Jun 14
UKIP leap Lib-Dems to third
UKIP had a stellar night last night, getting 12 seats and putting the pro-European Lib-Dems into 3rd. In some areas UKIP was second only to the Tories. Pretty encouraging to see that Eurosceptical parties were doing very well last night. Bet Howard & Co are feeling a bit daft about their comments about UKIP.
Let’s hope the popularity of UKIP will make Howard take a look as his wish-washy attitude toward the EU. Norris got pummelled in London, as did Georgeous George Galloway. Wonder if either of these two political cretins will take the hint and go away.
And does Europe care about the result?
Iain (as well as many other bloggers) has cast his observant eye last night’s results. I agree with most of his findings if not all.
Update: Robin Harris agrees that Howard’s Euro election strategy was daft.
Re: Conservatism means Euro-scepticism
Date: 14 June 2004
Sir, Will Michael Howard now accept that British conservatism and EU collectivism are mutually exclusive political philosophies and that while there is a large constituency for the one there is also a very substantial and growing number of voters who simply will not accept the other?
Frederick Forsyth (Letters, June 12) loyally points out that the way back to sovereignty is via the Conservative Party, but such is the deep mistrust of his party’s European policy that nothing short of an unequivocal guarantee to restore our nation’s self governance is going to stop the “political gadflies” biting deeper into Conservative majorities.
Conservatives can no longer expect to be returned to office on the back of a revulsion against Labour and they ignore the growth of the minor parties and the biggest party of all, the apathy party, entirely at their own peril.
From:
Christopher Gill, (Conservative MP 1987-2001), Bridgnorth, Shropshire
