Fluent Radical

There was a time when the Economist spoke without political bias. It was a voice of authority because it didn’t enter into the political partisanism of the rest of the press, but rather always seemed to be speaking from some distant place where it could observe and report upon Britain without prejudice.

Bagehot throws all that away today.

[Cameron's] only big mistake, made when his campaign was in the doldrums, was to promise to pull Tory members of the European Parliament out of the centre-right, but federalist-inclined, European People’s Party (EPP) grouping. It was a blatant sop to the Europhobe head-bangers who deserve much of the blame for what has gone wrong for the Tories over the past 15 years. [My emphasis]

Leaving aside that it was the Europhiles who destroyed the Tories reputation on the economy, and the fact that Europe is the issue on which the Party is most in tune with voters. Let’s leave aside also that it is the area of greatest conservative success over the last 10 years - advocating withdrawal used to be a fringe sport, now you find it in national newspapers.

No, let’s focus on Bagehot’s obvious belief that Europe is an issue over which reasonable people can’t disagree. If you don’t believe in merging Britain into a European state, you are a head-banger. Eurosceptic means Europhobe, because anyone who worries over the constitutional arrangements of the EU is simply possessed of an unthinking fear of foreigners.

This is wishful thinking from Bagehot. The poor man is losing the argument over Europe, so he’s reduced to ad hominem attacks against his opponents.

Tone it down, guys. If I’m in the market for being attacked I’ll read the Guardian.