Over at Rightlinks they're starting a campaign in support of David Cameron's stated wish to withdraw Conservative MEPs from the EPP. You can see more HERE. I'm told William Hague is meeting MEPs this week to explain to the majority of them that if they refuse to withdraw from the EPP they will not be able to stand for reselection at the next Euro elections. Hague has been playing this one on a slow burner so far because he felt he needed to time to talk to other centre-right parties, especially from Eatsern Europe, about forming a new grouping. Word on the street is that he has been quite successful.He got to know most of them during his time as leader of the International Democratic Union. If he pulls this one off, and keeps most of the more europhile MPs on side it will be quite a coup both for him and for David Cameron, who has essentially let him get on with it.
One of the problems which Hague, Cameron, et al, will face is that the left - right divide (already breaking down in many respects in UK politics with Cameron's new cuddly Tories) just does not play out in the same way in Central and Eastern Europe. In addition, there are a huge number of institutional start up costs in getting a new transnational party grouping going in the European Parliament (and even more in keeping it going) that Hague et al should not underestimate.
ReplyDeleteHague doesn't seem to be getting far with Edward Mcmillan -Scott.He was on Newsnight last night calling Camerons plans a move to the 'extreme right'.If I was a member in Mcmillan-Scotts are I would start a campaign to deselect him.
ReplyDeleteBut should Cameron's Conservatives really be aligning themselves with political parties whose leaders, when in power, ban gay pride marches? Oh, and want the shops closed on Sundays... If they do, then that tells the UK floating voter something about how they fundamentally identify themselves, doesn't it? The funny thing that is never mentioned is the fact that the EPP-ED in the European Parliament is already quite a broad church and the Tories are quite big fish within it. Now the EPP as a Transnational Party is something different - but that does not include the ED (European Democrat) part of the EPP-ED.
ReplyDeleteThe EPP-ED deal was only a manifesto commitment after all in 2004... why should the brave new Party seek to hold the members to the platform they were elected on...?
ReplyDeleteSo much for public faith in politics or governing from the centre, for that matter.
Presumably it should have said in the small print in said manifesto "until we find another more convenient place to rest our bottoms which will provide us with as many offices, assistants and committee chairs as being part of the biggest party group in the EP"..
ReplyDelete