Michael Gove’s gusto has returned after his elevation back to top level of the Cabinet. On Friday evening, the Justice Secretary spoke to Hampshire Conservative activists and members of the AECR group in the European Parliament. In his first speech since joining the Ministry of Justice, he acknowledged the role Daniel Hannan MEP has played in fighting for the upcoming EU referendum and said the government has to deliver ‘fundamental reform of our relationship with the European Union’ — and not just for Britain’s sake:
‘The exertions that the Prime Minister will devote to that task are driven not just by a desire to get a better deal for Britain, and to fulfill our manifesto promises, but also a desire to transform Europe for the better. And that is why the negotiation that the Prime Minister leads has been supported, I know, by people across the European Union and is bolstered by the good will, the friendship, the solidarity of all those who are within the AECR.’
Gove also showed he has strong views about what needs fixing:
‘We know that the European Union, in its original incarnation, was designed to uphold the principles of the rule of law and democratic accountability, but we also know all too sadly, that there have been occasions in the European Union when the rule of law has been set aside, when the European Commission has deliberately broken the rules which were there to guide it and were designed to make sure that it was a healthy and functioning political entity.
‘We also know, all too sadly, that there have been occasions when democratic principles have not been respected within the European Union, when individual nations have voted against the increases in power to the centre through referenda and those referenda votes have been overridden, and what has been a ‘non’ or a ‘nay’ or a ‘no’ has been steamrolled into a reluctant, strangulated and acquiescent yes as the Brussels steamroller has insisted that there can only be one way, their way.’
He also hinted that he won’t play a big role in the renegotiation himself, saying ‘I’m convinced that David and his team can secure a transformation of the European Union, and not before time’. And if there were any doubts about what can and can’t be achieved with the referendum, Gove said Conservatives should strive to the right thing:
‘It’s an historic opportunity. It’s an opportunity that history will not forgive us for fudging or failing to grasp, and that is why I think, even as we celebrate tonight, let’s also dedicate ourselves to the struggle to come, let’s make sure that the arguments aren’t left to the Prime Minister and to ministers in government, but that a genuine peoples movement stands behind that fight for change. And let’s make sure that we are optimistic about what we can achieve, because as I mentioned earlier, if we think only that politics is the art of the possible, if we allow ourselves to be constrained by the judgments of the commentators, then we will falter and we will fail.’
Given that all the signs from No.10 suggest Cameron is looking for a quick renegotiation and referendum next year, Gove’s insistence that substantial and fundamental reform is needed in Europe point towards a more drawn out process.
The Prime Minister has two challenges with the upcoming referendum, a referendum some suspect he isn’t keen on: keeping his party together and instigating substantial reform. We’ll find out if he has the political skills to do both. Michael Gove seems to think he does.
Comments