EU: The politics equivalent to the hokey cokey

Can't we have a more subtle debate about the EU than being in or out? David Cameron (or whoever wrote it for him) has a go in the Daily Telegraph today. It's not the most coherent article ever written but its broad theme is an important one: that the EU is bogged down in talks about mechanisms when it should be a forum for collective action on the major challenges facing member states.
Rather than having "red-lines" to defend, when will a British PM head to one of these summits with a positive agenda? Why is Britain always on the defensive rather than putting forward its own vision for the future of the EU?

Tories back on the attack

David Cameron's speech in Tooting today and his comments on the Tories being progressive have elicited much comment. VFTN agrees there is much in his remarks to mull over but for now expresses a simple gratitude that DC has finally got past the grammar schools debacle and got back on the front foot before Blair leaves office.

Biofuels blarney

A little while ago, VFTN pointed out Cameron's half-term holiday to Greece was far from environmentally friendly and put the argument as to why off-setting is pointless. That post is here.
In a similar vein, Guido has today set out why the current enthusiasm for biofuels is misplaced. Again, for the purposes of the argument, it does not matter whether one is convinced about global warming or not. The fact is that if you wanted to produce biofuels on a scale necessary to replace oil it would remove so much land from food production as to trigger a food crisis. Those who are trying to push the green agenda are doing nobody any favours by suggesting biofuels and offsetting are somehow magic solutions.

Coulson is Cameron's choice

David Davis did remarkably well this morning on Andrew Marr. He clearly hates the grammar school policy but struck a healthy balance between supporting his leader and maintaining his own credibility by admitting that his own preference was for more grammar schools but that he supported the party's policy because he lost the leadership election. However, it was a shame that Davis agreed he and the rest of the Shadow Cabinet had been consulted only for Marr to fail to ask the obvious follow-up which was whether he objected in that meeting has has been widely suggested.
More intriguing was his answer to a question about the appointment of ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson. He confirmed he hadn't been consulted about that one. So the man Cameron extended the hand of solidarity to after beating him in the leadership election did not even have a say on the Coulson appointment.
Clearly Davis and Cameron don't pretend to be big buddies but there seems to be a growing body of evidence the Tory leader isn't really talking to anyone much outside his own circles. Will much was made of the Graham Brady intervention in the grammar schools row it was Dominic Grieve who really forced the embarassing U-turn. Grieve undoubtedly felt able to speak out because he feels no great loyalty to DC. Now the Shadow Home Secretary, who represents a reasonable constituency of opinion in the party, isn't being consulted about major appointments.
Cameron must realise that he can't just bulldoze his ideas through the party and needs to keep these senior figures on board.

Cameron not just confused on grammars

Amid all the problems DC is having with grammar schools it is perhaps not so surprising that few have paid attention to the fact that he his spending his half term holiday in Greece. I am assuming he flew which would have bunged a few tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. Now, I was under the impression DC had made the environment a priority and he is worried about CO2 emissions.
I know, I know, no doubt he has "offset" these carbon emissions. Well, sorry, but that's just pointless. Whether you believe global warming caused by human activity is happening or not you can agree this. Offsetting is pointless.
The idea of offsetting is basically this: you take a flight, feel guilty, cough up a few quid to some organisation who then buys a tree which as it grows will absorb the CO2 you generated. Fine so far. But what happens if the land that tree is on changes ownership and it is chopped down next year and used as firewood? What happens when everyone decides to offset and we create a world where all useful land is covered in trees and so cannot be used for other things like, erm, food production?
If you believe that CO2 causes climate change you have two choices, try and emit less by modifying your lifestyle (ie not taking the family to Greece) or carrying on as normal and stop lecturing to other people. You cannot have it both ways.

Time to end the farewell tour

Cameron is apparently making a speech today calling for an end to the Blair farewell tour. The unopposed election/appointment of Brown to the Labour leadership has left Blair's position untenable. In Cameron's own words:
“What is the point in Tony Blair holding meetings and discussing long-term policy - or even short-term problems - with Cabinet ministers who may not keep their jobs in a few weeks time? What is the point of Tony Blair attending international summits in June when everyone there will know that he is leaving office in just a few days time?"
He's right. This is a farce and Labour should call time on it now.

Angry northern Tories

VFTN understands there is a growing schism between Tory HQ and its northern activists. There is a sense that the creation of the Northern Board has done little to address the party's real difficulties in building momentum in the north of England. While Cameron has been telling anyone who will listen that the local elections saw a breakthrough in the North for the Conservatives the truth is on many northern urban councils their representation went backwards. Northern activists are beginning to wonder whether the party is either willing or even able to devote resources to winning in the north or whether the strategy is actually just to pick off seats where possible and hope it is enough for a majority.