Common Concerns

Simon Hughes abstained rather than vote in favour of Maastricht. And he probably believes that if the Parliament of the United Kingdom cannot restrict the working of the poor into the ground without reference to any supranational body, then there is no point in having either it or, therefore, the parties that seek election to it. If so, then he is entirely correct.

Of the big two, of course, Labour has of course always been the more Eurosceptical, really. A tradition valiantly upheld on the floor of the House today against William Hague by Kelvin Hopkins and Ian Davidson. And at least apart from the aberration under a classic Edwardian Liberal businessman-councillor's daughter who was not really a Tory or a conservative at all, the Conservatives have always been more Arabist (and more sceptical about alliance with America) than Labour has been in Government rather than in Opposition.

The posher the Tories, the more Arabist (and Americosceptic) they have been, and remain. This Government is very, very posh indeed. And this week's events are usefully flushing out the arrivistes. Douglas Murray's mask has already slipped. Whose will be next? I am taking bets on Andrew Roberts. But the long-vacant Conservative Co-Chairmanship of CAABU should not now be difficult to fill. On the contrary, there should be quite a scramble for so obvious a way to get on. You see, not all social climbing is bad.