Number Ten concerned by 'Nazi' depiction of Merkel

IT IS COMING to something when Tories complain about jingoism in the Daily Mail. But the fact is, there is alarm within the Government at Nazi comparisons over the moves by Angela Merkel to seek political union in the eurozone countries.

Tim Montgomery of the ConservativeHome website has tweeted this morning to complain about a Richard Littlejohn column in the Mail headlined 'Springtime for Merkel' with a cartoon showing the German Chancellor in Nazi uniform.  

With David Cameron flying to Berlin today to meet Merkel, Littlejohn casts the PM as Neville Chamberlain seeking appeasement with Hitler in 1938.

The article is accompanied by a spoof song with these lines: "Springtime for Merkel and Germany, riots in Lisbon and Spain, Berlusconi is toppled in Italy, and Deutschland is rising again."

As Montgomery asks, "Will Britain ever stop using WWII imagery when we discuss Germany?"

Monty's concerns are shared inside Number Ten. Cameron's worry is that he could well find more Tory MPs agreeing with the Mail if he comes back with a “piece of paper” saying we do not have to hold a referendum because the UK is not involved. He has promised a referendum if power is taken away from the UK.

The alarm is increased today by a leaked German document in The Daily Telegraph detailing a plan to derail any British referendum on EU membership.

The six-page German foreign ministry paper sets out proposal for the creation of a European Monetary Fund with a transfer of sovereignty away from member states by empowering the EMF to take ailing countries into receivership and run their economies.
 
The document, titled The future of the EU: required integration policy improvements for the creation of a Stability Union, declares that the treaty changes are a first stage “in which the EU will develop into a political union”.

But Merkel wants it to be ratified by the UK without a referendum. “Limiting the effect of the treaty changes to the eurozone states would make ratification easier, which would nevertheless be required by all EU member states (thereby less referenda could be necessary, which could also affect the UK),” reads the paper.

Cameron had better get his tin hat on when he gets back. He will face plenty of flak. ·