The end of the beginning

So I am still asking what to think.

There a lot of smoke and misdirect out there. Many parties are finding aspects of the 'veto' last week convenient to play up. I'm not going to list them as they are all over the press.

If these events have a significance they are the El Alamein of the battle with the EU.

A victory, after so many retreats and defeats, but nothing like a war won.

In Churchill's words perhaps "the end of the beginning".

The problems are obvious. Cameron acted as he did as he had a shot gun forced to his back and needed to be seen to play along. Initially the Lib Dems were in on this, but then due to the extremist nature of Lib Dem Europhilia and hatred of the UK as a sovereign state had to move their position to one of shock.

Whilst his Eurosceptic credit was up - Cameron slammed the door on a referendum. ( Even if he wanted one he couldn't deliver as the Lib Dems won't allow it ).

In the mean time over in the technocrat lead European Empire the debt implosion is getting worse and worse. Greece, Portugal & Ireland are condemned to austerity without hope of parole. Italy may soon join them as its EU enforced governor tries to do his Brussels master's bidding.

Germany refuses to accept its responsibility for the currency union fiasco and trade imbalances its set up.

The one thing they can all agree on is the need for a scape goat - and that's going to the the UK and the city of London in particular.

Things are going to get nasty, very nasty indeed.

And the truth is still Cameron is no Churchill. He's a manager not a leader.

He looks good against the incredible weakness of Labour, and he has the tactical political instincts of Machiavelli - but still he has no political soul.

So has any of this made me want to renew my Conservative party membership ? Well I thought about it, but the truth is given the crisis and the threat a half backed veto just isn't serious.

There are fundamental problems with our relationship with Europe. One of the key ones is other European countries lie and cheat openly - flouting the law and treaties they have signed. This is not the sort of organisation that the UK can share its sovereignty with.

Politically there needs to be one clear objective - the return of the pooled sovereignty from Brussels and a set of bilateral treaties in its place which are government by world courts.

Now I know there are lots of people in the Conservative party who believe this - its just this isn't Conservative party policy and is very unlikely to become so.

The Eurosceptic movement has a very long and bloody battle ahead of it that may last life times.

Given this time scale decisions on political allegiance don't have to be limited to who would win the next election, but to who might deliver the ultimate goal.

Update: That didn't take long, Benedict Brogan is forecasting that Cosnervtaive MPs are about to be sold short to save the Coalition.