that I would be convinced that this is going to happen would be if Cameron said beyond all doubt that the Tories WILL leave the EPP after the election, even if that leaves them in a weaker position in the parliament than they have at present, and even if they can't get enough additional parties to join the new group to qualify for parliamentary priviledges. But he WON'T do it! I can't therefore see any benefit to the party if the Conservatives do well at the EU elections next year, because a good election result would let the leadership off the hook yet again on this issue.

We should tell ALL MEPs to sign up to this clear, hard-line guarantee to leave the EPP come what may, and if they refuse, then they should be immediately deselected as official candidates-and it shouldn't matter whether they're the leader of the group or not!

Labour MEPs have just voted to end the UK opt out of the Working Time Directive. Conservative MEPs have huffed and puffed about it about I don't believe for a moment that they will do anything to prevent it. They seem to think that as long as they go through the motions of Euroscepticism we the membership will continue to allow them to continue with the Europhile actions. Its time we brought that to an end.

[Anon]

"here we have Mr "Whoops a daisy I made a mistake" putting his name forward for Leader of the Conservative group"

That was Chichester!

[Malcolm Dunn]

No Chad. Neither do you. That's my point.

[GB£.com (33% of Tories disagree)]

LoL, pointless post Malcolm. If you remember, I provided an exact date before, was 100% accurate and won £100.

I am more than happy to wager with you. I bet you that the Tories will still be members of the EPP on 31/12/2009. Care to take me on?

[Malcolm Dunn]

Yup. I'll put £20 on it Chad.Why though do you make posts like the one above when you have absolutely no evidence for anything? It's not good for your credibility.I doubt though you care about such things, at least I hope you don't.

[GB£.com (33% of Tories disagree)]

..when you have absolutely no evidence for anything?

Not so. I'm basing my bet on comments from a senior Tory MEP who publicly stated that the Tories would still be in the EPP in 2010, hence me using 31/12/2009 for the date.

So you have my supporting evidence, and I'll take your wager!

[Libertarian]

Elles is more Europhile than Kirkhope. Both will fight to stay in the EPP. Elles runs the EPP think tank, the European Ideas (sic) Network.

Why is there no Eurosceptic candidate? Van Orden, who is supposed to be finding partners for the new group, should run for leader of the delegation.

A victory for Kirkhope or Elles is a victory for the EPP and its federalist agenda. You couldn't make it up!

[Don Hoyle]

Mr Elles has been described as "a total Euro-sellout".

He has a web-site and sends euro news letters out for our information as Conservative members (mine go straight to the virtual shredder, though). You can seek out his web site and find out what he has done, what he has set up (the European Youth Orchestra, for instance) and what committees he sits on (a European Treasury/Financial Committee or some such). He's quite a high-flyer and guests at our functions occasionally.

I'll always remember one function when a jaded guest pointed him out to me, adding that James Elles was the chap leaving a trail of pure gravy round the room!

He also signed the notorious letter to the Telegraph reneging against the Cameron promise to require MEPs to leave the EPP.

To the best of my recollection he came bottom of the four sitting MEPs who were automatically selected to stand in the Euro elections, again, gaining the fewest votes at the 'selection' committee hustings.

[michael mcgough]

"Why is there no Eurosceptic candidate?"
because the majority are EUrophiles.
The best the sceptics can get is second place as compo.

Those many Conservatives who attended the 'standing room only' Bruges Group event in Birmingham will be aware that Nigel Farage made the same bet as Chad.Of course there were no Tory MEPs to challenge him because Cameron was FRIT and wouldn't allow them to share a platform with him.

I recall in January 2007 ,Conservative London MEP John Bowis sharing a platform with the then Minister for Europe Geoff Hoon said that he would bet that the Tories would still be in the EPP in 2010.He gave permission to quote him ,egged on by the zealous audience drawn fom The European Movement.Disturbingly a language teacher in the audience sought to ban the tabloids for being nasty about the EU.

[Don Hoyle]

Correction to my earlier post:

James Elles founded the European Union Baroque Orchestra (EUBO). Sorry.

Other info here:

http://www.jameselles.com/Default.aspx?tabid=751

but not much mention of his leaving-the-EPP rebellion.

[abctory]

Should not the leadership vote for the MEP group take place AFTER the euro elections?

[Anon]

they have annual elections!

