Britannist

Roger Helmer (the anti-EU Conservative member of the EU ‘Parliament’ who remains suspended from the Conservative group in Brussels for voting against EU fraud) said in an interview at the end of July 2006 with the July/August 2006 edition of ‘Freedom Today’ (the journal of the eurosceptic Freedom Association) “Mr. Cameron has not fulfilled his promise to leave the EPP - he has betrayed it. David Cameron broke clear promises to take Tory (Conservative) MEPs out of the EPP "during his honeymoon period" (quote) "It would be a first week task" (End of quote).” Mr. Helmer was suspended from the UK Conservative group in the EU ‘Parliament’ allegedly because the pro-euro EPP group (of which the British Conservatives are a part) objected to him using a procedural devise that the EPP did not approve of.

A number of people commented about Mr. Helmer’s remarks, including the following (on the message board of Conservative Home) from William:

William wrote on 1.8.2006 at 9.36 am “The next EU elections could become a Conservative bloodbath, unless Cameron takes hold of this situation. The BNP are targeting these elections, and UKIP, currently a spent force with little fight being shown by their leadership, might come back to life. This EPP fiasco demonstrates beyond any doubt that Conservatives must campaign to leave the EU. There is no democracy. Freedom of Speech is not tolerated. Centralisation of power is total.”

* The EPP (European People’s Party) is a group of so-called Conservative parties in EU nations which sit together in the EU ‘Parliament’. The EPP includes the UK Conservative members of the EU ‘Parliament’. The EPP is committed to the euro, the EU Constitution, the intrusive, power grabbing Charter for Fundamental Rights and to the creation of an EU Superstate. David Cameron, the Conservative leader, said twice during his campaign last year to become Conservative leader, that he would pull the British Conservatives out of the EPP “in months not years”. Last month he said that it would not happen until the middle of 2009.

* Roger Helmer represents the ‘east’ Midlands of England in the EU ‘Parliament’.

* David Cameron, the pro-EU Conservative leader, criticised UKIP and made derogatory remarks about the party in an interview with London's LBC 1152 am radio on 4.4.2006.

mkpdavies

I have lost quite a bit of respect for Hannan and Helmer. They threatened to cause merry hell if Cameron did do a U-turn, but they just took it.

No wander the EUphiles rule the roost in that gutless party.

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BASILDON BOY

When are you ever going to learn to never trust tory politicians.

In the political jungle its UKIP or nothing - unless people want UKIP to be merelly a conservative fringe pressure group - rather than a real political party?

mkpdavies

I try to treat people as individuals, but sadly you are right, there doesn't seem to be many trustworthy Tories at all.

I still think the BOO guys deserve some respect though.

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Richard Allen

I am still willing to give Helmer the benefit of the doubt after his article in Freedom Today. He called the move "indefensible, humiliating and wrong". If however he was offered a chance to have the tory whip re-instated and therefore rejoin the EPP group he would have to decline that chance for me to continue giving him the benefit of the doubt.

As for Hannan, he has sold out because he wants to become a tory MP. I understand he fancies getting selected for the new Meon Valley seat in Hampshire.

Britannist

If Daniel Hannan MEP were to switch to UKIP he would almost certainly get second place on the list of UKIP candidates at the 2009 EU Election in the south-east (of England) region - with Nigel Farage MEP in first place on the list. Daniel Hannan would then become a leading figure in UKIP for sure.

As for Roger Helmer. If he switched to UKIP Roger would surely get the top place on the list of UKIP candidates for the EU Election of 2009 in the 'east' Midlands. I think he is well thought of in the 'east' Midlands and could be a future leader of UKIP (if he joined the party). I understand that the UKIP MEP for the 'east' Midlands - Mr. Derek Clark - might not stand again and the other UKIP candidate in the constituency in 2004, Kilroy, has, of course, left UKIP and stands nil chance of being elected again in 2009 in the 'east' Midlands (although I'm sure he won't stand anyway).

Mikeuk

In order to 'understand' this utterly pathetic behaviour you have to appreciate the mass mindset of the Tories which revolves round a peculiar concept of 'party loyalty'

Not that many of these people are loyal to their friends, husbands/wives or country. It's a kind of atavistic tribal thing. I was one of the minority who spent many years in the Tory Party without falling victim to it.

Hannan and Helmer both have many good qualities but if they can't show the courage now to break with Cameron and his bunch of traitors and freaks they will have to be discarded as 'might-have-been' dross.

Nevertheless I hope the new leader of UKIP will take every possible opportunity to persuade them to come over. It would be a staggering coup for UKIP and a body-blow for Cameron and his traitors.

Britannist

The more likely to switch to UKIP is Roger Helmer (in my view). Certainly it would be a coup for UKIP if Roger did join UKIP and it would lead to many anti-EU Conseratives in Roger's 'east' Midlands constituency thinking about switching too.

I notice that Mr. Daniel Hannan MEP has not written (or, apparently, commented publicly) about David Cameron's decision to put off pulling the UK Conservatives out of the pro-EU Constitution and pro-euro EPP group in Brussels. As most readers of this forum know, Mr. Hannan does fairly regular articles for the Telegraph on europe (EU) - but his latest piece (last week) was on a totally unrelated subject :shock: .

Perhaps Mr. Hannan has commented through an editorial in the Telegraph - it was said once that Mr. Hannan was/is on the Daily Telegraph editorial (i.e. 'comment') team. I do not know if this is true.

Richard Allen

Daniel Hannan is a leader writer for the Daily Telegraph.

Britannist

Thank you Richard. Perhaps Mr. Hannan wrote (or helped write) that editorial in April (this year) in the Telegraph which called on David Cameron to apologise to UKIP for making derogatory remarks about them (in an interview with London's LBC Radio)?

I haven't read any report, by the way, of Mr. Hannan openly criticising David Cameron's decision (announced last month) to put off withdrawal of the UK Conservatives from the pro-euro EPP group in Brussels until the middle of 2009 (something I expect UKIP to make much of in its 2009 EU Election campaign).