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Kaminski: the pressure builds

Evidence keeps on coming

For months now I have been covering the Tories' new friends in the European Parliament, and especially the friendship with Michal Kaminski. Anyone interested in the row over Kaminski, who leads the group to which the Tories now belong in Europe, should have read the comprehensive investigation into him by Toby Helm in this week's Observer.

It is also worth listening to Helm's phone conversation with Kaminski, in which Kaminski "cannot remember where he was on the day in 2001 that the Polish government apologised for the 1941 murder of hundreds of Jews in Jedwabne".

As Helm says on his blog today:

The Tories have big problems now in defending Michał Kamiński, their leader in the European Parliament. I have noticed, as the evidence floods in about him (and it really is flooding in), that they have stopped accusing those who have been taking a good look at him as pedlars of Labour smears.

The latest developments come amid signs of increasing frustration in the David Cameron camp around the issue of the Tories' alliances in Europe, alliances encouraged so strongly by his shadow foreign secretary, William Hague. There was an intriguing but under-noticed line in Cameron's speech to Conservative conference last week -- a speech in which Cameron did not mention the party's controversial European alliances once -- that may indicate an attempt to distance himself from Hague. Cameron, after all, described Hague as "the man who is leading our campaign for a referendum" on the Lisbon Treaty. Isn't that Cameron himself?

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8 comments from readers

Joe
12 October 2009 at 19:35

Surely the bigger crime here is Labours revolting decision not to honour their promise of a referendum? At least the Tories are in tune with the public with that. While Labour know it can not win the arguement so denies them a vote. Pathetic.

undercoveragent
12 October 2009 at 20:13

The right wing echo chamber has gone suddenly silent on this issue. Where are all the usual voices deriding macintyre. he was right on this one.

Gavin
12 October 2009 at 20:21

Well under cover agent, it is probably because eveyone is bored with particular smear campaign. Well done to the Tories for getting a grouping together in the EU that is in Britains interests and in line with public opinion on Europe.

Samuelsdale
12 October 2009 at 21:04

It is a scandal that the Tories associate with such homophobic, nationalist extremists. Cameron can not keep ignoring this association and the Tories can not keep dismissing criticism as Labour smears.

Keep pushing them on this until Cameron gives answers.

Gavin - I can not think of a policy that is less in Britain's interest than isolation in Europe. Being at the heart of Europe gives Britain more international influence than it could possibly exercise alone.

Gavin
12 October 2009 at 21:10

Samualdale. I am 100% behind co-operation but the EU is heading in the wrong direction. It top downed, centralising is outdated model. Too much power has been handed over and this is not acceptable while there is such a democratic deficit. Poll after poll has shown that the British public do not want more integration. The last time we had a vote was in the 70's. We should have a vote on Lisbon so we stop the EU jugganaut and hopefully mould it into some thing that the people actually want. What are people scared of?

Ross
13 October 2009 at 01:47

Simply repeating exactly the same assertions again and again after they have been refuted doesn't count as new evidence coming in.

firsttimer
13 October 2009 at 09:09

Ross,

tell that to Gavin.

Gavin
13 October 2009 at 09:12

First timer - i do apolgise for pointing out a few facts. If you don't have an point , why bother posting?

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