Principle over Party

My decision to come out against Stuart Wheelers explusion from the party has prompted much debate and gained much attention, both locally and nationally, which I am very pleased about (the blog has been rather flat lately!). The truth is having absorbed some of the criticisms I stand by my claim that the expulsion of Wheeler was morally wrong although I accept that sadly today morality and politics don’t seem to work in sync with one another and sometimes what is morally correct finds itself subverted by what is politicially prudent. Whilst I disagree personally with Wheelers (relatively insignificant) donation to UKIP, I fully support his right to do it and am frustrated that the Conservative Party could not just ‘let it slide’.

We have to remember that the real ‘villain in this piece’ is not Wheeler but the party leadership who have done more to villify UKIP as “fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists” than recognise that their views resonate with a large number of our own membership and the country at large. A Conservativehome survey found that 43% of surveyed members of the Conservative Party felt that UKIP was the closest party to their views (apart from the Conservative Party itself) with 66% either supporting or sympathising with the Better Off Out campaign. These are statistics that cannot be ignored. Europe is an issue never far from a Conservative heart, whilst I recognise we have to focus on our broken society and applaud Cameron and his team for doing so, I believe more can be said in regard to Europe and Britains position in Europe needs to be seriously re-evaluated in the face of Lisbon.

My hostility toward Europe is well documented  and I make no apology for it however I am certainly not alone in this party with my views and I fear that all the fantastic work that Cameron and his team have done could be squandered over his European policy or lack thereof. With Labour on the ropes, the country increasingly concerned in regard to European federalism in the face of the Lisbon Treaty, and the upcoming European elections this is a time when we Tories should be hitting the issue of Europe hard. We aren’t. Wheeler has lost patience and if we’re not careful he will not be the only one.

Moreover the fact is that this situation is indicative of another problem within the Conservative Party today. There is a feeling now that principle must play second fiddle to party and anyone who speaks out against the party ‘machine’ is disloyal. Don’t get me wrong I fully support this party in its stance on social policy and many other areas and I, like Wheeler incidently, will vote for the Conservatives in all the upcoming elections acutely aware of the fact that a Conservative government, Europe or no Europe, would be a hell of alot better than a Labour one! But I cannot pretent that I am not displeased at our party’s handling of the ‘Europe’ issue as closer European integration compromises the principles I, and I hope we, as conservatives hold.

True conservativism is more than a party or single ideology such as ‘Cameronism’ or indeed ‘Thatcherism’. Its principles. For the most part this party leadership adheres to the principles I hold dear. I would define my conservative principles as; less government intervention, social and individual responsibility, community, enterprise, strong defence, democracy, law and order, respect for tradition and heritage and nationhood. At least one of those principles is compromised in regard to the party’s silence on Europe.

Where a core conservative principle is compromised then we should not be afraid to speak out against those that have compromised it. That doesn’t mean that we have in some way defected or lost support for the party in question, it means we have a democratic right to air our concerns in the hope the ‘powers that be’ will take it on board. Debate is a sign of healthy internal democracy. Then we can be a party all conservatives can be proud of.

The video below shows 13 year old Jonathan Krohn, who has written… yes written… a book called ‘”Define Conservatism’ and he shared his thoughts on conservatism at the CPAC conference. Whilst I do not agree with everything he says I think he does hit on some interesting points.

Why we can’t trust the federalists….

I have just read an article which frankly boils my blood and shows clearly why we Eurosceptics need to ‘beef up the banter’ against the European federalists in the coming months and I urge you all to read it. Now I have been a good boy this year and the EU has only had one or two blog lashings from me, however before the year is out I want to have one more pop at the federalists that lurk in Brussels whom I feel will pose a further threat to us in the coming years.

The EU, like New Labour, has descended as far as I can see in to a form of ‘post Democracy’ befitting films such as ‘V for Vandetta’. They use patronising tactics, rhetoric and blatant abuses of democracy to get their way regardless of public will. Now many will find this view extreme but I ask you to look at the facts. The EU Constitution was democratically rejected by the French and the Dutch in 2005 and assuming we were given a vote the British would have rejected it to.

Why then if it was rejected was it forced back upon us under a different name? A few months ago you might recall the Irish rejected one of the biggest assaults on national sovereignty seen in recent years and a mere recycle of the old abandoned constitution: The Lisbon Treaty. Unfortunately we never got the chance to have our say and voice our displeasure and the few that did once again rejected it. Instead we had it forced upon us by a government which, to add insult to injury, had previously pledged to give us a vote on it but soon backtracked once elected for a third term.

As we have come to know all too well after 11 years, there is a vast gulf between the rhetoric and reality when it comes to New Labour. They, like the EU, seem to delight in patronising and molly coddling us. Telling us something is good for us without giving us a chance to decide for ourselves whether it is or isn’t. That isnt democracy and represents a real danger to us and our democracy which as one commentator put it is ‘already on life support’ after 10 years of Labour abuse.

The Lisbon Treaty is in all intents and purposes the blue print for a Federal Europe and the way it is being force fed to us, regardless of public opinion, is a blatant assault on democracy. I also feel that by accepting this treaty certain other member states are surrendering their national sovereignty far too cheaply and as such we are expected to follow suit. But to be honest I am not entirely suprised. Now I mean no disrespect to the individual citizens of the countries concerned but as far as I can see certain leaders of EU member states concept of democracy is questionable.

Lest we forget that Spain, Germany, France, Italy and the entire Eastern Bloc have all in recent years been subject to fascist, communist or totalitarian rule. It can therefore be argued that they aren’t all that used to democracy and national sovereignty and thus are none too fussed when it is signed away on a whim. Well I for one will not follow suit nor will I back a treaty or a government which coerces me to do so.

