The Lib Dems warn the Tories over Europe
David Blackburn 12:47pm
The Lib Dems have just had a brief Q&A on foreign affairs. Paddy Ashdown and defence
minister Nick Harvey gave staunch their support to the Afghan Mission, but confessed to having misgivings. Ashdown described the Bush administration's strategy as an "absolute model of how not
to intervene, both militarily and politically". This failure, Ashdown said, ensured that a "victor's peace" is now beyond NATO's grasp. Harvey admitted that NATO's political progress
in Afghanistan remained "very slow" despite ISAF's recent military success; this is scarcely surprising given the litany of bombings and assassinations over the course of the summer.
The debate touched on the need to forge new trade relationships and Britain's role as an "aid super power". The bulk of the discussion, however, was dominated by the coalition's stance on the European Union. The panellists took Danny Alexander's line, arguing that the calls to repatriate power from Brussels came from "marginal interests" on the Tory backbenches. The Lib Dem MP for Cheltenham, Martin Horwood, referred to the competing cabals that have formed around Eurosceptic MPs like Douglas Carswell, Bill Cash and George Eustice and dubbed their bickering as the "political equivalent of anti-social behaviour".
If the strategy is to divide the Tories over Europe, then it's very astute. The broad Eurosceptic cause has often been hampered by its own indiscipline and incoherence. And it continues to be so. Those Conservative MPs who float between the various backbench factions despair of the lack of clear direction, a malaise that George Eustice apparently hopes to cure with his new group.
Lord Ashdown was applauded when he said the Lib Dems must ensure that these various Tory interests remain "irrelevant". The upshot from this conference is that the Lib Dems are prepared to fight the Conservatives over Europe - a fact that, I suspect, will not have escaped the attention of scheming Ed Balls. It will be interesting to see what Labour have to say on the subject at their conference next week.
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commentator
September 21st, 2011 1:23pm Report this commentWhen are the Lib Dems proposing that we join their beloved Euro?
Frank P
September 21st, 2011 1:31pm Report this commentLoved the picture! He's now at that time of life when a twitch from the Chalfonts produces that reflexive facial expression - just pops out - so to speak.
PayDirt
September 21st, 2011 1:37pm Report this commentWell if they just allowed a Referendum on Europe, in or out, there wouldn't be any more banging on about Eurosceptic this Europhilic that. For God's sake settle the question and stop shooting the breeze, political antisocial bollocks, FFS.
Nickle
September 21st, 2011 1:38pm Report this commentWhen will the allow the electorate the vote as promised?
Ah yes, they won't do that because the electorate won't do what the Limp dems tell them to do.
So much for democracy from the Westminster dictators.
Gawain
September 21st, 2011 1:51pm Report this commentSine the Liberals are invariably wrong about most things this all just makes me even more convinced that we are better off out of the EU before it becomes an undemocratic superstate (albeit an ever so 'Liberal' one).
I suspect the Liberals have made a very serious miscalculation here. Liberals are always completely convinced that they are right about everything. It should be easy for a calm, reasonable eurosceptic like George Eustace to convince them that the country deserves a referendum on EU membership when the constitution is renegotiated. They will then be able to prove to all of us just how marginal the Tory interests calling for this are. Danny Alexander and Paddy Pantsdown may have just given eurosceptics the rallying point we need. Thanks chaps.
David Lindsay
September 21st, 2011 2:17pm Report this commentNo need. Parliamentary Euroscepticism in the Conservative Party is as negligible as ever. When it comes to building an alliance around specific reform agenda (possibly restoring the supremacy of British over EC Law, certainly withdrawing from the CFP, ending legislative subjugation to extremist MEPs, etc.), there is actually far more potential on the Lib Dem benches than there is on the Conservative ones. Really, there always was. Ed Miliband, over to you.
Paul B
September 21st, 2011 2:56pm Report this commentFrank P- LOL. The Chalfonts as in Giles.Marvellous.
Chris lancashire
September 21st, 2011 3:04pm Report this commentThe Lord Ashdown - is there a more pompous man in politics with so little reason?
chris
September 21st, 2011 3:06pm Report this commentI don't really get the argument about the EU. Average growth, in the Eurozone in 2011 is predicted to be 1.7%, even including the basket cases.
Growth in the UK is predicted to be 1.1%, lower than even Italy in the euro.
Bearing in mind we have more debt, and much lower growth than nearly every country in the Euro why do people think we're doing so well out of it?
The truth is, equivalant economies in the euro, are doing much better than the UK. Before and after the recession.
Yam Yam
September 21st, 2011 3:19pm Report this commentAn "aid superpower"?
Does that mean we hand over more of our taxpayers' dosh to Third World dictators than any other nation?
michael
September 21st, 2011 3:22pm Report this commentIs he dribbling ?
Nicholas
September 21st, 2011 3:22pm Report this commentI'm finding it more and more difficult to tell Paddy Pantsdown and Shirley Williams apart. Have they ever been seen in the same room together?
a different chris
September 21st, 2011 4:51pm Report this comment@chris
Exactly. A certain section of the British political spectrum has completely and utterly lost touch with reality. It is too ridiculous for words.
London Calling
September 21st, 2011 4:56pm Report this commentThe Lib Dems are prepared to fight the Conservatives over Europe…?
The Liberal Party, rooted in a belief in freedom of the individual…
In general, liberalism in Europe is a political movement that supports a broad tradition of individual liberties and constitutionally-limited and democratically accountable government. This usually encompasses the belief that government should act to alleviate poverty and other social problems, but not through radical changes to the structure of society.
Q. What about a democratically accountable European Union?
Q. why didn’t the individual have the freedom to vote on a referendum?
Q. Who do the Liberal Democrats represent if they cannot answer the first two questions?
This is not a political fight between parties, it’s about justice for democracy to protect itself from the radical changes to the structure of British Society from the European Union…
denis cooper
September 21st, 2011 7:18pm Report this commentJust a reminder that a major EU treaty change was quietly agreed on March 25th through European Council Decision 2011/199/EU:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:091:0001:0002:EN:PDF
MPs should be organising to block the forthcoming Bill to approve that EU treaty change, and send Cameron back to re-negotiate.
Cynic
September 21st, 2011 8:30pm Report this comment"... calls to repatriate power from Brussels came from "marginal interests" on the Tory backbenches." I expect they view representing the wishes of MPs' constituents as marginal interests since the LibDems seem so convinced they know what's good for us. They are even more out of touch than usual on this one.
dirtbox
September 21st, 2011 9:48pm Report this commentPaddy Pantsdown is such a prize prat ! They really ought to lock him up before the men in white coats come and claim him
David Lindsay
September 22nd, 2011 1:05am Report this commentLondon Calling, the Liberal Party very much is like that. It is not the Lib Dems, and it still exists. As does the SDP, also now of the view that the supremacy of British over EC Law needs to be restored.
dorothy wilson
September 22nd, 2011 10:38am Report this comment2 x Chris: But next year those figures are predicted to reverse with the UK out-pacing the eurozone.
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