[Libertarian]

A friend got his monthly report from Tory MEPs this morning. There is a classic piece of tosh that is headlined "Hague for calls for MEPs".

It reads "In a speech to the Conservative MEPs Fringe Meeting at the Party Conference... Hague said "I want no one to be in any doubt about the important of these European elections"."

So important that there was no mention of the EU, the elections, the candidates or the Lisbon Treaty in the main conference agenda. You could not make this hypocrisy up!

[thomas]

Obviously there are few eurosceptic MEPs - they're paid by the EU! It's their career and a lovely gravy train for them to ride far away from public knowledge. If Cameron's strategy for Europe depends on getting his MEPs to back him, he will fail. Roll on the 2015 elections. Maybe by then the Tories in Westminster - our rightful government - will have realised that we ain't going to reform it because it doesn't want to be reformed. I will be voting UKIP in the Euros, and for Cameron in the GE.

Resident Lefie - I think you know that we know Cameron is not being specific about what he will do if the Constitution is ratified because he can't. Any situation would be complex, and you don't show your hand before you need to. That said, who knows what he will do in that situation? Optimism is healthy.

[Cleethorpes Rock]

Simple. James Elles has settled it for me. Not only will I not vote for him and that pompous tosser of a failed Westminster MP, Kirkhope, I might actually campaign against them.

[resident leftie]

Posted by: thomas | November 05, 2008 at 22:08

Resident Lefie - I think you know that we know Cameron is not being specific about what he will do if the Constitution is ratified because he can't. Any situation would be complex, and you don't show your hand before you need to. That said, who knows what he will do in that situation? Optimism is healthy.

But really, that one short statement on the website is it for the entirety of Tory policy on Europe? Nothing else at all?

[Richard Patient]

Syed Kamall for leader is what I say. A true Eurosceptic.

[John in Oxon]

The only way to have any influence in the European Parliament is by being a member of a grouping. Those who want to sit as independents are just giving up.

Our policy is that we want to form a new grouping of those who agree with us on our general policy outlook. We cannot guarantee that this new grouping will attract sufficient support in other countries. Therefore however sincere our desire is to leave the EPP/ED we cannot be sure we will manage it.

[GB£.com (33% of Tories disagree)]

When Cameron reneged on his immediate EPP withdrawal pledge and kicked it into the long grass with a 2009 withdrawal pledge, Cameron sent an email out to the Tory mailing list entitled 'Cameron delivers EPP pledge' that bragged that he had already fulfilled his pledge!

Text below. Note my bold.

"David Cameron today fulfilled his pledge to withdraw the Conservative Party from the European People’s Party (EPP) Parliamentary Group and form a new group in the European Parliament. Today he will sign an agreement to form the new group with the Czech Prime Minister-designate and leader of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), Mr Topolanek. At Mr Topolanek’s explicit request, the new group will be formed at the beginning of the next European Parliament in 2009. In addition, the Conservative Party and the ODS will immediately establish a new Movement for European Reform, which will campaign to tackle the challenges that Europe faces. Other political parties which share our objectives, and are dedicated to our ideals of a more open, modern, flexible and decentralised European Union, will be welcome to join the new movement.

The beginning is the beginning but obviously Cameron and the MEP's will use the grouping rule changes to claim that it is no longer possible to deliver a pledge they have already taken credit for delivering!

[Anon]

It sounds as though Cleethorpes Rock has some sort of personal grudge against Kirkhope?

[Edward Huxley]

I don`t think it matters which one wins, but since I would be surprised if they do not know the matter has been raised here, perhaps they can post something to clear up this EPP thing once and for all.

[Mr Angry]

Since the rest of us are supposed to shut up and put up with Cameron's lurch to the left because he apparently has a mandate for such change, even though it was never a part of his leadership election platform, then the least our snouts in the trough MEPs can do is to toe the line on the one unequivocal promise that Cameron did make to the party.

[Malcolm Dunn]

Interesting to note that hardly any of the contributors to this thread are members of the Conservative Party or even sympathetic to the modern Conservative party.

[resident leftie]

Right, I found a speech. He says:

Our continent today looks a very different place. On its fiftieth birthday, the European Union - alongside its older partner, NATO - is entitled to take its share of the credit for the changes that have happened. The historic reconciliation between France and Germany. The economic rebuilding of our continent. The consolidation of democracy not just across central and Eastern Europe, but on our southern periphery too - in Spain, in Portugal and in Greece.

