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Europe after the voting
As the dust settles after the general election campaign, the Liberal Democrats find themselves one up in East Anglia (North Norfolk) and with a greatly increased majority in Colchester. Our share of the poll also increased, which brings comfort to all Lib Dem Euro-MPs, like myself, who are elected on the basis of proportional representation.
Europe surfaced in the campaign in somewhat dramatic form. First we had William Hague's 'twelve days to save the pound', a tactic that looked then and afterwards proved to be a suicide bid. Then we had Tony Blair's one and only 'Europe can be good for you' speech, followed by days of public agonising by Labour bigwigs about how European they really dared to be. I fear that a widespread public desire to have a reasonable debate about Britain's European future remains unsatisfied.
Depending on which pundit you pick, the prospect of a referendum on the euro may or may not be closer. For my part, I hope that the prime minister will indeed tip us into a great foment of argument about what currency will be best for Britain in the long term. Further, prolonged indecision about sterling will exacerbate its volatility, already beginning to bounce like a ping-pong ball between the giant footballs of the euro and the dollar.
On the same day as the general election, when the British public had voted overwhelmingly for Europe, we also had the result of Ireland's referendum on the Treaty of Nice. There are many good reasons for voting against Nice, but the Irish seemed to have found few of them. What the No amounted to was a round defeat for the Irish political system, a vote against sleaze-ridden party politics and a rejection of politicians who are too timid or lazy to stand up for Europe's interests in Ireland as well as Ireland's interests in Europe. Recognise the picture?
Last weekend, we had the Gothenburg summit meeting where Europe's leaders were laid low in a conference fortress. Their judgement on the Irish decision to reject the Treaty of Nice speaks volumes. While declaring themselves ready to respect the will of the Irish people, our governments are single-mindedly preparing to ignore it. Enlargement of the Union will continue despite the fact that efforts to deepen the existing Union are in so much trouble.
It is no wonder in these circumstances that more and more pro-Europeans are turning to the constitutional option. That is to say, we want a proper constitution for the European Union that limits the power of national leaders to blunder about.
This article first apperead in the East Anglian Daily Press
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Andrew's
work
in the European Parliament since 1999
Andrew is Vice-President of the European Parliament delegation to the Constitutional Convention on the Future of Europe.
Andrew drafted the Charter of Fundamental Rights which has strengthened the rights of all the citizens of the European Union.
Andrew is working for improved links between the EU and Turkey, to encourage improvements in Turkey's human rights record and to enhance its democracy.
Andrew's campaigning in the East of England
Andrew has led calls for the Air Travel industry to be subjected to the same rigorous environmental criteria as other modes of transport
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