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Insider Research
Understanding the heart of Westminster
Tuesday 23rd June 2009 | 17:53
Phi100: New Tory European grouping an ‘embarrassment’ they tried to bury
The new Conservative European grouping is perceived as an embarrassment by the majority of the political community, and it is thought that the party attempted to bury the bad news
The Conservative party’s new European grouping is an embarrassment which they tried to bury amid coverage of the Speaker elections, in the view of the UK’s political community.
That’s the latest result from the PoliticsHome Phi100 panel, which includes parliamentarians from all the main parties as well as think tank heads, party strategists and leading media commentators.
Fifty five per cent of the Phi100 felt that the new grouping - 'The European Conservatives and Reformists' was an embarrassment. The proportion taking the opposite view was thirty seven per cent.
Ninety three per cent of right leaning panellists took the view that the Conservative grouping was a success.
But comparable majorities of left-leaning, non-aligned, and Lib Dem panellists disagreed.
There was a similar split on the issue of whether the timing of the announcement – as the Speaker candidates were being announced – was a deliberate attempt to ‘bury bad news’.
Panellists strongly took the view that it was, with the exception of right-leaning panellists, fifty five per cent of whom judged that it was a coincidence.
Overall, seventy per cent viewed the epsisode as a deliberate attempt to bury bad news.
'Nativists, loonies'
A left-leaning media panellist said: ‘Their new friends aren't neo-nazis but they are nativists, know-nothings and loonies.’
A Lib Dem concurred, describing the other group members as ‘a rag-bag of extremists and fringe parties’, and concluding that ‘the grouping will have and deserves no credibility’.
A right-leaning panellist argued that move had been a success on the grounds that ‘it was promised and delivered.’
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Peter Buss
I am a rareTory Europhile but even I am absolutely staggered at the sheer vitriol which this new grouping has provoked amongst the political establishment. This Group's unifying stance is to set up a banner against federalism in the EU Parliament.That is in fact the position taken by the overwhelming majority of UK voters yet is is treated with scorn.Even with the purest of friends you still would sneer at it. Shame on all of you for your anti democratic stance.
Tom Collins
Left leaning folk think its bad and right leaning ones support it....
As surprising as bears antics in woods. Your headline is misleading.
JK
Tom - not sure the headline is misleading since there is still an overall majority holding that view...
Donna Edmunds
Methinks they protest too much.
The amount of critisism this group has received clearly suggests that those marching for ever increased unity in Europe have something to fear from it. It will be the fourth largest group - larger than the greens, who are certainly not thought of as a 'rag-tag bunch on the fringes'.
Who on earth wrote this headline? Are they a europhile, perchance?
http://faustiesblog.blogspot.com
Daniel Kawczynski rightly <a href="http://faustiesblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/bercow-watch-is-he-true-to-his-pledges.html">called for Brown to apologise for insulting the Polish government</a> by calling the ruling party an "embarrassment". A flicker of "OMG" crossed Brown's face.
Whatever happened to diplomacy? Is it right that Brown can insult a nation in an effort to try to score points against his political opponents?
Boudicca
The federalist 'loonies' would consider it an embarrassment. At last there is a major grouping in the EU which is not in favour of federalism. I consider it a success.