Friday 18 April 2014

"Boris Johnson Is A Massive Europhile!"

Thus reports the Telegraph with seemingly not a hint of irony, on a piece of why UKIP are "stealing" Conservative votes. (Note the words "stealing" - last time I looked votes belong to the electorate not to any political party).

Apparently former Tory MP Louise Mensch, who has buggered off from being a MP or something, comes to the conclusion that:
" BoJo is far more pro-European that many people realise…"
Ah..."BoJo" - what a lovely chap he is! Of course Louise - I can't be bothered to do my job properly - Mensch is telling us nothing new. "BoJo's" pro-EU stance comes as no surprise, the level of his support for the EU puts Cameron to shame, if that is possible.

It's worth noting that Boris Johnson's father, Stanley, was between 1973 and 1979 a senior official of the EU Commsision. In 1984 he resumed his career in the Commission becoming Director for Energy Policy in 1990.

During the early 1980's a greater desire for EU integration emerged via Altiero Spinelli who is regarded as “one of the founding fathers of the European federalist movement". Out of this ambition was born The Crocodile Club, a cross- party group open to all MEPs convinced ‘of the need for European political reform of great width’.

As a consequence The Crocodile Club resulted in an EU draft treaty so ambitious in its leap forward in political integration that it had to be spilt into two parts – The Single European Act 1986 and the Maastricht Treaty 1992 in order to be acceptable (forced through) to “EU citizens”.

A UK Conservative at the time enthusiastically supported Spinelli's move towards a European federalist movement…stand up one Stanley Johnson.

9 comments:

  1. Well, TBF, on this day when Jesus was sacrificed for mankind, it comes as no surprise that the Johnsons sacrificed us to the EU. Not very Christian of them, was it?

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    1. Yes… and this sacrificing malarkey is an interesting idea...I wonder where we should start...? Hmmm

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  2. I find it very difficult work out what the hell BoJo is about and whether he's got any serious, consistent ideas about anything at all.

    He seems to say whatever he considers will be within his interests to say.

    I doubt the the question of whether he's a europhile actually applies.

    I certainly wouldn't trust him an inch.

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    1. In my view Boris is a nakedly ambitious politician trying to disguise it as a bumbling fool. Under-estimating him certainly caught Ken Livingstone out in 2008.

      Given the Tory’s long history of "well-educated chaps" being pro-EU I can well believe Boris whole heartily supports the project – especially considering how he backtracked on an in/out referendum in such an incoherent manner…which was entirely consistent with other Tories.

      And as you say I don't trust him an inch

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  3. I used to read the Spectator until BoJo became editor...haven't been back since...

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  4. I dunno. I have a essay by Boris Johnson in a book "Britain and Europe the Choices We Face" edited by Martin Rosenbaum, OUP 2001. He predicts there will be "some sort of rupture" akin to Kosovo in Serbia because "The problem with the EU is that we are ruled by foreigners; charming, principled, well-meaning foreigners, but foreigners nevertheless." Fine, I'd question the "charming, well-meaning and principled" but this is hardly the stuff of a Europhile's wet dream. Other quotes include: "There is no tie of respect or custom." "Why do you want to build this tightly drawn superstate, this white man's laager on the western appendix of the Eurasian landmass?" "Well I say phooey."
    As with too many members of the British Establishment in general and the Tories in particular, Boris wants to have his cake and eat it too. But before I classify him as a Europhile, I'm afraid I'll need more than a quote from Ms Mensch.

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    1. Having his cake and eat - which in Tory terms means staying as EU members but pretending they don't want to makes him an automatic europhile. And Boris has form...

      http://www.politicshome.com/uk/article/36423/boris_cam_and_the_c_word.html

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    2. You can also find quotes from Blair, Kinnock, Hague and others, deploring the EU in essence.

      Unless someone has consistently been opposed to the EU for years, I'm inclined to dismiss odd quotes, and especially quotes from years ago, as signifying nothing.

      BoJo is likely to fit in easily enough with the Tory line of remaining in the EU but grumbling about how it's going too far and becoming political, and blathering on about reform.

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  5. His brother Joseph is MP in my town. he is also a massive Europhile. His voting record in the HoC shows him as voting in favour of every piece of legislation which will cede more power to the EU. The whole family are Quislings and should be treated as such.

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