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Julian Cole

Euro-basher Hague woos Tory sulkers

An almost anonymous correspondent makes contact in a letter of some indignation. So firmly was the writer holding their Biro that there must exist on a desk somewhere a perfect impression of every cross word.

The cause of this annoyance was Europe and William Hague, with the writer being not at all in favour of one but firmly behind the other. On the envelope my new friend graced me with the title 'political columnist', which was nice. This has always struck me as a 'what shall I write about this week' sort of a column, though it is true that politics is often thrown into the pot.

The trouble with writing about politics is that you have to be sneaky, coating a little distracting sugar on what to some is a boring pill. For if you begin by declaring that this week the topic is William Hague's stance on Europe, it is possible that more readers will begin that opening sentence than will finish it. And those who remain are likely to write you rude letters.

My new pen-pal, identifiable only by a three-letter signature, concludes with the sentiment "sod Blair - think for yourself, lad". The implication that this column is in thrall to the prime minister may surprise some, because Blair baiting is an occasional sport in these parts. But how refreshing to be called 'lad' - that hasn't happened in a while.

William Hague's fresh assault on Europe has about it a suggestion of pip-squeak nationalism, but the Tory leader appears to be convinced that bashing Europe is a winning strategy.

And he may just be right, though it would be comforting to believe that the ranting xenophobes who think that civilisation stops just the other side of Dover were actually now on the decline.

Perhaps the small-minded, foreigner-disliking sulks of middle England still are numerous enough to mass behind Hague's cause. And there are votes to be had in thinking small, though many of the most fervent Eurosceptics tend to be elderly, which doesn't stop them making a noise - but it does mark them out as a naturally declining sector.

The opinion polls, so often false comforters, offer contrasting snapshots of Hague's immediate success. A Mori poll carried out for last Saturday's Sun indicated a "whopping six per cent leap" in Tory support after Mr Hague's party turn in Blackpool. Whether or not six per cent is a whopper is open to debate, and it is worth remembering that the Sun is returning to its Euro-hating ways.

On Tuesday, the Express, increasingly liberal these days, carried an NOP survey offering a gloomier picture and indicating that 56 per cent of voters would be less likely to vote Tory because of Hague's stance on Europe. This fact was thought to justify the headline Hague Euro Own Goal. I would be happy to think this was so, because Britain is surely better off in Europe instead of glowering off-shore, but Hague may well surprise us yet.

Another, equally likely outcome is that Hague will turn his already unattractive party into a single issue cause with little to say on anything other than Europe.

Mind you, the sight of Tony Blair sharing a pro-European platform with Tory grandees Michael Heseltine and Kenneth Clarke was unsettling. For when opposing politicians pretend to sink their differences, you always wonder if the truth has gone down with the ideological wreckage.

As I've never been to the National Centre for Popular Music in Sheffield, I can't offer an informed opinion, but I can guess why visitor numbers are disappointing.

A museum sounds like it takes the fun out of pop music, which is anyway an odd art to pin down. For much pop music is fleeting and ephemeral, heard today and gone tomorrow. Only the better songs haunt the mind and they don't need a museum to keep them alive.

21/10//99

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.