Matters European…
The latest polls put the Conservatives clearly in the lead. It is hardly surprising. As I have seen for myself, once a Government gets into trouble, the problems usually begin to accelerate – the Ruth Kelly saga seems to underline this point……….and it is Governments that lose elections. It is Oppositions that make that process even faster, particularly when the Leader of the Opposition is doing so well.
This morning two members of the House of Lords joined UKIP, just at a time when a Conservative government looks an increasing possibility. What is new in European affairs is that public opinion across the EU is becoming more hostile, whether to the EU itself or the Euro. The utterances of some European politicians reflect such an absurdly outdated and narrow view of the world that their views are increasingly irrelevant. So we can foresee fresh opportunities to build relationships amongst European countries, not frozen in the 1950s and 1960s mindset in which the EU has evolved.
There is a real opportunity now for a British Government to fill this intellectual and functional void, and forge something different. It will require leadership that has been wholly lacking by the Labour Government.