Time Was When Tories Prided Themselves On Being Realists...

First, both Jon in the comments on The Fantasy of Tory Euroscepticism, and several people by email, have taken me to task over whether the Major Government, if it had been re-elected, would have joined the Euro. Jon in particular points out that the Tories campaigned on Ken Clarke's economic record in 1997, and lost. Well, yes, they did indeed campaign on Clarke's record. And had they won, then they would have won on that record.

So Clarke would have been kept on as Chancellor (and might well have become Prime Minister at some point during or after that Parliament), and Britain would have joined the Euro on the votes of the Tory Europhiles (who would have remained quite numerous if the Tories had won in 1997, and even today are more so than is often reported) and "Good Company Men", of the Labour Europhiles, and of almost all the Lib Dems. Just like Maastricht, in fact.

A few Tories would have voted against, rather a lot would have abstained (but not enough to make any difference), Nick Harvey would have been joined in the No lobby by Simon Hughes (who abstained over Maastricht) and maybe by one or two others, and a large cohort of Labour MPs have voted against. Again, just like Maastricht.

Indeed, it is quite possible that there would have been a Labour three-line whip against, broken only by a few Eurofanatics. That almost happened over Maastricht, too.

Secondly, some people are still convinced that the views of Tory activists or core voters matter in all of this. They simply do not: the Tory Great and Good have never even pretended to care what such people thought about this or anything else, and Cameron now positively defines himself by opposition to them and to their opinions. In any case, just think of all the things that Labour activists want or believe in. And then try and think of anything very much at all done by this Government. I feel that the point is made.

And thirdly, The Henry Jackson Society, committed (as all neoconservatives are) to a unified European defence "capability" under overall American command, includes Michael Gove, Ed Vaizey, David Willetts, David Ruffley, Michael Ancram, David Trimble, and numerous people likely to become MPs for safe Tory seats next time.

The Tories are the biggest Eurofederalists of them all. They always have been. If you are not a Eurofederalist, then get real about the Conservative Party (and, up to enough of a point, the Labour Party). And get out of it.