The Business of understanding

A superb editorial in The Business today argues that the European Union is beyond reform.

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This is matched by an article by Nigel Robert Wilson on "how the textiles tariff row has hit my business," pointing out how ignorant are the EU commission bureaucrats on the ways of business.

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Meanwhile, the op-ed tells of how "EU and Brown red tape could kill off the city".

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The Sunday Telegraph offers a damaging story about how Peter Mandelson, at the height of the textiles crisis, with firms going into bankruptcy, is sunning himself in Italy, enjoying his new-found status as a tranzi VIP.

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Daniel Hannan comes out and says we should quit the EU, while Ross Clark writes a stunning piece on the European meltdown.

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The Times joins in the chorus of criticism of Mandelson, complete with an editorial, while the Europhile Observer is mute, as is the Sunday Independent, as they always tend to be whenever their beloved EU is under fire.

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Taken in the round, anti-EU sentiment is now leading the field, clearly demonstrating that public opinion is swinging against the EU project.

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So where are the Tory politicians, and especially the leadership candidates? All we get is a wet interview from David Cameron who the Sunday Telegraph mysteriously describes as a "Eurosceptic". Mr Cameron thinks that Clarke is evidently hoping that Europe will not be a big issue in the leadership, but begs to differ. "It is an important issue in our time, getting Britain's relationship right with Europe.

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We have done better by staying out of the euro," he says. "Getting Britain's relationship right with Europe". Is that all he has to offer? Clearly so !

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In all these articles there is no mention of Britain's largest Business organizationn, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), highlighting to the media the damage that the European Union is doing to Britain's Small business community. In fact in the North East of England the FSB's regional policy committee is, by its own admission, spending most of their time intergrating into the EU Government system. They are clearly unable (if indeed they understand the need ) to lobby effectively on salient issues on behalf of those they represent.

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Time was when politicians led, voters followed and business pressure groups applied pressure.

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Now, they have to be dragged kicking and screaming into following public opinion and understanding the realities of modern British political issues.