Douglas Carswell's Blog

A good day for Britain. A bad one for Sir Humphrey

The news from Brussels is good.

We obviously need to watch the small print and be on our guard for an fudge. But the idea of a new separate Euroland arrangement, which does not involve us, opens the way to a Swiss-type relationship with the Eurozone.

Potentially, this is very exciting.

However, this is a disaster for the Whitehall mandarins who have advised successive governments. They this week urged ministers to make a deal at far too high a price. They urged British approval in return for little more than a vague opt out on some parts of financial regulation. Yet even that was unacceptable to Merkozy.

This is a massive defeat for the Europhile Whitehall mandarinate. It opens up the scope for us to finally have a Europe policy that is made in the national interest - not just in Whitehall. Time for some new advisers, perhaps?

Sir Humphrey's defeat is Britain's gain.

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