It’s a fairly esoteric topic, to be sure, but it’s still disappointing to see John McCain getting involved in European conservative politics and getting things quite so wrong. Yesterday’s FT has the details (complete with predictable Brussels slant):

“David Cameron has been criticised by a senior US Republican senator over his decision to pull the Conservative party out of the main centre-right political group in Europe…Behind Mr McCain’s comments is a fear in Republican circles that Mr Cameron’s strategy could isolate the Tories from the centre-right political mainstream in Europe..”

McCain’s argument appears to be that the Tories would be more influential within that group, the so-called EPP, than outside it, and thus might be in more of a position to derail some of the EU’s more intrusive and over-bearing legislation. It’s a nice theory, but unfortunately not one that has much resemblance to reality. What the FT describes as ‘center-right’ is, more precisely, a traditional (continental) Christian Democratic grouping, interventionist, “Beltway”, out-of-touch (hmm, all this sounds a little familiar), and dedicated to the proposition that the EU should move in the direction of ever deeper integration, something, of course, that would be profoundly damaging to US interests. That’s not something that the British Conservatives have been able to change, nor will they be able to do so in future. They should get out now, and try to change the terms of the European debate honestly, openly and forthrightly. Yes, that would make a change, and, yes, it’s a long shot – but it’s better than surrender.

Next time, Senator, do a little homework.