Thread: Hanna: Join Independence and Democracy?

Why won't Daniel Hannan (a fine specimin of a statesman I might add); join the Independence and Democracy Group? He claims one of the major reasons he doesn't join UKIP is because he wants a chance to see his agenda implemented and therefore sees being a member of the Europosceptic Conservative faction as a means of doing so; yet sitting alone near Nick Griffin and the French National Front won't give him much of a chance of collective power when it comes to implementing his ideals will it? Can he not remain a Conservative but join the ID Group? I'm sure there is a logical reason behind his Non-Inscritticism [sp?], What is it is my question?

Hannan's playing the long game.

He is building support in the Tory party and is young enough to not have to rush anything.

If he keeps his nose clean and keeps building the support, he could lead them one day. Thus, I say he should probably stay there.

We need to have more angles to approach this EU problem from.

Originally Posted by mkpdavies

We need to have more angles to approach this EU problem from.

Indeed. There might be traditional Labour Eurosceptics who have had to keep shtum for a long time, but now is not the time to alienate them. If, as expected, Labour loses the next election then some constituency parties will revert to being 'old' Labour. A few Eurosceptics of the calibre of Peter Shore working their way up in the rump Labour Party would be good for our collective aim to escape the EU. There are no doubt one or 2 people close to the heart of power who will 'come out' after the election. A cross party consensus on withdrawal is in many ways better than being isolated in one political party.

Originally Posted by Aardvark

If, as expected, Labour loses the next election....

After years of losing Parliamentary By-Elections and doing badly in national opinion polls, some expected the Conservatives led by John Major to lose at the May 1992 General Election - as we know, he won: and in the middle of a recession.

The Cameron-Conservatives need the largest swing in their direction ever recorded in the modern era just to win an overall majority of one at the next General Election.

After months of their vote going down in many council ward By-Elections the Cameron-Conservatives lost three seats in the EU Election on 4.6.2009 and support for them fell by 6% in the local elections held on the same day. The Cameron-Conservative share of the vote in this month's EU Election was significantly lower than the Conservative share of the vote under William Hague MP in the 1999 EU Election (the last EU Election before the heavy Conservative General Election defeat of 2001).

Few political analysts expect the Cameron-Conservatives to win an overall majority at the next General Election.