Europe And The Tories, Round 2.
November 4, 2009 3:27 pm
It seemed that Politics UK couldn’t quite work out how anti-Tory I was, but in the run-up to the general election I hope to produce more material on this despicable band of charlatans. I confess I don’t normally blog about domestic British politics as it seems so parochial and the Tories are not a fit topic.
Still, I was amused to see the New Statesman were stating the obvious, that News International (proprietor: Rupert Murdoch) will be giving the Tories an easy run up to the election, even on the topic of Europe.
The intellectual split in the Tory party, between those who long for the old Empire, with possibly some Anglo-American alliance and others who have largely reconciled themselves to the existence of Europe, hasn’t gone away.
The EU and Europe will always be the Tories Achilles’ heel until the dinosaurs within its ranks have died off, in 50 plus years.
November 4, 2009 3:51 pm at 3:51 pm
Is being sceptical of Europe really the same thing as longing for the Empire?
November 4, 2009 4:28 pm at 4:28 pm
Sceptical is the context of British politics tends to mean anti-EU little Englander….
November 4, 2009 4:32 pm at 4:32 pm
Now I’m really confused. A “little Englander” is someone who wants the Empire back?
November 4, 2009 6:11 pm at 6:11 pm
No, not really, they might crave for the Empire but they know it won’t happen, rather it is a fortress mentality, someone who thinks England would be wonderful if it could go back to the idyllic 1950s.
It is part nostalgia, part insularity and a disdain for all foreign countries, and all foreigners, even Americans.
I knew of one woman, years ago, who wouldn’t even have French apples or French mustard in the house, that’s the extent of the mentality.
It is the refusal to acknowledge that we live in a global world and our lives are interconnected, whether or not we like it.
November 5, 2009 4:16 am at 4:16 am
The Bill Cash Right and Tony Benn Left