It's Europe, stupid

John Redwood writes an interesting post with this title.

The main reason Conservative MPs are rebellious, he writes, is the EU. Many of the issues which anger or annoy Conservative MPs are ones where EU law now "has a considerable impact on what any Minister is allowed to do".

Carbon taxes, renewables and dearer energy, fortnightly bin collections, votes for prisoners, higher spending to fuel the EU budget, bail outs of Euroland countries, immigration rules, human rights requirements for political correctness – all these matters are determined by the EU or are areas where Ministerial action is very circumscribed by the EU or the ECHR.

He sees that "the EU has induced a dishonesty in UK politics over the years". And he lists some inconvenient truths.

Conservatives in the government say they wish to limit immigration. Yet we all know that they cannot impose controls on EU immigration, including migrants from outside the EU who have spent some time in another EU country, unless EU law is changed. The government says it wishes to deregulate industry and commerce, yet much of the regulation is now baked into the European system and cannot be repealed. Ministers say they are establishing a new UK system of financial regulation, yet in reality they are agreeing to the EU undertaking more and more of the controlling functions in financial regulation.

John Redwood gets it, but his commenters get that the anti-EU MPs in the Commons are still a tiny minority. He suggests that

It might be wise ... for the government to amend its rhetoric on issues where the EU is in charge, and admit it.

But there's no sign at all that the government is going to do that, and no political argument is provided which might convince the government to change its ways.

Sadly, Redwood is spitting in the wind. I and many others feel disfranchised. But his leaders (they're not mine) don’t care.

Nonetheless, it's useful every time an MP takes the trouble to set out just what a devious game of concealment the political élite are playing week in, week out.

Bring on citizens' initiatives.