Oh dear, the Rampton Wing of the Tory Party haven’t been taking their medication again, with the inevitable consequences of carpet biting, howling at the moon, frothing at the mouth and causing mischief on the media This weekend we are rather spoilt for choice. John Redwood was booed by the Kippers because he had the temerity to give David Cameron a chance to renegotiate with Brussels. Which was ironic, because apart the threat of a thermo nuclear detonation at the Commission and the public flogging of Junker, nothing else will persuade him to vote YES. I have always been intrigued by John, personally he is a very pleasant guy, and he has the brain the size of a melon, but he becomes alarmingly Turettes when it comes to the EU. Then there was Monty at the Times, another fellow hell bent on cutting them lose. I wonder how long he can stay at the paper now that Murdoch wants to remain. I smell a job at the Express. I imagine he was the ‘mini revolt of senior executives’ at the Times. And then there was Monty’s confrere O’Patz. They both used to work for IDS so they are fairly high on the Glasgow scale. Badger Boy wrote 700 words of hyperbollocks in the MOS today on ‘why we MUSTN’T let No 10 fix this vital vote’. He is of the view that ‘the British state is in cahoots with the Brussels machine’. So, in the O’Patz view the government has to shut down as soon as the referendum is announced and his mob can flood the airwaves with dodgy information.
From the right this is not so much as a campaign as a cry for help. At the moment the opinion polls are stacked against them. Talk about a whine lake. They are even divided as who leads their campaign. Farage, like a fart in a lift, just won’t go away. And they desperately want to marginalise him. Not a hope.
And the latest piece of nonsense is that ministers should stand aside and vote with (snork) their consciences. The vote cannot be a matter of conscience as it is a matter of government policy. When Cameron comes back with proposals they will be agreed by cabinet. Anyone who is unable to do so will have to leave government. The difference between now and 1975 is that then it was a straightforward vote; remain or go. There were no renegotiations then. There are now.
And now we hear that 50 Tory MPs will vote no. Or so they say. When jobs and investment are at risk in their constituencies they may be singing from another hymn sheet.
There will be plenty of time to argue the details in the next few weeks. But for those who continually argue that our salvation lies with EFTA, where we could have the benefits of the single market without the problems of being a members of the EU. Disneyland. The Norwegian minister for Europe made it quite clear that being a member of EFTA may allow you to be a member of the single market but gives you no power to change the rules. A bit like having no legs and enrolling for an arse kicking competition.
