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My Westminster fave remains the well-documented case of Lady Falkender’s two children, born at a time when she was Harold Wilson’s all-powerful political secretary. It was not widely known in that innocent era. But one of the tabloids got as sniff of it and asked its veteran political editor, Walter Terry, to crack the case. Walter, whom I knew slightly, had to report failure. Odd really, but understandable because they turned out to be Walter’s kids.
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Something in the Telegraph site:
Klaus’ most important concern goes to the heart of the problem with most of our political class. Poll after poll tells us that the British people do not want to be signed up to the Lisbon treaty, that if there was that referendum we were promised then the result would be a resounding no. Polls with a slightly different question, should we leave the EU altogether, also show a majority in favour of leaving the integrationists to their own devices. We’ll be quite happy trading with everyone, co-operating where necessary and desirable, but we don’t want to be part of this political union: the only form of Europe that is currently on offer. The majority are eurosceptics but unfortunately most politicians disagree with their own voters.
President Klaus, in the meeting we had this week, pointed out why. For example, David Cameron, in common with all too many others, is too worried about being “popular amongst politicians”. There’s a groupthink that the answer to any and every question is more Europe. Even if the people vote no, as the French, Dutch and Irish have done, then they must be asked again until they give the correct answer. The political classes do not think that they are there to do as the people want; the aim is to get the people to do as the politicians want.