Arrogant Mr Patten
Front Mr Tim Congdon Sir: Unlike Christopher Patten (Letters, 3 May), I do not regard Britain's future position in Europe as a matter of musichall entertainment. My article ('The dawning of a new Europe, 19 April) recommended that the UK should disengage from further political integration with the existing European Union and seek an enlarged customs union to embrace all of Europe, including those states that do not belong to the EU. It was intended as a serious contribution to a debate which has been made urgent by Giscard d'Estaing's convention on a European constitution.
On 28 April. the Daily Telegraph published the results of its latest YouGov opinion poll. The largest group, representing 30 per cent of the total, favoured
'a less integrated Europe than now, with the EU amounting to little more than a free trade area'. Fifteen per cent wanted 'complete British withdrawal from the EU', while 19 per cent were happy with 'the situation more or less as it is now' and 7 per cent were 'don't know'. So — for over half of those people with a definite opinion — either they supported the customs union that I proposed or they wanted the UK out of the EU altogether. A mere 6 per cent supported 'a fully integrated Europe, with all major decisions taken by a European government'.
I am glad that Mr Patten — one of the UK's European commissioners — wrote his letter. It was as arrogant in its attitude to British opinion as it was flippant in tone towards my article. May I make a suggestion to Mr Patten? It is that he writes a heavyweight article for The Spectator about this hugely important subject, instead of a silly letter about music-hall traditions, copyright problems and Lord Black's title. May I ask that Mr Patten tells us exactly how many of the convention's constitutional proposals he supports and, if so, why they are such a good thing for Britain?
Tim Congdon London SW1
Previous page
