All Prime Ministers enjoy honeymoons. Is Cameron's coming to an end?
Blair was popular for years. Brown for about 12 months. Mostly by repeating the myth that it was all Labour's fault, Cameron's popularity is still riding higher than his party.
Doomsday is approaching. It's no longer plausible to blame everything on the last lot, the EU, civil servants and the royal wedding. It will be sun spots and lay lines next. Audiences on Question Time and Any Questions audibly groan when Tories blame Labour - again. Doomsday will soon dawn when they must take responsibility for their own conduct.
Senior respected political personalities have condemned Cameron's petulant surrender to far-right extremists in Europe and on his back benches. Shirley Williams, Paddy Ashdown, Vince Cable and Michael Heseltine are all complaining of a catastrophic error. It is certainly the conduct of a weak leader. He is not facing down the Europhobe yahoos whose demands are more bulls*** than bulldog. He is divorced from the sane right wingers in Europe and locked into a group of extremists who cannot command majorities in their own countries.
Cameron is terrified of his Europhobes. They recently flexed their 80 strong muscles. They demand a referendum comfortable in the knowledge that victory will be secured by Daily Mail hysteria. Instead of facing Bernard Jenkins and Bill Cash down and patiently seeking a deal in Europe, Cameron has taken the line of least resistance. The fate of the future of our economy is being gambled to avoid an internal row in the Tory Party.
The popular debate is based on simple arguments. Often it's about attitude to foreigners - especially the French and Germans. In a referendum crude nationalism will determine the result. Cameron understands that withdrawal would be a disaster for jobs and trade. Positioning the UK on the periphery of the periphery of Europe could gradually have a similar dire consequence.
It is quite scary what is going on. We are being pulled down by a right wing rump of xenophobes aided by the Liberal Democrats.
Posted by: Chris | December 11, 2011 at 08:02 PM