McMillan-Scott: sacked for speaking out against isolation

By Julian Ware-Lane / @warelane

Michal Kaminski is a Polish MEP, a member of the Law and Justice Party. He is described by Daniel Hannan as “the closest thing to a British Tory outside the Carlton Club.” This contrasts somewhat with other commentators views, including those on the right.

Not all Conservatives share Mr Hannan adulation either. Edward McMillan-Scott found Mr Kaminski unsuitable for the role as vice-President of Conservatives and Reformist Party group and stood against him (and won). His reward was expulsion from the Conservative Party.

Mr McMillan-Scott was uncomfortable with his party’s decision to remove itself from the mainstream of European politics and place itself within a fringe grouping. That this fringe contains extremists with alarming views speaks volumes about the present Conservative Party.

Actions speak louder than words. Daniel Hannan can run-down the National Health Service and describe it as a “sixty year mistake“. His punishment? – he was called an “eccentric” by his party’s leader.

Oppose someone whose views border on homophobia and one is treated more robustly.

That Daniel Hannan’s views are deemed more acceptable than Edward McMillan-Scott’s to CCHQ is obvious. Does this square with Conservative attempts to re-brand themselves as compassionate? Does it also make the Conservative Party look like an organisation capable of accommodating alternate views and voices?

Clearly, if one’s eccentricity leads one to rubbish public healthcare provision then this causes barely a ripple amongst the restaurant-trashing Etonian elite that dominates today’s Tories. Dare to suggest that a grouping that includes right-wing fringe parties with policies that can most kindly be described as eyebrow-raising – that’s beyond the pale.

I do not see compassion, tolerance or inclusion in any of the Conservative Party’s European partners. I see the reverse. This is a clear warning sign – David Cameron sees his party as sitting comfortably with extremists and will get rid of those who question it.