There’s more to UKIP than just opposition to UK membership of the EU. UKIP is a right-wing party, and I would not vote for them. But you have to give them credit for at least being honest about where they stand on the EU.
The Tories, on the other hand, are trying to have an each way bet on the EU. Today, David Cameron will annouce the Tory policy on “renegotiation”. I’ve no doubt that many of the things he asks for from the rest of the EU he’ll get, like scrapping British workers rights. But that won’t be enough for the nutters, who are demanding stuff like allowing national parliaments to overrule bits of EU law they don’t like. They want a “reformed” EU which will, in effect, be just a common market with no social aspect. Cameron won’t be able to deliver on this, because all across Europe are people who actually want to keep these rights.
There’s the big lie right there, where the Tories pretend that they will be able to force the rest of the EU to abandon the social and political sides of Europe. It isn’t going to happen, and then what?
What will the Tories do then? Sabotage the EU? And expect France and Germany to just take it? Don’t be surprised if the Europe question tears the Tories apart two years into government, this time between the moderate “Stay-Iners” and the “Better Off Out!” Gang.
