Comments on: Patten and the EU

By: french derek

french derek — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:39:43 +0000

Patten has shone everywhere outside the UK but his comment on Blair’s “suspected” capacity for telling lies (a mainly-UK issue) is also a strong selling point. His comment was something like “Tony’s problem is that he actually believes them when he tells them”.

A truth that both sells the man himself as much as it should (but doesn’t seem to) destroy the one he criticizes. ‘m with Hidari. NB I’m also another sort of ABB - Anyone But Barroso, but that’s another story.

By: bert

bert — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:13:42 +0000

Re #8, Q.E.D.

By: James Conran

James Conran — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:29:23 +0000

Tim I suggest you take a look at the latest papal encyclical and search for the words “humanism” and “humanist”.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html

By: Alan Peakall

Alan Peakall — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:23:29 +0000

If I recall correctly, Patten, unlike William Waldegrade, Lord Rothschild and Michael Howard, was not a true believer in the Poll Tax. When he was appointed Environment Secretary in July 1989, the tax was already in operation in Scotland and scheduled to start in England and Wales in March 1990. Of course, he is vulnerable to the criticism that he accepted a promotion which involved signing up to a policy on which he had reservations, but I do not see why he should be judged either more or less harshly on that count than Norman Lamont when he faced the same dilemma on ERM membership/parity sixteen months later.

By: Tim Worstall

Tim Worstall — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:27:01 +0000

Of course, I’m horribly biased, as an ex-constituent, a member of UKIP and as someone who has met him on occasion. Can’t stand the man for some combination of the three reasons.

I do think it’s slightly odd though to describe a practising Catholic as a humanist though. Looking the word up it seems that humanism implies a rejection of divine authority.

By: Thom Brooks

Thom Brooks — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:45:06 +0000

I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Patten on several occasions, as he has been Newcastle University’s Chancellor until this year. I think he would do a superb job and I hope he gets the post.

By: Maria

Maria — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:42:31 +0000

Hi ejh, fair enough, it is a bit gushy around parA 4: probAbly speaks more tomy current feelings about organisational life than to Patten’s virtue. Any more thoughts on his polltAx history?

By: Chris Williams

Chris Williams — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:54:09 +0000

In 1992, I had a sudden moment of compassion for Patten. The poor sod was on Newsnight about four days before the election, defending Major’s record. He looked awful. Despite usually hating Tories (except those that I know, and Peter Bottomley) I was so anxious for his health that I got hold of the number for Smith Square from Directory Enquiries (Ah! remember them?) and left a message which ran something like “Tell Patten to get some sleep. It’s not worth it.”

By: bert

bert — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:09:47 +0000

Maria’s Irish. As far as she’s concerned, Chris Patten can fund local government with whatever halfarsed tax he likes. Just as she won’t lose any sleep over his role in the tax-cutting populism of the 1992 national election campaign. What matters is that right now he’s a pro-European, socially liberal, fiscally centrist Tory heavyweight. And they’re as rare as hens’ teeth.

One more thought. Patten used to have the handicap for a Tory of being Catholic. After wondering for a moment how this would affect the European job fight, I remembered that Blair is now Catholic too.
From a British perspective, that’s unusual. Not sure of its significance, if any. But definitely unusual.

By: ejh

ejh — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:08:30 +0000

By my generation he’s probably best remembered for being in charge of the introduction of the poll tax. This would make it hard for me to write such a gushing piece as the opening post. The fourth paragraph especially.

By: bert

bert — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:21:39 +0000

Thanks for the heads up, Maria.
Like you I like the idea. What’s more I think it’s got a very good chance of happening.
I can see him pulling in support from across Europe, since he not only gives an answer to the Blair problem, he also provides a reasonable response to the Cameron problem too.

The recent Tory defection from the EPP has woken up a lot of people to the fact that within the next 12 months Britain will have a government whose centre of gravity is heavily eurosceptic. It’s an open question how pragmatic they will turn out to be at the top level once in power. Some have chosen to believe that Cameron is an authentic nationalist ideologue. I don’t buy it myself, and everything he has done tallies with him gutlessly buying himself the short-term acquiescence of his party’s dimwitted dominant faction. When the europhobes’ long-term project moves into high gear, using the Lisbon Treaty or failing that some other pretext to create a crisis for the Cameron government, and attempting to use the crisis to change the terms of the British engagement with Europe, we will see how he responds.

Remember that in 1992, when results came through showing that Patten had lost Bath, a gaggle of chinless pinheads at Conservative Central Office bleated “Tory gain! Tory gain!” Remember what that same faction then inflicted on party, country and continent. By acting now to recruit Patten, the forces of sanity can strengthen the bench for the side of the angels. It certainly beats the previous non-plan of hoping for miracles from Ken Clarke.

By: Hidari

Hidari — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:17:57 +0000

ABB

Anyone But Blair