Graham's Blog from the European Parliament, Friday 17 April, 2009

Published on Fri 17th Apr 2009

MEPs were in Strasbourg this week for a week of formal debates and votes. Thanks to the good work of my UK LibDem colleague Sarah Ludford MEP, we voted to prevent children under the age of 12 from being fingerprinted for visa or immigration purposes (though the UK will opt out because our government wants to take fingerprints of 6 year olds). And thanks to the good work of my Catalan colleague Ignasi Guardans MEP we have struck what I think is the right balance between aid and trade in new partnership agreements with the former colonies of EU countries (the so-called ACP countries - African, Caribbean and Pacific). And Danish Green MEP Margrete Auken did a great job in steering through parliament a call for EU level action to help the thousands of holiday home owners in Spain who have suffered injustice in commercial, planning or other legal disputes.

The main theatre of the week in Parliament was provided by Gordon Brown, who had asked if he could come and debate with us (as host) next week's G20 summit, and started his speech 'thank you for inviting me'. He made a good but messianic speech about world affairs, covering everything from world poverty through nuclear disarmament to peace in the Middle East: as I pointed out in my reply on behalf of my Group, an ambitious agenda for an institution (the G20) which has no permanent secretariat and is meeting only for the second time at heads of state and government level. Previously it was only a meeting of finance ministers and excluded two of the world's top 20 economies (Taiwan and Iran). The lead column in The Guardian the following day opened with the amusing line 'Gushing like a broken fire hydrant, Gordon Brown drenched the European Union in praise'. He did. His spin doctors certainly would never allow him to make a speech like that in the UK. To watch or read the speeches in the debate, visit www.europarl.europa.eu.

The Czech Government lost a no confidence vote in the lower house of their Parliament on Wednesday night, making its Prime Minister Mr Topolanek the third to fall in the current financial and economic crisis. Since the Czechs currently preside the EU this is most unwelcome, but in fact the current government will remain in office as a caretaker administration until their stint at the helm finishes at the end of June. To PM Topolanek's credit, he nonetheless traveled to Strasbourg to report to us on last week's European Council meeting. But he was hardly the bouncing Czech who addressed us in January: he looked gutted, though he tried to put on a brave face.

The fall of the government makes it highly unlikely the Czechs will ratify the new Lisbon Treaty before the autumn; so it is no longer simply Ireland which is the problem. I dropped a note to Commission Barroso (with whom I shared a birthday on Monday; I am four hours older than he) to say we must now proceed to install the next college of EU Commissioners on the basis of the Treaty currently in force, the Treaty of Nice.

The leaders of the Socialist and Green Groups used their Tuesday press conferences to take a shot at veteran French Front National MEP Jean-Marie Le Pen. Most of us despise his politics, but they stupidly gave him huge publicity by saying they want to change Parliament's rules of procedure to prevent a situation in which Le Pen might be the oldest member when Parliament returns after the elections and therefore be called on to chair the first meeting of the new house until a President is elected. My view is that however much we detest him, we should respect his democratic mandate: and if the Socialists are so worried they should put up an 85 year old in a winnable position (Le Pen is 81). Nonetheless they won their battle on Thursday; from now on the first meeting of each new Parliament will be chaired by the President of the outgoing Parliament.

But by Thursday I was back in my constituency, addressing young people at Preston College in Yeovil, older people at the Portland Probus Club in Weymouth and older people still (though still active and curious) at the University of the Third Age in Wells.

Today I visit the community radio station in Wiveliscombe, Poltimore House restoration project near Exeter and then the St Austell and Newquay Lib Dems supper. Tomorrow I address the Langport LibDems.