Conservative Party joins new Right Wing Coalition in the European Parliament

In their drive to distance themselves from the main right of centre European People's Party, the UK Conservative Party has joined a new grouping in the European Parliament. During the recent European election hustings in London, one of the Conservative candidates said that the EPP was "too confessional",i.e. that it believed in a European federalist agenda and therefore that the Tories had to go into the wilderness and find new allies. Well now they have and some of those allies are very strange indeed. This confirms what many said during the election campaign and also what several questioners have raised during TV programmes such as 'Question Time' when Kenneth Clarke, for example, looked tortured last week when trying to address the issue.

All of this begs the question of whether 'the nasty party' remains such and if David Cameron's shiny new coat of paint is just covering up the same old habits - rampant homophobia, xenophobia and various other forms of bigotry and prejudice. Peter Tatchell of the Green Party gives his take on the latest developments below. As the old proverb goes "Birds of a feather fly together."

Tories ally with anti-gay Polish MEPS

New Euro alliance is an insult to Jewish, gay and women voters

London – 22 June 2009

“The modern, liberal image that David Cameron has been trying to cultivate is seriously damaged by his decision to team up with Poland’s homophobic Law and Justice Party (PiS),” said human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.

“This party has strong links with the misogynistic and anti-Semitic Catholic radio station, Radio Maryja.”

Mr Tatchell was commenting on the formation of the new political bloc in the European Parliament, which includes British Conservatives and the Polish Law and Justice Party.

“Jewish, gay and women voters will be appalled to see the Tories cooperating with such a nasty, bigoted party. It calls into question the sincerity of David Cameron’s professed conversion to progressive Conservatism,” said Mr Tatchell.

See this news story about the prejudiced policies of the PiS:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/02/david-cameron-alliance-polish-nationalists

http://www.petertatchell.net/

You can follow Peter on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PeterTatchell or join the Peter Tatchell Human Rights Campaign Facebook group at http://tinyurl.com/cj9y6s

Peter Tatchell is the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Oxford East www.greenoxford.com/peter and http://www.petertatchell.net/