Two senior Tories have turned on Cameron over his policy of withdrawal from the EPP.
Lord Patten and Lord Brittan have attacked the alliance with the far-right Polish and Czech parties instead of more mainstream Conservatives within the parliament.
IDS withdrew the Tories from the EPP and Michael Howard took them back again. (Sounds so far like the Grand Old Duke of York). Foxy has been threatening this for years - it was the subject of one of William Hague's junkets to Brussels in early 2006 - but has apparently never actually done anything (sounds familiar). The "BNPski" parties in the Parliament may be less federalist than the Christian Democrats, but the problem for me is that without engaging with Europe, Cameron cannot hope to govern the country effectively. A governing party must be willing to put country before party - as Cameron himself admits in the Telegraph Q&A session he's just done - but this is just taking the party further to the right on all fronts. If the party cannot work with European institutions as they currently are, how do they expect to reform them?
It might not prompt a Southampton moment for Cameron - the focus is not as intently on Europe as it was in 2004 - but it is the first time for many years I've seen Europe cause divisions in the party, and since the attack comes through a major newspaper it might just help expose Foxy as the fraud he is - or it might make him come up with some sensible and concrete policies. We can, perhaps, but hope for either outcome.
A reading, then.
Situation - The Devil, reversed
This has the potential to be a big blow to Cameron, who has done well because he has assembled a going concern in the party and escaped major criticism for so long that I thought the party was dead from the neck downward. The Devil is intensified and his negative effect on proceedings here throws the cat among the pigeons when Cambo can least afford it. Jerrold Donington - my father-confessor of a spiritual counsellor - tells me also that the Devil represents a surprise element. In his reversed form, this is quite shocking indeed.
Appearance to the media - VI Cups, reversed
A gentle consensus is shattered and the Europhiles who supported Michael Howard - indeed, as Owlperson points out, he got more support from the "grandees" (at least those in Major's cabinet) because he was of their generation, whereas IDS and Hague they regarded as mere upstarts - are sharper in tone with Cameron when it comes to the Euro-crunch. Although they have waited until now to make their voices heard, the media may have calculated this point in the campaign allows the maximum effect on polling day without giving Cameron enough time to respond properly to Patten and Brittan's concerns; the media realises this and drops the bomb now rather than in a week's time - or a week ago when Cambo looked stronger on the expenses scandal than he has done since.
Appearance to the public - Knight of Pentacles
It may not matter much, since this card suggests the impact will be limited despite the cool timing, but it does actually start a small, genteel rebellion against Cameron's isolationist policy. The quest here - Knight cards often represent someone adventurous enough to strike out with a general aim in sight, and experiment with - here at least - the public mood - is worthwhile (hence the Pentacles) as the Tories here risk looking unable to govern properly within or with Europe and risk marginalising themselves in the hope that they can remain ideologically pure rather than like a coherent government in waiting. The quest may yet falter, but it is on the move.
Appearance to the Conservative party grassroots - II Swords, reversed
To the grassroots - those outside the Westminster village - the balance has been disrupted again overr the same issue and this is dangerous at a point where the Tories have created a fragile coalition based on ruling the country rather than overruling themselves (or threatening to do so 
- Owlperson). With this balance overturned, things could still get choppy even during and after polling day.
Appearance within the leadership - Death, reversed
This is what the current leadership most feared - that the grandees would not let them promote this agenda because of the desire not to rock the boat prior to the general election. No such luck. They nearly managed it - but not quite. They face the prospect of splits opening in the party at a time at which it is extremely vulnerable over the expenses scandal, with most of the more ridiculous and complicated claims coming from the Tory benches. The leadership is in denial, and this denial needs to be confronted - with all the messy results that manifested in 2004 possible and maybe even likely.
Appearance to the grandees in question - The Lovers, reversed
The situation has got intolerable enough such that the grandees had to overturn the cosy consensus of denial which had built up over Europe. A constructive approach from Michael Howard did not draw their fire and he survived because of it.. Cameron's problem is that in an attempt to manipulate the party into doing his will elsewhere he has had to appease it in this area, not understanding the isolation he would face in Europe as a result. Thus the grandees - government men themselves - have allowed themselves to descend from on high and disrupt the cosy cartel within the party leadership. Another dangerous major arcana trump for Cameron.
Internal appearance and issues within the party itself - The World
Here this card promotes the idea of a certain fate and destiny that the party has to face up to before it can continue along the happy road into government. It is made to face up to what is going on with the European side of these elections, neglected up until now because of the towering expenses inferno. It hits at a bad time - and hits the party where it hurts, or where it should hurt. It allows the party to confront the issue, but the happy side of the World is dragged down by the preponderance of reversed Major Arcana cards in this sequence such as to dent the release and ecstasy that this card normally represents.
Roots of the situation - VII Wands, reversed
The reversed Seven shows issues which, having been left to fester and blindly ignored, have come back to, in common parlance, "bite you on the bum". This was inevitable, but I reckoned it was unlikely because of the dominance of the Tories in the polls. Not so any more. The Tories' lack of discussion on Europe will return to haunt the party again and again until it stops taking the easy way out and acquiescing to the seductive isolationist agenda. It will never regain any sort of power before this issue is dealt with. Period.
Seeds sown by the situation - Page of Pentacles, reversed
Still no succour for anyone involved. This card of growth and genuine "green shoots of recovery" in a reversed aspect means that hard work is wasted - the seeds fall on stony ground. A disruption to the game now undoes three and a half years' worth of precarious balance on this issue because of the overriding idea - "power at any costs". There is no time to reverse the policy, and this leads to a poor harvest in the end.
Advice to Cameron - King of Wands, reversed
There is no time to do anything - the King of Wands, usually so nimble and quick to strike down opposition, is unable to think on his feet on this occasion. Cameron must stand his ground - he can't reverse his policy now. And it may not be enough to do anything very much for his other policies because even Simon Heffer has called them fatuous. With his classic manoeuvrability dented, he must think very hard about what to do next.
Warning to Cameron - King of Swords, reversed
What Cambo says now is crucial - overreaction would see him damaged in public, and underreaction would open wounds regardless of what he really wants. He is cool under pressure - so cool as to be frozen - but this card suggests here he should avoid rash words and avoid a Southampton moment by perhaps allowing the grandees to say their piece and leave the stage. The card, however, carries an ominous warning from his predecessor that it is difficult to escape the debate of Europe for too long and still look like a credible prime minister.
Direction - IX Swords, reversed
This can only get worse. A storm like this can be weathered easily in normal times, but this card is like an impacted tooth - the pain won't go away and won't just be wiggled out of position like one which has just died. This card suggests temporary difficulties becoming more permanent, and pain from this is bound to follow, even after June 4.
Solution - Page of Cups
There is a solution to this, and it is to be accepting of other viewpoints and to resist the temptation to smear or talk down the grandees' concerns. It is incumbent now on Cameron to think about what he is doing and learn to risk his party's wrath by engaging with Europe and saying no to the fascist isolationists who make up his proposed new grouping. Will he do this? Are bears catholic? Does the Pope shit in the woods?
Outcome - Justice, reversed
The issue is not given the consideration it requires, and thus justice here works against those who bury their head in the sand and pretend a fundamental part of Britain's foreign alliances does not exist. The potential of this card is to ruin Cameron's day in another, and potentially devastating manner. Not before time, in my view.
