THE Liberal Democrats adopted a marginally more sceptical line towards the EU yesterday, saying its position was not "uncritical".
The Liberal Democrats have long prided themselves that they alone have a clear position of support for the EU.
But Mr Charles Kennedy, the party's European affairs spokesman, told the conference yesterday: "Ours is a committed, constructive Europeanism. It is not uncritical. It would be deficient if that was the case. But it is unambiguous in terms of where we're coming from and where we want to arrive at.
"Our concept is of a concept of a Europe more decentralised, more diverse and more democratic."
At a fringe meeting, Mr Nick Harvey, the party's spokesman on the Department of Trade and Industry, expressed concern about a single European currency. He said a key objective was for the EU to expand to the east, taking in former Communist countries.
The danger was that the criteria for entry toe monetary union would make it impossible for many of those countries, with developing economies, to join, he said.
"We must not allow this project to become such an obsession that it is used as a device, by accident or design, to stop other countries coming in," he said.
Mr Harvey referred later to Britain being forced out of the European exchange rate mechanism in 1992. "Where the hell would our economy be now. It does not bear thinking about," he said.
Part of the scepticism in the party reflects a view in the party that its overly enthusiastic support for the EU is playing badly with the electorate, especially in the west country, where the Liberal Democrats have high hopes of gaining seats.
Another Liberal Democrat MP said privately that the party's position remained basically the same, that it believed wholeheartedly in the single currency, unlike Labour and the Conservatives.
Mr Kennedy, in his speech, ridiculed the Conservatives. "One day, the Foreign Secretary warns that a single European currency would be divisive. Two days later, the Chancellor of the Exchequer warns that to rule out UK participation in the steps towards a single European currency would be an act of sheer folly."
"So what is the collective Cabin net position? Well, to bring these two attitudes together, one assumes that you end up with a stance which states: `We should not rule out the opportunity of contributing to a process which could lead to greater division within the European Union'."
He added: "Malcolm Rifkind and Kenneth Clarke are to successful Conservative harmony what Liam and Noel Gallagher are to sustained American touring, with John Major playing a poor Patsy Kensit role in the middle, protesting that it's not his fault."
. The party leader, Mr Paddy Ashdown, is expected to use his keynote speech today to portray the Liberal Democrats as the party of "true patriotism", claiming that Mr John Major and the Conservatives have abused the real meaning of patriotism.