Britannist

Writing in the Daily Express on Friday 10.3.2006, the world famous eurosceptic author Frederick Forsyth – a leading eurosceptic and supporter of the Conservative Party – made the following criticisms of David Cameron’s decision to ‘bring back’ the europhiles Kenneth Clarke and the awful Heseltine (extracts):

I am coming to the view that young David Cameron is , after all, not as bright as the media sycophants have been telling us. Why? Well, the Tory tradition continues since 1997 of refusing – point blank – to study what happened to the Conservatives from November 1990 (when Mrs. Thatcher stood down as Prime Minister) to May 1997 (when Blair got in).

In short – on 28.11.1990, John Major took over the country with a crushing political supremacy of 101 seats over a combined opposition in the House of Commons. On 1.5.1997, the Tories crashed to an electoral massacre. The (Conservative) party lost 4.5 million votes and 224 parliamentary constituencies over that period. There has not been a political crash like it for 100 years. You’d think that people with half a bran would minutely analyse what went wrong. You’d think those responsible would be taken off the bridge of SS Tory and never let near the helm again.

But No. Two of the architects of the catastrophe were Kenneth Clarke and Michael Heseltine. David Cameron has just appointed the first to lead his study of democracy and the second to head up his commission to look at the regeneration of Tory fortunes in the cities. But these were the boyos who wrecked Tory chances in both areas in the first place. These two appointments show that far from having his thoughts targeted on 2010 he is stuck around 1995. There could be a reason for this. In those years of early/mid. 1990’s young David was just down from Oxford, terribly full of himself and working as one of the permanent tribe of nerds and apple polishers at Tory head office. He was much impressed by this first proximity to real power. It is clear he had no idea of the dimensions of the catastrophe that the panjandrums around him were preparing for the Conservative Party. Nor does he yet appreciate the disaster, it would appear. So here’s a thought. Among all the study commissions he might appoint one to study what really went wrong and how his party was almost wholly destroyed by a combination of the forces of incompetence within it and the strategy of character assassination mounted by ‘New’ Labour. Then he might listen to a blend of mature wisdom plus young talent – rather than surrounding himself with human failures (Kenneth Clarke/Heseltine).

On the EU, Frederick Forsyth wrote in his Daily Express column (10.3.2006):

Membership of the EU costs £40 billion on our present disastrous terms. The amount has just gone up £7 billion a year and that is net of what we are handed back. The cost of EU food which we are forced to buy costs every one of our 11 million families £1000 a year extra on the national food bill.

Utterly independent analysts assess the cost (of the EU) to us as a country of compliance with the EU’s 100, 000 rules and regulations at £15 billion of extra burden on commerce and industry. The hidden cost is the lost opportunities burden. The lucrative trade deals we could conclude if we were free to do so which we are not. All four together? £40 billion. Yet all three parties including our new all singing and dancing Tories refuse point blank to say a word on the subject. Like old maids in a tea shop they crook their pinkies, sip their tea and talk about something else. Which could be as good as reason as any why fewer and fewer people have time for our politicians (of any stripe) any more. Most people are not political analysts, but millions know in their gut there is something badly wrong with this country and it is not getting better no matter how much tax money we throw at it.

* Frederick Forsyth’s column can be found in the Daily Express every Friday.

Britannist

I should have pointed out for the poll (at the top of this page) that the result of the May 2005 General Election (in seats won) was: Labour 356, Conservative 198, Fiberal ‘Dimoprats’ 62, DUP (Dr. Paisley’s party) 9, Other Northern Ireland parties 9 (5 of which, Sinn Fein, won’t go the Commons Chamber and/or vote), Scottish/Welsh Nationalists 8, Kidderminster Hospital (Save it campaign) 1, Gwent Independent Labour 1, Respect/Galloway 1. There are 645 constituencies represented in the present House of Commons and to win the next General Election on its own with an overall majority of 1 a political party needs to get 323 seats.

Thank you to everyone who votes in the poll above and to those who post their views below .