A painful week in Suffolk.   My old friend the arthritis arrived with a bang (surprise surprise) and provoked a major attack of the grumps.  Not as major as the one which washed over the serried ranks of the Tory and Unionist party at the mere mention of Europe.  The Daily Pail featured a picture of Davy Boy’s greying tonsure on Monday and I have to say that it certainly did look like a self inflicted wound.   Things must be bad around the shires for that amount of energy to be spent on a vote that wasn’t going to be binding, that the other two party’s were going to trash anyway and was doing very little for the Conservatives credibility amongst ordinary punters struggling to make ends meet.  The most oft comment I heard was along the lines of “Daft! Millions on a referendum and we are cutting all sorts of services already”  It might be politic if the Euro-sceptic Tory Grandees understand that their fixation with rolling back Europe is in danger of becoming yet another arrogant illustration of how to lie in the campaign and ignore the electorate afterwards.

DC might have weathered the storm except for the dithering over where he would be for the Heads of State meeting.  His original travel plans got disrupted badly when it was discovered he was not going to attend.  Then he was.  Then, only attending a part of the meeting – he changed his mind more often than a reluctant virgin on a first date.  But again the luck of the Cameron’s came to his rescue with the great drama of the deal in Brussels, with the Iron Madchen playing a hand that will be seen to be a classic in years to come.  TV screens this morning filled with the Blessed Angela and the odious little dwarf Sarko sailing in such close concert they could have been mistaken for an Franco – German catamaran.  And here lies the nub of today’s offering – where was DC?  In the past, it was always either Blair or Brown with the little velvet Angel and Sarko, where were DC and Gorgeous George?  Not centre stage that was certain. the argument could well be that it was Euro stuff so we didn’t need to be there but ” It is in Britain’s national interest to be influencing here” quoted Mr Osborne at the same time as the Tory rags are proclaiming his warning that we need to beware of a two tier Europe with Britain being relegated to the second tier.  He is wrong, with the inability to manage to project any leadership presence at all Cameron and Osborne have singularly managed to ensure that closer fiscal union and cross border legislation will occur in our country sooner rather than later.  The Euro -Zone will plod forward and move inexorably back into rude financial health with no huge Federal State of Europe ever even being discussed, at least not while there is breath in Chancellor Merkels body.  Laura Keunsberg’s blog postulating the future shape of Europe as a council of creditors is likely to be nearer the truth than the scaremongering of UKIP and the Tory Euro – sceptics.  It will never get smaller and we will never renegotiate the Treaty because it would be too economically destructive to mess with our biggest export market.  And when the next Euro vote comes up in the House in the future, Davy Boy will be left to reflect that it is easier to influence and lead when you are engaged fully, like Mrs T, and not left outside waiting for a taxi to nowhere admiring his own reflection in a very small mirror.