The Penny Starts To Drop...

From Iain "Just wait 'till Dave gets in" Dale's Diary 2009:

Frankly, those who start spitting about voting UKIP can bugger off and do just that if it makes them feel better. They may get a momentary warm glow of satisfaction, but what they could end up with is another five years of Gordon Brown.

Think on that, if you're one of those people. And then think about the word 'self-indulgent'.

Meanwhile, the rest of us will get on with trying to support a party leader who is trying his best to rescue the country from the Euro-mess created by the present lot.

Some people seem to have forgotten that it was Gordon Brown who reneged on his manifesto pledge for a referendum, not David Cameron. Cameron could never deliver on it if he wasn't in government. Brown was and didn't. That should tell you all you need to know.

If there's one positive aspect of tomorrow's pointless referendum 'debate' is that the notion of any kind of Euroscepticism from the Tories has been dynamited completed out of the water...and then some. As Autonomous Mind argues:

Before people can set about fixing something they have to understand exactly what is broken. At this time not enough people realise what is broken. This Parliamentary debate and the furore surrounding it will help more people on that journey of understanding. No matter what the outcome of the debate itself, the charade that brought it about will bring about some positive benefits.

So it's somewhat amusing, as a consequence, to see a change of tone from Dale:

Earlier today I tweeted...

"Can anyone identify a single EU power this government has repatriated so far? Taps fingers waiting..."

Nope I can't either, he continues:

Needless to say, a good few hours later I am still waiting. And that is partly why Conservative MPs are so annoyed by the government’s stance on the EU Referendum vote. If David Cameron had set out to ratchet up the heat in advance of this debate he couldn’t have done a better job. It is an object lesson in how not to handle his party.

The whole piece is worth reading in full, if only for the entertainment value, and he concludes (my emphasis):

And if he doesn’t deliver at that point? Well, many will have to ask themselves some very searching questions. And one will be, am I in the right party?

It's happening oh so slowly but if even the great Tory sage Dale is having doubts then Cameron and the Tory party is in a little bit of trouble.

And, it doesn't stop there; on the same 'mega' blog is this piece from Tory MP Adrian Hilton again worth reading in full, his conclusions are as follows (my emphasis):

But she is quite wrong to insist that she exercises her own judgement on these matters: she is a mere delegate of Brussels, and by refusing the British people a referendum on this fundamental constitutional issue, she helps to shield the EU government from the wrath of the electorate. In due course, civil society will learn to ignore the law and EU institutions, and will turn, instead, to civil disobedience; for other than capitulation, this is increasingly the EU citizen’s only option.

You've read that right, a Tory MP is warning of dire consequences of not listening to the people. They've been warned (again).