If you are Eurosceptic, Climate Sceptic and centre right? Then join UKIP says Tory Chairman

BBC Derby interviewed the Tory Chairman, Baroness Warsi this morning and asked her about the Roger Helmer defection to UKIP.


It became very clear that she was less than displeased with his joining UKIP,

"In light of the views that he has had over the last few years, I feel that it is no surprise that he has gone, and it may well be that his views are more in tune with the Parety he has now chosen to join".

Which has the benefit of being honest, and gives a clear message. If you are a small state, liberally minded Eurosceptic, who is worried by the Climate Change agenda, by the growth of our aid budget and the reams of regulation strangling businesses both large and small.


Then it is OK by the Tory party if you come and join us, indeed, they think you really ought to.

That has to hurt

The latest furore swirling around Roger Helmer has thrown up an interesting aspect.

He is being knifed by his East Midlands Conservative MEP colleague Emma McClarkin.

Which must hurt, as Ms McClarkin's entire political career is predicated on her being his erstwhile assistant and her excellent relations with her predecessor in the East Midlands Tory MEP berth Chris Heaton-Harris.

Both of those gentlemen did all they could to help get the nomination for the second slot on the Tory East Midland's list.

"I want to make it absolutely clear that I wish to distance myself from Mr Helmer's comments. This is clearly not the view of the Conservative Party or the UK delegation in the European Parliament, nor do they reflect the intent of Ken Clarke's comments".

Roger had been his normal forthright self, maybe ill-advised,

Another asked whether he believes that an offender may act against their victim's will simply because the victim decides to share a bed with them.

Mr Helmer replied: "It is naive for a woman to undress and get into a man's bed and not expect him to draw the obvious conclusion."

Hard to argue the rationality of his point, but impossible to defend.

What is Helmer doing?

It is worth wandering over to CoHome to read Roger Helmer's posting.

It shows the knots that the University of East Anglia is tying itself into in order to defend the indefensible activities of its Climate Change Unit revealed by the leak of the Climate Change emails. And a good read it is too. But what I find even more interesting is the company that Roger is keeping in a very public way.

The two in question are Lord Monckton, and Stuart Agnew. That is the UKIP deputy leader and the local UKIP MEP. Or as Roger rather coyly puts it,

Deputy Leader of the party that came in second place in the 2009 euro-elections

and

I decided to invite, on my own initiative, another MEP, Stuart Agnew of Eastern Region.

Roger accuses the UAE of being the new Climate deniers, in that he has a point, but is this proximity to Ukipery, also a love that dare not speak it's name?