Tory faithful "spitting blood and feathers"
Hague warned
By Tim Shipman
William Hague was mauled by Conservative candidates yesterday over David Cameron's U-turn on Europe.
Would-be MPs told the Shadow Foreign Secretary that grassroots Tories are 'spitting blood and feathers' over their leader's decision to ditch his pledge of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
Despite claims from Tory high command that the party accepts his proposals, six of the seven prospective parliamentary candidates who quizzed Mr Hague expressed grave reservations.
One warned that supporters were turning to the UK Independence Party and another said Europe was 'unpicking the good work' Mr Cameron has managed in detoxifying the Tory brand for floating voters.
They spoke out during a telephone conference call to discuss ways of combating voter anger at the U-turn. Earlier this week Mr Cameron ditched his 'cast iron' pledge to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty after the Czech Republic became the last EU country to ratify it.
Mr Hague told the candidates that Mr Cameron's compromise proposal, to change the law so no further powers could be lost to the EU without a referendum had produced 'hugely positive' reactions.
The Tory leader also plans to pass a Sovereignty Bill to make explicit that ultimate authority remains with the Westminster Parliament. He says he will clawback powers from Brussels over social and employment legislation.
But the candidates, the eyes and ears of Tory high command at the electoral coalface, made clear that voters are not impressed.
Lynda Donaldson, prospective parliamentary candidate for Rother Valley, South Yorkshire, said she had been out canvassing since Mr Cameron's announcement 'and for the first time I did get a lot of people saying that if we didn't have a referendum they would definitely be voting for Ukip.'
Debi Jones, candidate for Sefton Central on Merseyside, said she was being confronted by voters who want the Tories to hold a referendum on whether Britain should stay in the EU at all.
She added: 'The party faithful, the old battalions, are all spitting blood and feathers.'
Chris Philp, who is standing in Hampstead and Kilburn, said he had had 'quite a lot of flak' over Mr Cameron's decision to ally with more hardline conservatives in Eastern Europe.
He warned that 'people who have been quite impressed by David's brand of compassionate conservatism' were dismayed. He added: 'To them it sends a signal. It unpicks the work that David has done in the last three or four years.'
John Bell, the candidate for Clwyd South in North Wales, questioned whether Mr Cameron would be able to grab back powers from Brussels.
The Tory leader has said he might hold a referendum if he is unable to secure concessions.
But Mr Bell said: 'Wouldn't we be in exactly the same situation?'. He said Brussels officials would turn around and say: 'Yes, you've had your referendum and yes, we've had your result. But so what?'
Mr Hague spelled out the party's positions and suggested angles of attack the prospective MPs could take against their opponents.
But Mark Reckless, an ally of Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, who stood down from the frontbench in Brussels in protest at the policy change, hit out at Mr Hague's handling of the affair.
He said Mr Cameron's plans offered 'three proposals to entrench the status quo' in Brussels rather than 'reverse the process'.
He asked Mr Hague: 'Do you understand the sense of disappointment with regard to you personally?'
But Mr Hague stressed that voters are more interested in the economy and schools than in Europe as an issue.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1225864/Tory-faithful-spitting-blood-Camerons-U-turn-Europe-Hague-warned.html#ixzz0WBta7Zvb
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"More interested in the economy and schools than in Europe as an issue?"
Maybe they are, maybe not. What Hague and Dave need to understand is that it will not take too many voters to switch to the small parties, or to abstain as Dog intends, to knacker their chances of power.
If they imagine that the LibDems would side with them in a hung parliament they need to call for the nurse!
