Charles Tannock MEP has an excellent piece up today on ConservativeHome stating why we need to take the European Parliament more seriously. The Conservatives really need to have this debate. I think it is really worth a read, even if you are not persuaded by his argument. Of course, I am not persuaded by Tannock’s politics of surrender but I think he reports two key ideas:
1. I agree with the title: “We need to take the European Parliament more seriously”, but not for the same reason. Tannock suggests the Conservatives need to put their policy caps on and use the EP seriously and to our best advantage. However, I think everyone should take the EP seriously because if the real facts about the Parliament were presented to the British people on all the decisions being made at the European Parliament, they would take to the streets demanding withdrawal.
2. “The Conservative Party seems to be in denial about the EU.” I agree, but I don’t think they are in denial because they need to put their policy caps on and take Europe more seriously (note William Hague’s essentially Blairite speech last Thursday). I personally don’t think that a lot of British people or politicians can stomach their existing surrender to the developing European government. The only exceptions are cases in which politicians are seeking personal reward by chasing office in either Westminster or Brussels, which as Tannock’s piece mentions, is quite important both to himself and his colleagues. Fair dinkum, but I don’t suppose the British people will take MEPs seriously for it.
An active British boycott or exit from the European Parliament is what is required; but Con MEPs – as it has been proven – will not be the political actors capable or competent of doing so. Sadly, in my view, the only MEPs who do a good job are UKIP MEPs, voted in by disgruntled ex-Tory voters who are fed up with the Conservatives dilly-dallying on Europe. Having accepted the culture of lackadaisical resignation and voluntary surrender (and I can only think of two Con MEPs who are an exception to that), I would argue not to take MEPs too seriously – do they not, after all, act in the service of a Parliament whose authority the British people will not recognise? Pretty serious implications always ensue for independent sovereign nation-states in other parts of the world where foreign governments attempt to govern them.
