Caroline Crampton on totalpolitics, in an 'interview' with David Lidington:
"But the prime minister’s decision to pass over the shadow minister for Europe, Mark Francois, a known eurosceptic, in favour of the more Lib Dem-friendly Lidington, is an indication of the direction Cameron intends to take on Europe. For now, at least, Lidington and Cameron are going to lead from the front in an attempt to convince their party, and the country, that we are better off inside the EU as a major player."
Passing over Lidington being chosen over Francois, by a Liberal-leaning PM, for being more LibDem friendly, I would have thought the more honourable course of action, in an attempt to convince their party and the country that we are better off inside the EU as a major player, would be to do such convincing during the course of a referendum campaign having, of course in fairness, published an independent cost/benefit review.
2 comments:
Come on, just as lawyers try never to ask a question they don't know the answer to, politicians are the same.
Neither can always avoid it but all do their best to.
It is also somewhat unfair to Cameron to suggest he is lying about being eurosceptic. The MSM reported that he was and he even claimed he was himself, but he never claimed he was in favour of exit or even radical change. It may have sounded like it but he didn't say it.
Yes he lied about a referendum, but that was because he knew there would never be any chance of having to call it, save the infinitesimal chance of the Labour government collapsing before the parliamentary session ended.
His Euroscepticism has always been of the 'change from within', renegotiate, persuade our European allies, we are good europeans variety. He has never, ever considered withdrawing and he would never install a truly eurosceptic European minister, that might rock the boat and, gosh, it might lessen our influence! That you and I know we have no influence unless our position could be turned to furthering 'ever closer union' is not relevant. Politicians are always certain that they have influence, even if they've just had the bum rush out the door.
When it comes to politicians there is a golden rule, if only people would follow it, never listen to what they say, watch what they do.
PC: Re Cameron - you may like to wait for a post to appear later today?
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