Janus Faced

As a general rule I am very pro-European - and would probably have supported joining the Euro years ago - in the early stages of the 1999 Labour government.

At that time Tony Blair had a landslide majority and was clearly up for much closer links with Europe - but he was thwarted by his then chancellor - Gordon Brown - who used Britain's potential entry to the Euro as a means of continuing his long-running feud with the Prime Minister.

Ironically Gordon Brown is now hailed as a hero by the very politicians he despises most - right wing Tory MPs with a little-Englander mentality.

But if the UK had joined the Euro ten years ago - things might now look very different - because at the time Gordon Brown promised an end to boom and bust - and his favourite watchword on all financial matters was 'prudence'.

How times change.

Because the Tories are now the champions of prudence and the need for all countries to live within their means - while positively rejecting a dash for economic growth built on mountains of unsustainable debt.

That basic approach - the need for prudential investment and tighter financial regulation - is now shared by all major economies across Europe - most of whom have right of centre governments.

Yet its strongest advocate - the UK government - is on the outside looking in because the anti-Europe/Euro sceptic message has such a firm grip on much of middle England.

The most ardent Euro sceptic Tory MPs at Westminster may be bonkers - but there seems little doubt that they represent the jaundiced views of a majority of their constituents.

If a referendum on a major European treaty change were to be held now - the No votes would surely win - which says as much about the Lib Dems and Labour as it does about the Tories.

Which is why I think it's hypocritical of Nick Clegg to come off the fence today - after the event - and criticise the use of the UK veto in Brussels - when for all this time they've all been running scared of the political fall-out from the Eurozone crisis.

To my mind the Lib Dem leader is being two faced - Janus faced - in pretending that he can look both ways at the same time.

So too is the Labour leader - Ed Miliband - who was of course one of Gordon Brown's allies at the Treasury for years.