Osbourne and Gordo agree on something

[Pondlife]

Mash on top of the issues again.

"Meanwhile, I and the rest of the government will focus all our energies on making sure Britain once again leads the world in payment protection insurance."

[DodgyAgent]

"Meanwhile, I and the rest of the government will focus all our energies on making sure Britain once again leads the world in payment protection insurance."

[Doggy Styles]

Someone somewhere said that the only way the euro could work would be to turn the Italians, Greeks, French and the rest of the eurozone into Germans.

[OwlHoot]

The Chancellor compared France to Italy, Greece and Portugal, which have already been hit by the financial turmoil, and warned that it was having to make tough decisions about public spending.

Mr Osborne disclosed that his European counterparts were “terrified” by their debt situation but insisted that Britain was in a relatively strong position as plans to cut Government spending were already well advanced.

Last week, French debt prices rose sharply and Gordon Brown, the former prime minister, warned that the country risked being “picked off” in the coming weeks.

For "mainstream" UK politicians to be as forthright as this about EU matters in public, there must be an unbelievable load of gyp going on behind the scenes, probably with France desperately demanding absurd amounts of funds from the UK and/or impossible concessions such as the UK agreeing to full tax harmonisation etc.

We don't know the half of it, or even a small fraction. So let's hope (rather forlornly) that Cameron and co hold their nerve.