The British are proud of their democracy (at least we were), we are proud of our national identity (at least we were), and to be frank we are strong enough economically without Europe propping us up (at least we were) to stand on our own two feet. The problem is Labour have systematically weakened all the things that made us distinct, proud, independent and strong as a nation which I fear could mean we are forced in to line with Europe against public will.

You may think that is a tad extreme. Perhaps it is, moderation has never been my strong point! But this situation is getting extreme. When democratic votes are discredited, when leaders refuse to honour promises they made to their people, when we are forced to fall in to line, when the sceptics are ridiculed and silenced by the euro-fanatics (as is shown in the article linked above) then we are in an extreme situation which requires extreme opposition.

Now Tories for many years have been afraid to talk openly about Europe for fear of how it will go down. In the early 90’s, whilst I believe we were right to see the dangers that we might have to face in the future, our attacks on European federalism were too premptive as the EU’s ambitions were yet to be realised. Now  however, our opposition at that time I feel can be seen as prophetic. Unfortunately at the time it meant we were forced in to submission on the issue for the next decade, allowing the federalists too much room to manoeuver.

I am confident that today the British people can see the ambitions of the Brussels Bureaucrats and are ready to listen to our opposition once again. They are fed up with the blatant bully boy tactics being deployed by New Labour and Europe and I am confident that they will shortly be crying out for us to stand firm against a federal European Superstate with the same passion of the late 80’s and early 90’s.

Now to clarfiy I believe we are a long way off being drawn in to a ‘death match’ between the sceptics and the federalists, nor do I forsee a federal European superstate anytime soon, however I am fearful that one day we may be forced in to such a clash as we may sign away too much. For now we have one more foe to vanquish: The Lisbon Treaty.

I am hopeful that the Irish will be given one more chance to stick the final nail in the coffin and reject that barren piece of propaganda which isn’t worth the paper its printed on. Otherwise I am fearful we will have it officially imposed on us and only then will we realise what we have signed away. Whats that old saying? You don’t know what you’ve got until its gone? Well I hope never to find out.

No!, Non!, Nein! Got it yet?

The bureaucratic bog known as the European Union has been dealt another slap across the chops when the Irish were given their chance to ratify or reject the Lisbon treaty in a referendum held yesterday. Here in Britain under Commandant Brown we find it quaint that a nation should actually be allowed to have an oppourtunity to express its opinion on something that affects their liberty, however we did look on with curiosity as the Irish went to the polls and had their say. Early results show that the Irish have rejected the treaty by a convincing margin. Now why is this important to Britain you ask, well in many ways Ireland could have just saved our sovereignty. Had Ireland ratified this outrageous piece of tripe, that is in all intents and purposes the blueprint for a Federal Europe, Britain would have been forced to fall in to line because our beloved Prime Minister had already so willingly signed away our liberty by backing the treaty without the public vote he promised to give us.

The Lisbon Treaty, as well as being profoundly undemocratic, threatens the civil liberties which until recently we believed to be integral to the British way of life. This treaty would ultimately hand power over our legal system over to a federal europe and would blow a hole in Britains borders permitting Brussels to take full control over our asylum and immigration policies. The EU’s latest power grab treaty will also threaten jobs and undermine the last vestiges of Britains competative free market all but bringing an end to the reforms introduced by Thatcher.

Like the rejected constitution, the new Reform Treaty is nothing more than a blueprint for a European superstate dreamt up by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels. This time around, however, most of Europe doesn’t get to vote, as democracy is too dangerous a concept for the architects of this grand vision of an EU superstate. Their disregard for democracy and liberty explains why our Prime Minister is backing it. It also proves what we Conservatives have always suspected: Brussels doesn’t listen to you or me or the ‘little people’, they listen only to the sound of their own ambitions and their own dream of a  federal Europe and they will do what they can to hoodwink the people until they get their way.

All 27 European member states had to ratify the treaty for it to come into force next year as planned. So far it has been approved by 18 members (including Britain), but Ireland is the only country to put it to a public vote. The Irish result on the surface comes as a suprise as even Irish Eurosceptics admit that the EU has been crucial in Ireland’s transformation from a relatively small country dependent overwhelmingly on trade with its former ruler Britain into a wealthy modern state that can compete on the world stage. The reason why Ireland has rejected it is that the Irish, along with many other European citizens, recognise the benefits of the European Union but are ultimately refuse to sign away their sovreignty and liberty in such a way. The leaders of the 26 other member states, not citizens I might add, will have watched with dismay and suprise I imagine as Ireland voted “no”, and this decision by the Irish will inevitably lead to much infighting and bickering across Europe. :)

It is one of the great ironies of history that we have had to rely on the Irish, a former foe and colony, to come to our rescue and defend our liberty. They feel that they, and perhaps even their leaders, are being hoodwinked by Brussels’ desire to centralise more power and control in their grubby little hands at the expense of the member states. This fear was exaccerbated by the admission that Brian Cowen the new Irish PM hadn’t even read the Treaty! One can only hope that their rejection will go some way to putting this outrageous piece of federalism to the scrap heap of history.

Frankly only mugs such as Brown sign up to anything they don’t understand. In 1990 we had a Prime Minister who would stand up to Brussels for our liberty and who would fight for our freedom from a federal Europe. Her words shown in the video above have never been more apt. So if you have the time I encourage you to watch it when she famously says ‘NO NO NO” to a federal Europe by the backdoor and remember what it was like to have a Prime Minister stand up for our liberty . This episode is just further proof, if we needed it, that despite Browns claims that he is Thatcher’s heir and a conviction politician… he isn’t a patch on Thatch.