Britannia Radio

Cameron v Blair : Game On 

Fraser Nelson

Cameron vs Blair: It's Game On Saturday, October 3

DAVID CAMERON might not want to pick a fight with the European Union. But yesterday it picked a fight with him.

 

The Eurocrats have bullied and bribed a ‘yes’ out of Ireland for the renamed EU Constitution. Next, they’ll seek to mop up remaining opposition.

 

That means Britain. And this pits Cam against an enemy he thought vanquished: the back-from-the- dead Tony Blair.

 

Make no mistake: this is the last thing that Cam wanted as his party gathers in Manchester for a pre-election conference.

 

When the Tory leadership hear the word “Europe” they think “mad Tory splits”. This doesn’t fit the party’s new fuzzy-green-tree image.

 

Too bad. Like it or not the Tories, Labour and Brussels are, right now, in a three-way fight. They all want to govern Britain.

Blair, ever the professional, worked this out a long time ago. That’s why he’s planning a comeback as President of Europe.

 

All he needs is for the Czechs and Poles to cave in, as the Irish have. Then, hey presto. Bullying complete. Time for an EU superstate.

 

So instead of messing up the Tory conference, the Irish ‘yes’ tees things up perfectly. It’s the ideal campaign issue. Here’s why.

 

You may not have much of a clue about what the Tories stand for. And you’d be in good company (including many Tory MPs).

 

But would you like a referendum? The chance to have that vote which Blair promised us at the last election – then cheated us out of?

 

Me too. And what do you think about ‘President Blair?’ Flouncing around as if he were Europe’s answer to Barack Obama? Do you fancy living in some kind of neverending Blair-Brown era? A political Groundhog Day where Blair’s toothy grin is everywhere?

 

Me neither. And the only way to stop it is to vote Conservative. They’ll deliver the referendum – and let the people have their say.

 

There’s still time. The EU still don’t have all the signatures. So you can bet the EU machine will bully the Czechs as hard as they can. Our hopes rest on Václav Klaus, the Czech president. I understand that Cameron wrote, by hand, a letter begging him to hold out.

 

So Klaus should tell Brussels: “OK. You win. I will sign. I’ll do it in August 2010.” Enough time for Britain’s election AND referendum result.

 

As the Russians found out, the Czechs stand up to bullies quite well. But the Irish are a proud people, too. They caved in yesterday.

 

So Cameron faces another scanario. By the time he is elected Prime Minister, the grinning Blair will be enstooled as the EU President.

 

Then what? It’s Cameron v Blair. Britain v Europe. This is precisely the battle that Cameron has never wanted to fight.

 

If the EU thinks “Cameron can’t be bothered fighting us” then it will make an almighty power grab. Laws. Money. Foreign policy. The works.

 

I am no fan of Gordon Brown. But, as Chancellor, he fought the EU almost every day to keep its jealous hands off Britain’s finance industry.

 

Cameron, too, can fight back. He can tear up the so-called Human Rights legislation and replace it with a British Bill of Rights.

 

(At the moment, the Tories have a plan for a fake ‘Bill of Rights’ that would be junior to European law. And, therefore, toothless.)]

 

He can play hardball. As Thatcher did. As Jacques Chirac did for France. He can refuse to obey directives, and then say “sue me.”

 

Next week, he must promise two things. First that he will deliver a referendum – for as long as it’s still possible to veto. Next, if he’s elected too late to stop it, then he will fight for Britain’s rights. Our laws. Our rebate. Take a muscular approach to he EU.

 

Cam can become Prime Minister – but still not run Britain. This is why the EU issue is so important – and is worth fighting for.

 

He can defeat Prime Minister Brown easily. But if he doesn’t get tough over Europe, President Blair of Brussels will have him for breakfast.