Sniping from the sidelines

Paitence Wheatcroft, in the business section of The Times today, comments on Marta Andreason's little talk in London yesterday, on behalf of the "Yes-noes", led by the Lord High Chief Executive of "Vote No", the famous Alex Hickman.

Writes Ms Wheatcroft, Andreason is a heroine to the supporters of the "Vote No" campaign, "as she should be to all who are interested in what happens to their tax money."

Well, not according to David Bamber, who was present at the meeting, and posted an e-mail on the Eurorealist discussion group when he got back. "I have just been to a 'No Campaign' meeting with Marta Andreasen speaking," he wrote:

I regret to inform you that Richard North is right (once again). The "No Campaign" is a pro-membership group operating on the pretext of "Reformation of the EU". (If only they knew what Reformation meant!). So I am afraid that they are really not our sort of people.

However, I did try to keep our end up by asking the question, "What changes to the EU do you envisage would justify the UK's continued membership of the EU." The answer was a fudge. Something about accounting procedures... When asked whether she was optimistic of success, she said that she would keep her opinions on that matter private.

Bamber concluded that, rather than having a "No" campaign, it looks more like we have "no campaign".

Certainly, the Andreason line chimes with what my colleague heard from the famous Hickman earlier in the evening, that the "no campaign" is gravitating towards a "reform" prospectus, preparatory to ditching their divisive "Yes to Europe..." slogan.

So it looks as if we could see plastered on the billboards: "Reformation yes, Constitution no". Now there's a message to die for.