We will be the champions for real change in Europe

During a visit to Brussels, Conservative Party Leader, has met the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barrosso, Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and the Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas. He also addressed Conservative MEPs to outline the Party's agenda in Europe and set out four key priorities for European reform: the environment, global poverty, tackling fraud and the action needed to make Europe's economy more competitive.

David Cameron called for an end to the culture of hopelessness in the EU and will say that it is because he wants to see a future for the EU that he wants to make it confront its failings.

Speaking to Conservatives.com during the visit, Mr Cameron said: "It is time to drive forward a new agenda in Europe - looking outwards to the world, flexible, competitive - ready to face the challenges of globalisation in the 21st century.

www.conservatives.com...

About time a Tory leader supports a pro-Europe stance. I think its great that the Conservatives are adopting a good and trusting policy towards the EU. Its nice to see that Cameron does see the EU as a good thing and that our future is with the EU.

I am excited that Cameron is keen on the idea of EU reform, that the majority of the voters in this Country support.

I'm all for the British tory party coming to their senses over Europe and the EU.

I just don't believe Camerons warm and cuddly words
(and certainly not when one remembers he quietly advised Hague's anti-EU version of the tory party and co-authored the 2005 election manifesto for Howard's barely improved edition of the tory party).

Unfortunately I also can't help recalling that one of 'sunshine' Dave Cameron's first moves when he became leader of the tory party was to start a row proposing that the tory party cut their links with the European Parliament's main centre-right group.
link

Just because some in the tory party are waking up to just how much electoral poison their EU stance has been for years and is (something they're still not really understanding with all the double-talk and quibbling about 'reform') that does not mean they are actually wising up on ths issue.

You only have to gather 2 or 3 torys on to a TV studio and start asking them about what they see as 'the problems about the EU' to see there really is no new position, no matter what Cameron says; they'll happily spend hours and hours talking about what they claim are it's problems and spend barely seconds - if that - acknowledging or debating any of it's benefits.
.....and that's just as plain and obvious as ever it was.

It's really just a transperent and dishonest papering over the cracks.

We shall see just how extensive and genuine this 'support' for the EU really is in the coming months.

It's my view that today's tory party is far more represented by Toby Horton -

A former aide to ex-Conservative leader William Hague has defected to the UK Independence Party (UKIP).
Toby Horton said his "tipping point" had been a recent suggestion that the modernised party should look to Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee.

Mr Hague's former constituency chairman said: "I didn't leave the Conservative party; the Conservative Party left me."

news.bbc.co.uk...

- The only reason more of them aren't following this guy is that even though the instincts are the same they know they're even more likely to lose under a UKIP banner.

It's not politics it's pure selfish self-interest.

......and everybody knows it.


[edit on 9-12-2006 by sminkeypinkey]

But Cameron is believed to be pro-EU.

I believe it was a Labour MP who posted quotes from Cameron on his website, that showed Cameron supporting the Euro and a potential Federal Europe.

IMHO, he is only keen on the EU because he wants us (the British) to control it, not just the French and Germans. He is like Blair in thinking "its what the EU can do for us, not what us can do for them" because we all know they would like full UK support and partnership due to our economy and international networks.

Europe is an odd area for Britain, and the gains for us are primarily economic. Out security needs are fulfilled by NATO and the special relationship with the United States, and our status in the world is also cemented by those two factors and our permanent seat in the UN as well as our history. So really, our prime motivation of being in the EU is for the free trade and cooperation in that respect, though there has been some developments regarding cooperation in the EU (take the Eurofighter, for instance which - despite being late - has actually turned out to be a very good piece of hardware).

Will Britain 'lead' the EU? I don't think we have any burning desire to. We don't mind being involved but being at the front doesn't bother us too much - besides, I think we'd have a major falling out with the French and possibly the Germans too if we tried since the French need the EU more than we do for things like defence (you may recall they withdrew their forces from NATO command in the 1950s/60s and have had a falling out with the United States over Iraq, which hasn't helped them).