Cameron is interested in the views of hypothetical aliens. I'm not sure if you resident non-hypothetical alien, John Redwood would agree.

First, the economic challenge of globalisation. Second, the environmental challenge of climate change. And third, the moral and security challenge of global poverty.

He's in favour of enlargement:
The British Conservative Party has long championed EU enlargement. Over the years, successive expansions have helped democracy and free economies take root right across the continent. In recent years, the transition from Soviet totalitarianism took place more smoothly than many imagined possible, thanks to the prospect - now fulfilled - of EU membership for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

He wants Turkey to join. I'm sure all you anti-immigrationists would love that.

It will be a top priority for the next Conservative Government to restore social and employment legislation to national control.

I tell you now that there is no chance whatsoever that this will happen without Britain leaving the EU. Cameron must be aware of this, and this is just opportunism.

The Tories will stay in the EU come what may, bluster, but not succeed in reform. If you genuinely want to leave the EU and it's your most important issue, you should vote for UKIP in the European elections.

[a-tracy]

Resident Leftie - do you endorse UKIP to the supporters of the left that don't want to be hooked up to Europe too.

[Anon]

UKIP will encourage anything which splits the vote and, if it doesn't get one of their team elected, clears the way for another anti-Tory candidate! Vote UKIP get Labour....

[Cleethorpes Rock]

Anon, I've no personal grudge against Kirkhope. I do have a grudge about those who use the Conservative banner to get elected to the EU parliament in order to feather their own nests and vote for policies that damage our national interest.

I was at a regional selection meeting in the middle of nowhere, Yorkshire in 2002 or 2003, when there was uproar that we were only allowed to place the top four candidates. The MEPs at the top of these lists are a protected species and are largely pro-EU. The arrogance shows.

This should be contrasted with Chris Heaton-Harris and Roger Helmer in neighbouring East Midlands, both of whom I have met over the last 10 years on several occasions and are as sound as they come. They care about the party and the country. I wish Roger or Dan Hannan would run in order to flush out the EU fifth columnists in our ranks.

[Anon]

It will be interesting to see how this election pans out - Looking at Elles' involvement with the Transatlantic Policy Network (http://www.tpnonline.org/) it seems there are a few other Conservative MEPs involved in this - Bushill-Matthews, Chichester, Sturdy and Kirkhope's regional colleague McMillan-Scott....Will they all come out for Elles I wonder?

[Anon]

Fair enough, Cleethorpes Rock - thank you for clarifying.
As for Hannan, Helmer and Co it is a bit of a puzzle but rumour has it they will be supporting Elles.

[Malcolm Dunn]

Anon @10.57.That's why our Leftie friend suggested it! He ain't very subtle!
Sadly that is the way of it. Vote UKIP get Labour or perhaps worse the Lib Dems!
Fortunately in the East of England most of our candidates are Eurosceptic.I'm delighted not to have to vote for Beazely who is retiring. That would have presented a big problem for me.

[Edward Huxley]

I was a Conservative party member, active fund raiser for many years; president of our local branch, now defunct. Wrote many letters to my then MP Grylls (of consultancy fame) about Maastricht. Waste of time, so I left the party and joined UKIP. With all its faults still our best, and only hope. Sorry Malcom Dunn, the "modern" Conservative party is not for me.
Re Anon and splitting the vote, Labour or Conservative, makes little difference. They are both still determined to stay in the EU, come what may. If we stay in ALL our laws will be made in Brussels (not just 75% as it is now) and we shall be forced to give up the pound.

Mr. Cameron cannot even get his MEPs to leave the federalist EPP.

[resident leftie]

Posted by: a-tracy | November 06, 2008 at 10:19
Resident Leftie - do you endorse UKIP to the supporters of the left that don't want to be hooked up to Europe too.

There are a tiny rag-tag collective of Labour supporters plus some Trots and SWP'ers who share only this belief with UKIP. UKIP has some very unpleasant right wing views which trump anti-Europeanism for those on the left. I suspect a lot of Tories could vote for UKIP with a peg on their nose. There may be a few left-wing candidates for splinter parties who are anti-EU; I'd suggest a vote for them.

But yes, the same argument applies. If leaving the EU is more important than any other issue and there isn't another anti-EU candidate, then vote UKIP. I just don't think that will apply to those on the left.

