Tory Zealots Win Out...But Actually Lose

I have previously explained that I worked in the European Parliament in a former life. Let me tell you how it works.

The Parliament, and due to the Parliament's ever increasing powers and influence within the EU institutions, is run and dominated by the agenda of the two main political groups - the EPP (European People's Party - broadly conservatives) and the PES (Party of European Socialists - broadly quite lefty lefties). There are of course several much smaller groups, including one for the Lib Dems. All in all, this is much like Westminster.

Political parties need to be broad churches in order to gather a group of reasonably like minded folk who, with their bulk in numbers, can do stuff. They may not hold exactly the same views as each other, but they rub along because they need each other to have their voice heard.

So I have no truck with Cameron and Hague's agenda to force the Tories to leave the EPP. Conservative Home has it wrong. Nor do I have any time for small minded prats like Dan Hannan, desperate to rubbish the EPP, European Parliament and EU generally. Other Great Men have opined, like Dizzy and also British Dude. And this utterly stupid Hague agenda also allows the enemy to make hay: viz Recess Monkey and, according to Dizzy, that great big ass Draper has also smeared or spun or whatever the wanker does - I refuse to read his trash.

Do all Tories agree with Norman 'Raving Loony' Tebbit? No. Do they all agree with dripping wet Tim Yeeeeeoh? No. Do all Labourites see eye to eye with Denis Skinhead or Viscount Stansgate (aka Tony Benn) as well as signing up to Big Tony's Third Way? No. Of course not.

The thing is this: by leaving the EPP and disappearing off to a small insignificant group on the far backbenches of the European Parliament - akin to being a member of the DUP or SNP or PC at Westminster - an incoming Tory PM will have zero ability to affect the Parliament's agenda, and thereby less ability to affect the EU internal institutional agenda. And that matters, because the EU and the Parliament desperately need some really drastic surgery and change to get them back to doing what we want them to do and not all this loony Lefty federalist crap they love. And this job will now be harder for Dave.

Dumb move for puerile, Eurosceptic, zealot reasons.

And no voter even knows or cares.