Wednesday
(0)Tory leader Michael Howard is now loudly stressing his Eurosceptic credentials' as the Euro elections come closer and it looks like the UKIP will be seriously cutting into the Tory vote.
Of course talk is cheap and the only way the Tory Party is ever going to actually become a genuine (rather than a tactical) Eurosceptic party is if the party's very survival and the jobs and pay checks of its professional politicos is actually put in real, rather than potential, jeopardy... and there is only one way to do that.
Do not reward a decade of duplicity with a mindlessly tribal vote for the Conservatives. If you are going to vote at all, vote UKIP tomorrow.
I've never voted in a EU election before, but have always voted in the General Elections (when I've been in the country), when I have always voted Conservative. This time, I will make an exception and, yes, I'm voting UKIP.
The problem, though, is that if, as seems likely, the Tories lose significant support to the UKIP, the probable remedy within the Conservative party will be to shift towards rather than away from Europe. This would, IMO, be a strategic error for the party, but will be justified on the grounds that Europhilia is mainstream and the UKIP are a bunch of closet Nazis, and of course the party doesn't want to be anything other than mainstream.
Depressing times, but interesting nonetheless.
EG
Posted by Euan Gray at June 9, 2004 10:17 PM
I've managed to persuade everyone I know of the benefits of giving the EUSSR a good kicking.
If you think the Tories have problems with a large anti-EU vote, then how about Blair who's commited to a referendum on the con-stitution?
Causing problems for Politicos is SO rewarding, hopefully I can look back and say "I did my little bit"
Posted by Rob Read at June 9, 2004 11:27 PM
But when one's Euro-MP is Dan Hannan, you can vote Conservative with a reasonably clear conscience, surely?
Posted by Robert Dammers at June 10, 2004 09:36 AM
I hope never to understand why a Brit would want to be a European. Better to join with Greenland and Iceland to become Atlantis if you don't want to be the 51st state.
Posted by Walter Wallis at June 10, 2004 01:40 PM
Yes Robert making sure Dan gets back in is a rather good idea. He is a rare good un' is a rare unsavory bunch of Tories over there in Brussels.
Posted by Andrew Ian Dodge at June 10, 2004 06:04 PM