[resident leftie]

Posted by: Malcolm Dunn | November 06, 2008 at 11:26

Anon @10.57.That's why our Leftie friend suggested it! He ain't very subtle!
Sadly that is the way of it. Vote UKIP get Labour or perhaps worse the Lib Dems!
Fortunately in the East of England most of our candidates are Eurosceptic.I'm delighted not to have to vote for Beazely who is retiring. That would have presented a big problem for me.

No, that's not my reasoning. Vote UKIP and get a change in Tory policy plus more UKIP MEPs. It's not first past the post, remember?

My agenda is clear blue water between a small government, low tax, Eurosceptic Tory party and a tax-and-spend, Eurofriendly Labour party.

[Malcolm Dunn]

I'm sure you're really interested in promoting the interests of the Conservative party my dear Leftie.Amusing try though!

[Eurofighter]

Elles would have been kicked off the list had it been an open and fair election. He does not visit constituencies nor campaign across the SE, as a member of the SE constituency he never responds to constituents' enquiries. Ashworth, Hannan and sometimes Diva, work hard.

The Europhiles will not leave the EPP-ED and should not be allowed to stand if they do not sign Cameron's declaration to leave the ED (we only belong to the ED bit). We need to know before the voting starts.

Kirkhope has been working behind the scenes to undermine Cameron/Hague and the excellent Francois in order not to get an alternative grouping together.

Jonathan, I wish you luck in trying to get Elles out of his bunker where he has truly gone native.

[David_at_Home]

Resident Leftie,

"UKIP has some very unpleasant right wing views which trump anti-Europeanism for those on the left."

Again and again, these smears are made against UKIP but never substantiated. I challenge you to name one such policy.

Yes, UKIP’s policies are essentially small “c” conservative but, except in the eyes of the most bigoted leftie, conservative views are not necessarily unpleasant.

In fact UKIP does include in its members a number of refugees from the Labour party; my own constituency chairman is one such.

Furthermore there are a small but significant number of EU sceptic Labour MPs. Examples are Kate Hoey, Ian Davidson, Frank Field and Austin Mitchell; there is also the labour peer and former editor of the Times, Lord Stoddart.

[resident leftie]

"UKIP has some very unpleasant right wing views which trump anti-Europeanism for those on the left."

Again and again, these smears are made against UKIP but never substantiated. I challenge you to name one such policy.

You know what? The more I look at this, the more I think I was wrong to suggest people vote for UKIP. You've got to hate the EU more than you hate racism to vote for them.

There are so many examples, I don't know where to start.

Up until Monday, you had three members on your NEC willing to contemplate a pact with the BNP. Why would they even think that an alliance with BNP was a possibility? Nigel Farage was well aware of Buster Mottram's former NF membership, and even described is as "youthful indiscretions."

Take a look at this article in the Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/
uk/politics/rumours-plotting-even-
a-bnp-link--is-the-party-over-for
-ukip-920824.html

If you really need any more after this, by all means let me know.

[Cleethorpes Rock]

I hate the BNP and if UKIP have former chav-fascists in their midst it's up to them to sort it out.

resident leftie conveniently forgets that Labour has "former" extremists of their own on their benches. Kim Howells, Charles Clarke, "Dr" John Reid, Jack Straw, Peter Hain anyone? No wonder they're all so hell bent on indefinite imprisonment without trial, compulsory Ausweiss for everyone, breaking up the Armed Forces and criminalising free speech.

The difference is that these Labour ministers were communist sympathisers during the cold war and supported the enemy who had 40,000 nuclear warheads aimed at us, whereas UKIP has a few nutty racists no-one's heard of or cares about. Priorities please.

[Malcolm Dunn]

Edward Huxley that's fine. You do know though that the net result of voting UKIP is to allow more EUphile Labour/LibDem, MEPs/MPs to get elected.As long as you're very clear about that. That's why our Leftie friend advocates it. There's no other reason.

[Edward Huxley]

I understand and respect your views Malcolm. Can only say that on what is the most important issue of all - our survival as an independent nation - the three main parties all put party before country.So it makes no difference which of them is in power. Anything to get elected. Sorry, but that`s my opinion. We will be better off out.

And I think more and more people are coming round to this view.

