Blair’s chief Europhile performs a somersault on currency

 

In the Daily Mail on Friday the 10^th December 2004 an article by their Deputy Political Editor explains the Euro-somersault by the Europe Minister Dennis MacShane.

 

Tony Blair’s most avid single currency champion astonished his party yesterday by declaring that entering in the euro system was ‘economically irrelevant’

 

Europe Minister Dennis MacShane massively played down the importance of joining up and went so far as to criticise Downing Street for ‘making a fetish of this damn currency’

His remarks stunned Labour colleagues because he had spent most of his four years as a Foreign Office Minister warning that the British economy would be devastated by non-participation.

 

He has repeatedly warned voters that billions of pounds in foreign investment would dry up and three million jobs would vanish.

 

His dramatic U-turn came in an interview for the New Statesman  magazine.

 

Mr MacShane complained that the [his]Government had caused a problem itself by making too much fuss about the single currency.

 

‘Part of the problem was we entered government making the euro a litmus test for being good Europeans’ he said.

 

‘It was a huge cul-de-sac because we had made no technical or economic preparations to get anywhere close to entry in 1997.

 

‘I represent a steel constituency. Under no circumstances would I have voted in the first four or five years of the Labour government, at the rate the pound was against the euro, to go into the currency.

 

‘I kept saying to people, “Stop going on about the euro”. I haven’t met a serious European politician who is saying to me any more, “When are you going into the Euro?”

 

Asked if that was because they thought Britain had given up on entry, the Minister replied ‘No, it is because economically it is irrelevant.’

 

‘We’ve made a fetish of this damn currency in a completely unreal way.’

 

As recently as last week Mr MacShane was peddling a different viewpoint.

 

He told Durham University students that Gordon Brown’s five tests on entry ‘were always a bit of a red herring’, a remark seen as suggesting they could be ignored and Britain could join more quickly.

 

The Europe Minister is, however noted for his devotion to Mr Blair.

 

Labour MP’s believe he would not have somersaulted without approval of Downing Street, where it is believed the Premier has now lost hope of euro entry.

 

With a referendum on the separate and prickly issue of the EU Constitution due in the spring of 2006, he may not have enough time or support among voters to hold a vote on the currency before he leaves office.

 

This is a big victory for Mr Brown, who has successfully blocked moves to go in by argument that the euro has torpedoed growth in Germany and France.

 

Senior Tories ridiculed for flip-flopping on the issue.

 

Shadow Europe minister Graham Brady said:  ‘Dennis MacShane is changing direction so often that he must be getting dizzy.  He seems to have gone off the whole European Project for which he has campaigned for so long.

[Well!  We are at a loss to wonder why the Tories NEED a Minister for Europe but then we should of course put the question to Kenneth Clark and his other EU toadies.  WE DON’T NEED A MINISTER FOR EUROPE –WE DO NEED A MINISTER FOR A FREE BRITAIN. ]

 

The confusion within the Labour Party coincided with difficulties for the Tories on European issues.

 

The anti-EU UK Independence Party announced that it would after all, stand against eurosceptic Tory MP’s in the next General Election [in May 2005]

 

UKIP leaders had suggested they wold not do this after their major donor, businessman Paul Sykes, vowed to stop funding the party if it challenged the anti-Brussels Tories.

But yesterday its leaders changed their minds and announced that even figures such as arch Tory Eurosceptic Bill Cash will be challenged. [He still has time to join the UKIP; the time for talking is over-THE ACTION IS ABOUT TO BEGIN]

 

UKIP –Tel. 021 333 7737

 

[A great and courageous decision by the TEAM leader of the UKIP.]

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[Font altered-bolding used-comments in brackets]

 

 

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Daniel Hannan - Forming an OPPOSITION to the EU

www.telegraph.co.uk.blogs

 

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VOTE

MAY -2007

 

TO LEAVE THE EUROPEAN UNION

WITH THE ONLY PARTY WITH A MANDATE

TO SET YOU

 FREE

 

THE

UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY

www.ukip.org

 

TO RECLAIM YOUR DEMOCRACY DON'T VOTE FOR THE TRIPARTITE PARTIES IN WESTMINSTER

BUT

SMALL PARTIES THAT SPEAK THEIR MINDS WITHOUT SPIN AND LIES.

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ONLY

PRO-PORTIONAL REPRESENTATION

WILL BRING DEMOCRACY BACK TO THE ENGLISH PEOPLE

*

Home Rule for Scotland

WHY NOT

HOME RULE for ENGLAND

[EACH WORD HAS A DIFFERENT BULLETIN]

*

MAY/07

 

[All underlined words have a separate bulletin

THE QUESTION THAT THE VOTER MUST ANSWER

 

‘DO YOU WISH TO BE GOVERNED BY YOUR OWN PEOPLE, LAW AND CUSTOM OR BY THE CORRUPT ,EXPENSIVE UNACCOUNTABLE AND ALIEN BUSYBODY BRUSSELS’

 

-SIMPLE IS IT NOT?

 

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