I have a lot of time for local Skipton & Ripon MP David Curry, who is one of the more sensible Tories, at least on Europe. Writing in the Yorkshire Post yesterday, he discusses the prospects for the Conservative party during the UK presidency of the European Council:

"In a nutshell, the Conservatives have been presented with the chance to take part in a real debate about the future of Europe, rather than pursue the comic-style caricatures of the EU with which they have been frightening themselves for the best part of a decade.

"…Because Europe operates by consensus (however hard-won) on major issues, the sooner they are plugged into the network of European centre-right parties, the better. As such, [they] have an opportunity to move from beating their breasts on the fringe of the debate to becoming mature participants. But will they take it? … If David Davis or David Cameron (to pick two names at random) really do believe that the party has got to re-invent itself, then ending the tabloid portrayal of Europe must be part of the process."