[David_at_Home]

Resident Leftie,

I asked you to identify a single UKIP policy which was “unpleasant” but you failed to do so but, instead, came up with the expulsion of a UKIP member for tricking his way into a National Executive meeting and proposing a pact with the BNP. For this Buster Mottram was instantly expelled and rightly so. Apparently he did belong to the NF in his youth, just as more than a few members of the Labour Party were once communists. The difference between UKIP’s policy and that of the Labour Party is that, whist UKIP allows former members of extremist parties to join, it does allow them to stand as UKIP candidates or to hold party office whist, in the labour Party, former extremists frequently end up as cabinet ministers!

Personally I do not think that anyone should be for ever damned as an outcast for the stupidities of youth and that we should just accept that some will turn out to be unreformed.

I am an active member of UKIP, including a couple of policy committees and I have stood as a LA candidate (in a very Tory area so I did not win but I did beat the Labour Party candidate). Your accusations of racism and Xenophobia are just not true. Nigel Farage’s wife is German, Gerard Batten (UKIP MEP for London) has a wife who comes from the Philippines, Delroy Young, a prominent member of the NEC, comes from the West Indies and Marta Andreasen (UKIP Treasurer and former EU Chief Accountant sacked by Neil Kinnock) is of Spanish nationality. Finally Mrs_at_Home comes from a far off land (I met her, many years ago, whilst serving in a RN), is noticeably not European and is always welcomed, just like everyone else, at UKIP gatherings.

[Edward Huxley]

Just to add to David at Home`s comments. We all know about Mr. Cameron`s fruitcakes and closet racists insult. Well it has certainly backfired on him at least once.
William (Lord) Dartmouth was , like me, a staunch but had also become a disillusioned Conservative. That insult, from a fellow old Etonian, finally made him decide to join UKIP and he is now a UKIP candidate for the South West in the Euro Elections.

That stupid remark, from the leader of the Conservative party, was backed up by his sister in law Alice Sheffield (part timer in his office), using a quote from Operation Black Vote! UKIP is not racist - the recent approach from the BNP was rejected immediately.

[resident leftie]

Judging by the fallout from the meeting, UKIP appears to be disentegrating. One member of the NEC has just referred to their glorious leader.

"This sneaky, untrusting treatment of a kind, honest man so incensed me that I left the meeting. I could not sit at the same table as a man who demanded trust but could not trust others, who did not recognize as valuable anyone who didn’t totally agree with him on every single issue.

These new revelations were on top of all his more obvious defects including total amorality, bullying, adultery, and drunkenness, vengefulness and lying."

It's like watching a slow motion car crash.

http://www.democracyforum.co.uk/
ukip-general-issues/
53961-david-abbott-s-report-nec-farce.html

[Edward Huxley]

From what I have heard it appears that at the UKIP NEC meeting there was a botched attempt by a few to force through a deal with the BNP. When it failed they decided to come out with the nasty character assasination which won`t do them any good.

[resident leftie]

From what I have heard it appears that at the UKIP NEC meeting there was a botched attempt by a few to force through a deal with the BNP. When it failed they decided to come out with the nasty character assasination which won`t do them any good.

"A few" is three members of their ruling body. If you imagine the equivalent in the Tory party, it would be like three shadow cabinet ministers suggesting an electoral alliance with the BNP. If UKIP weren't so insignificant it would be front page news. This combined with the worryingly high proportion of scandals involving fraudsters, alleged child rapists, accusations of financial irregularity by the deputy treasurer, frequent exposure of candidates and members as BNP, New Britain Party and NF sympathisers or supporters, or homophobic outbursts from mayoral candidates suggests that Cameron was being polite about them.

[Anon]

Have either of the candidates indicated that they might write something yet? Still very puzzling that the arch Europhile Elles is being backed by the decent Roger Helmer and Dan Hannan! Also puzzling that Mr Elles sees fit to live in Brussels full time and not have a home in England! Can someone shed any light?

[The Bishop Swine]

Forgive me for my ignorance - where might I read the current Tory policy on the EU?

This is a really good point. Ask some MP’s and they will give you a view of Europe that is far from positive. I of course mean the “better off out” types. Some of these guys are really very intelligent and so keep a somewhat lower profile than in the past. On the other hand the rank and file seem willing to stay in the Union as long as we can carry on being the thorn in everyone else’s side. There are a few real Europeans but sadly they have been sidelined. Have you ever wondered why a big gun like Ken Clark has been consigned to the back bench’s. Well look no further than the Eton cronies to understand why, he’s just far to European for them. Europe remains a possible problem and the longer we go without a proper set of polices the more divisive the argument will be when it finally resurfaces.