Hannan and Cameron as one

Cameron didn't quite quote Daniel Hannan in his leader's address to end the Tory Conference, but the ideas were the same. (Hannan's speech was made in the Spring Conference in Cheltenham.)

The gist of both is to point out that both the Limpdems and NuLabour which claim to be progressives but deny the title to the Tories, have advocated and celebrated our ratification of the Lisbon Constitution-Treaty.

The question then, is, is it progressive to enter more deeply into an institution that "no one elects, no one can remove, and that hasn't signed off its accounts for over a decade"? (In fact, I believe that it is 12 or 13 years since signing off.)

There is a constructivism in both the other parties, a desire to create a Europe after their own blueprint, that makes them relegate any idea of democracy to at best a gesture.

"The Project" of a state-like union, (let us give them the benefit of doubt that they are not trying to construct a United Sates of Europe, although many are), will mean less democracy even than before. Ireland will no longer be able to halt progress by referendum, there will be fewer vetoes, and major changes will be made by a simple majority vote.

It was, and will be even more, a remote and popularly disliked institution where major decisions are made by people who were not elected by anyone, who are answerable to no one, who conceal as much as they can and who broke no opposition, (-hence the attempts to smear the new C and R grouping which the Tories have joined.)