The Mask Slips

Last week there was Andy Lansley's clarification about real-terms spending versus actual spending; this week Daveybloke has been doing his international statesman thing, expelling from the party an MEP who sabotaged a grubby little deal to make Michal Kaminski vice-president of Daveybloke's Cuddly Coalition in Europe. Despite claiming that "they can take me out of the Conservative party. But they cannot take the Conservative out of me", the MEP has tarnished his party's good name by claiming that Kaminski has "antisemitic, homophobic and racist links", and implying that such things are somehow objectionable. He believes that Daveybloke has "got it right on domestic policy" (austerity, family values, police rah rah); but feels that Daveybloke's European policy leaves something to be desired. Daveybloke's European policy so far has been to state that he will "not let matters rest" and then to let matters rest. Still, since New New Labour has been considerate enough to continue losing the next election, Daveybloke's Cuddly Conservatives are no doubt justified in their belief that they need not worry too much about whether their affably grinning, two-dimensional latex false face with optional dead-baby attachment is really doing all that good a job of protecting the true face of the party - sloping forehead, slavering jaws, beady little eyes and all - from the public gaze.