Fluent Radical

A new David Davis campaign blog is now online, written by the excellent Ian Dale (and DD too, of course). He joins Dr. Fox as the other candidate with a blog.

Taking a break from the Tory party blues to discuss the Anglosphere

Over at Anglosphere
Union Now! they have a fully worked out
constitution
for a United Commonwealth. This would be a federal union
for the commonwealth, which the British monarch would actually have
more power over than she does now over the UK, and all Anglosphere Nations
are joined in a mutual harmony. It’s a fun fantasy.

Slightly unrealistic aspects include:

• Transfer of nuclear weapons to the U.C.
• Power to raise taxes and armed forces.
• Monarchical vetos over legislation, which can only be overridden
  by referenda.

I’m an anglosphere nut, but even I wouldn’t go along with this.

The
Anglosphere Challenge includes an interesting discussion of the
Hanseatic League, a loose federation of medieval city-states in
Germany and the Baltics. This federation eventually failed when it
came into contact with the first prototypes of the nation state.

An updated Hanse, with modern nation states as members, is
a far more viable model for a united Anglosphere than an attempt to
replicate the failed European Union model or even the successful
United States. The EU failed because of a lack of a common demos. So
would a federal Anglosphere Union.

So I’m going to try to put together a competing Anglosphere
Constitution - as another fun fantasy. It will be based around the
ideas of:

• Variable geometry - the institutions of the Union will be
  coalitions of the willing, not just on defence but also trade and any
  other matters.
• No obligations - the Union will impose no obligations on it’s
  members, beyond administrative contributions.
• No joint responsibility - no member of the Union will have to
  accept responsibility over the actions of another.
• It should be a network rather than a heirarchy. Or rather, it
  should be a set of multiple networks. Its place of business will be a
  forum rather than a legislature.

Cameron has a very impressive video on his website. I was with him right up to:

We have to show that there’s a “we” in politics, not just a “me”.

Love to know who wrote that one.

[UPDATE]. On the other hand, this is a damn fine soundbite:

… believing that there is such a thing as society, it’s just not the same thing as the state.

… when Davis has such a dude of a signature:

New series of West Wing is out. I love those American campaign slogans “Bartlet for America”, “Russell for America” etc.

So I did one for Davis:

Is it me, or does David Cameron bear a striking resemblance to Commander Data, the Star Trek android?

Commander Data	David Cameron

Dr. Liam Fox in The Telegraph previously with a soundbite to remember

…sceptical about Europe not because Europe is foreign but because it is not foreign enough, …

This in addition to The Telegraph’s report today that if he becomes leader he will, in December (of this year!) extract the Conservative MEP’s from the EPP group in the European Parliament:

Dr Fox, setting out his stall as the most Eurosceptic of the declared candidates, will promise to set up a new bloc of centre-Right, pro-market, non-integrationist and Atlanticist parties in the European Parliament. It is expected to receive the backing of other centre-Right parties, particularly among the new EU states.

Hmmm… I’m wavering strongly in my Davisitivity.

Check out the neo-con credentials on the man:

He has always supported his friend President Bush and holds up a recent photograph of them with Mr Howard.

I have known Bush for a long time. It was almost embarrassing at a recent conference. He kept telling the other world leaders to ‘listen to Liam’. No one had a clue who he was talking about.
We do Liam!

There had better be some absolutely bloody enormous, millenium-style celebrations planned for the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union in 2007.

Parades, national holidays, weekend long events in all our cities, firework displays everywhere. New buildings. A dome even. But better. And Bigger.

Big big big celebrations I’m thinking here.

Thank goodness that nonsense is over. 61.0% voted in favour of the change, 38.9% against. 66% is the required majority to change the constitution, so it’s done for.

Let’s take party conference to have a good look at the options, then let’s choose David Davis as leader.

Over at toryleadership calls for Maude and Monbiot to step down have begun. Not sure that’s the best plan with party conference in 5 days. But the Chairman and our out-going leader have just been responsible for some of the worst PR the Tory party has received this year. So let’s just blame it all on Howard and ditch him quick.

We’ve wasted four months on this crap. The real work begins now.

When the Conservative Party eventually (this century or next) comes out for withdrawal from the EU, they are going to have to accompany it with a detailed timetable. The markets would be hit enough by this that any uncertainty about the process would be unwise.

Here is a provisional timetable I’ve put together. Please comment on it so we can improve it.

• 0 months:
  
  • Announcement of intention to withdraw.
  • Royal Commission on EU Law established. To report on consequences of EU law lapsing in UK.
• 2 months:
  • Negotiations on final status agreements with EU begin.
  • US trade negotiations begin
  • Commonwealth trade negotiations begin
• 6 months:
  • Royal Commission on EU Law reports.
• 10 months
  • EU trade agreements signed/membership of EFTA confirmed.
  • UK/EU defence cooperation agreements signed.
  • Preliminary footing on trade agreed with major world blocs.
  • USA free trade agreement signed?
  • Australia free trade agreement signed?
• 12 months:
  • Formal withdrawal from Treaties of Rome, Maastricht, Amsterdam, Nice.
  • Repeal of the European Communities Act 1972.
  • Act of Parliament enacting the recommendations of the Commission on EU law.
  • Transition payments to agriculture industry begin.
• 18 months:
  • First Anglosphere Summit held.

Obviously the time frame may be unrealistic. 24 months might be more sensible etc. I’ll keep adding to it as I think of stuff.