Europe and the crisis in the eurozone is obviously big news out there in the real world, but it's going to be interesting to see to what extent it is allowed to penetrate the Manchester-based bubble that is Conservative Party conference. The future of the UK's involvement in the EU is something on which many Conservatives have violent, and violently differing, opinions.

The party's spinners will be working hard to try and keep their themes at the forefront of all the news coverage - they want us to be talking about jobs, growth, and the chance of a Conservative majority at the next election. Intensive discussion of Europe could lead to embarrassing stories about splits that would muddle the message.

To this end, I'm told that members of the Tory Reform Group, who are generally considered to be on the left of the party, have received orders from "on high" that they "mustn't mention the E-word' this conference. They've been assured that it is a "battle for another time", but this is not the time to raise it.

When I interviewed Europe minister David Lidington earlier this year, he made no secret of the fact that he's pretty tired of some of the attitudes within his own party towards his strategy of cautious co-operation with Brussels.

“EU connoisseurs”, he calls them - people like Bill Cash and Douglas Carswell. “One of the things I sometimes find a bit depressing is that you have a debate on Europe and it is the same cast in the chamber.”

Europe is, and will continue to be, an incredibly divisive issue for the party, so it's no surprise that the party leadership is trying to keep some of the more outspoken opinions quiet. Whether they will obey the orders is another matter altogether.

Tags: Conservative conference 2011, Euro, Europe, European Union