Bob Piper has been a Labour Councillor for the Abbey
Ward in Sandwell, West Midlands, for 10 years. He is a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and a follower of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The views expressed here are mine in a personal capacity, not those of the Labour Party, Sandwell MBC, Aston Villa or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Get it! Mine... just mine!
Promoted by Bob Piper of 115 Barclay Rd, B67 5JZ on behalf of the Labour Party, care of 39 Victoria Street London, SW1H 0HA . Hosted (printed) by Swaithe Internet Solutions who are not responsible for any of the contents of these posts.
Please note however, that The Labour Party is not responsible for the content of this website or individual posts as, unless specifically stated, I am writing solely in a personal and individual capacity.
Promoted by Bob Piper of 115 Barclay Rd, B67 5JZ on behalf of the Labour Party, care of 39 Victoria Street London, SW1H 0HA . Hosted (printed) by Swaithe Internet Solutions who are not responsible for any of the contents of these posts.
Please note however, that The Labour Party is not responsible for the content of this website or individual posts as, unless specifically stated, I am writing solely in a personal and individual capacity.
The Tories may well have formed an alliance in Brussels with some pretty unsavoury characters, and no matter how much whitewashing the likes of Iain Dale do on behalf of Kaminski, he seems like a pretty sordid character. But that doesn't mean David Cameron is anti-semitic, nor that the Conservative Party are either.
The number of Jews in Margaret Thatcher's administration was supposed to have provoked the remark from Harold Macmillan that there were "more Old Estonians than Old Etonians" in the Cabinet. OK, David Cameron is trying to redress that in his Shadow Cabinet, but it provides some evidence to show that the charge of anti-semitism doesn't hold much water.
Cameron is stuck with the unpleasant Kaminski and his other odious partners not because of any anti-semitism by him or his party, but to try to placate those in his party who wanted him to prove his eurosceptic credentials in return for their votes in the leadership contest. He promised to form a new alliance in the European Parliament, subsequently discovered that the Tory vision of Europe meant he had very few prospective partners, and ended up forming a grouping with an assortment of odd-ball right-wing parties that no-one else particularly wanted to be associated with. It was almost inevitable under those circumstances that his new partners would include a fair share of people who others were avoiding because of their dubious views on certain issues that the new "progressive party" would not want to be freely associated with. But if you are going to sup with the devil, it is advisable to have a pretty long spoon.
The wider problem for Cameron could be one of the relationship between any potential Conservative Government and the rest of Europe. William Hague, writing the introduction to "The Conservative Vision For Europe" said...
"Now that the European Parliament is more powerful, achieving a centre-right majority there is more important than ever before. This is possible with only a small swing in our favour. Only then will we start to turn Europe round."
Well if turning the European supertanker required a united effort then... perhaps Hague would like to tell us exactly how big a swing it will require for the Tories new coalition of rag, tag and bobtail parties to do the job. Frankly, it just won't happen, and any future Tory government will slink back into the centre-right group with its tail between its legs.
I don't seriously believe that the Tories harbour great swathes of anti-semites within their ranks, nor that they are all closet fascists.
What really disturbs me is that this has all been done for reasons of political opportunism and nothing else. Cameron sold his soul to the Eurosceptics to win the leadership and is now steering the ship towards the outer edges of the EU by forcing an alliance with the freak and geek parties. A Cameron premiership with these 'principles' is very likely to see the UK sidelined in Europe and removed from any degree of influence over the future of the organisation. That also makes us less important to the US, who will seek closer ties with France and Germany as they lock in their dual dominance over the EU.
He's risked our future for his own gain. It may just be easier to get on with it and have an 'In' or 'Out' referendum now.
You are a wag, Councillor, as you sniff superciliously at Cameron's political allies whilst you endorse a murdering tyrant by spending your time sipping cocktails in Cuba!
As for 'PHU', above, I only wish and hope that he is right but somehow I suspect that once in the job Cameron will go with the European flow like all his predecessors.
iifabloke said:
October 21, 2009 2:00 PM | permalink
It's just politics, boys. You should be used to it by now. Maggie thatcher is Gordon Brown's best friend, isn't she?
Duffy, of course Cameron will go with the flow. Haven't you been listening you dozy old sod.
Also, as I tirelessly attempt to explain to you, (but I suspect your ailing memory fails you once again), I have slugged Budweiser in Florida, got ratted in Algiers and mullered in Marrakesh, without ever having approved of the political leadership of any of them. Why, I even drank a splendid pint or two of Fullers' London Pride in Westminster without once paying homage to the buffon Boris who pretends to run the City. I went to Portugal last month, I'm going to Bruges next month and the Canary Islands for New Year, but whilst I may sip a little sangria and the odd bottle of Leffe... I won't give their governance a second thought.
Charlie said:
October 21, 2009 3:21 PM | permalink
@Bob "...any future Tory government will slink back into the centre-right group with its tail between its legs"
Bob I should imagine that the only post-election slinking will be "New"Labour straight back into the arms of the Trade Unions.
It will be interesting to see whether Cameron can attract more support for his new group if / when he becomes Prime Minister, as the EU will not be able to keep him out of their introverted circles once he starts speaking from 10 Downing Street.
LFaT... of course they will. You seriously think he will be invited in to the mainstream group discussions?
Bryn... where do Saga go to these days? I think his last holiday was to the Czech Republic. Perhaps he was visiting the Workers Party* before the Czech Government ban it.
* An extreme right-wing racist party.
Gary Elsby said:
October 22, 2009 7:00 PM | permalink
To 'prove' his Leadership credentials, Dave sold out his pro EU soul to form a partnership with a former Nazi and a Nazi apologist.
The new ECR group has Kaminski and Zile whom between them, offer no apology for their Countrymen's mass murder of over 80,000 Jewish, men, women and children.
In fact, Zile actually commemorates his loyalty to the two Latvian Waffen SS units that carried out that holocaust.
Dave sides with this lot as a patsy to his mob party? The British Conservative Party, once led by Winston Churchill, now in bed with Nazis?
October 21, 2009 12:15 PM | permalink
I don't seriously believe that the Tories harbour great swathes of anti-semites within their ranks, nor that they are all closet fascists.
What really disturbs me is that this has all been done for reasons of political opportunism and nothing else. Cameron sold his soul to the Eurosceptics to win the leadership and is now steering the ship towards the outer edges of the EU by forcing an alliance with the freak and geek parties. A Cameron premiership with these 'principles' is very likely to see the UK sidelined in Europe and removed from any degree of influence over the future of the organisation. That also makes us less important to the US, who will seek closer ties with France and Germany as they lock in their dual dominance over the EU.
He's risked our future for his own gain. It may just be easier to get on with it and have an 'In' or 'Out' referendum now.