Graham's blog Friday 13 March 2009

Published on Fri 13th Mar 2009

So, the UK Tories have now formally told their continental counterparts that they will leave the conservative-christian democrat European People's Party. In so doing they will be the only major party in any EU member state not to belong to one of the EU's major political family groupings. Liberal Democrats could seize upon this move with glee: but that would be to overlook the damage it could do to Britain, especially if the Tories get back into government. Deals are struck before EU summits in the political family meetings: an isolated national party would have very little influence in matters which could be crucial to our national interests.

Fortunately, the current UK government takes a rather more pragmatic approach. EU affairs minister Caroline Flint was in Strasbourg this week: on Tuesday I discussed with her progress on the Working Time Directive and other matters. On Thursday the political group leaders welcomed an offer from Gordon Brown to come and address Parliament on 24 March to debate preparations for the G20 summit. And day in day out our government, directed by the dashing diplomat Sir Kim Darroch, wins most of its battles in the Council of Ministers.

Romania joined Hungary and Latvia this week in asking its EU partners for help. Three billion euros have been made available to Latvia and six and a half billion to Hungary. Thankfully there is still money available in the EU's 25 bn euro balance of payments support mechanism to help the Romanians.

One thing which disturbs me at present is the blythe and widely held assumption that if only we extend the mandate of the current European Commission by two months the Irish will vote Yes and the next Commission can be ushered into office just eight weeks behind schedule on the basis of a new treaty. It is not only the Irish who have failed thus far to ratify, however; three other countries have not yet completed the process. I spoke this week to five EU affairs ministers (UK, Ireland, Sweden, Czech Republic and Netherlands) and told them I believe it recklessly cavalier to build a house of cards solution when we may be in the depths of an economic crisis.

Parliament voted this week to improve the EU law on freedom of information; but we are locked in a dispute with the member states, most of which want jealously to guard their secrets, and a Commission afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Members also voted to close the debate on Tibet with a resolution sharply critical of China, against the wishes of the leaders of the two main parties who are increasingly susceptible to Chinese diplomatic pressure. It was a victory for my group and for the Greens, who insisted on putting the matter to a vote on the floor of the house.

I spoke on Wednesday morning in the debate on the economy ahead of next week's 'summit' meeting of our heads of state and government. I told Commission and Council that we all know what needs to be done - government simply has to get on with it. For my speech see http://tinyurl.com/b57w9z .

My campaign for the EP Presidency was again boosted this week, this time by an announcement by the European People's Party that they will not choose their candidate until after the European elections. The reason: they have two contenders and will not risk division in their ranks by a public contest at their forthcoming conference in Warsaw. By chance I saw the two gentlemen concerned at a leaving reception for parliament's secretary general; they were standing three feet apart listening to the speeches and I simply could not resist the temptation to stride up to them, shake each vigorously by the hand and plant myself between them in front of three or four hundred onlookers.

Last night I returned from Strasbourg to Brussels to speak at the launch of a book by former Tory MEP and financier John Stevens, now a Liberal Democrat. 'Ten years of the Euro: new perspectives for Britain' is a serious study by leading experts about how the UK would be better off joining the single currency.

Today I am in Scotland to address the Scottish LibDem conference in Perth; tomorrow I'll be in Gloucestershire to speak to Lib Dems there. My message to both will be similar: in an uncertain world we are stronger together in the EU with partners who share our values; and in current circumstances we can again be guided by that great twentieth century Liberal internationalist John Maynard Keynes.