The debate about whether or not the Conservatives should remain in the EPP group in the European Parliament has largely centred around arguments about the tensions between the group's Euro-federalist outlook and our decidedly more sceptical position.
Acknowledging that some tensions exist, supporters of British EPP membership have tried to paint the EPP as Tories in the Ken Clarke mould; perhaps a little more pro-European than others, yet firm market liberals and excellent Conservatives nonetheless. This is as insulting to Mr Clarke as it is disingenuous.
The position taken by the group on an amendment moved by Spanish Socialist Alejandro Cercas calling for the abolition of Britain's opt-out from the Working Time Directive points at profound differences in political philosophy and provides yet more proof that the British Conservatives should leave the EPP group in the European Parliament.
In total, the European People's Party/European Democrats group in the European Parliament cast 258 votes on the amendment with 167 (including 23 Conservatives) voting to maintain the opt-out and 87 voting for its abolition. 4 Fine Gael MEPs abstained. Aside from the British Conservatives, nearly two fifths (39.6%) of the EPP's membership voted to end the British opt-out.
The vote passed by 421 to 273 with 4 abstentions.
The bulk of supposed 'centre right' opposition to the opt-out came from the Spanish Partido Popular, Hungarian Fidesz, Greek Nea Dimokratia, Christian Democrats from Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium and elements of the German CDU/CSU. A full list of how individual EPP MEPs voted can be found below.
The United Kingdom and other supporters of the opt-out are now forced into the unenviable position of being forced to enter tough "conciliation" talks during which it is likely significant concessions will have to be made to socialists in order to defend the principle that individuals and not the state should determine how many hours they work.
Had a third of the 87 EPP members who voted to abolish Britain's opt-out backed the British Conservative position then the Cercas amendment would have failed to reach the absolute majority of 393 votes required to adopt an amendment to the common position of the Council of Ministers.
As the old saying goes, with friends like these...
In favour of ending the opt-out
Angelakas, Ayuso, Barsi-Pataky, Bauer, Belet, Braghetto, Brepoels, Brok, del Castillo Vera, Coelho, De Blasio, Demetriou, Díaz de Mera García Consuegra, Dimitrakopoulos, Ebner, Ehler, Esteves, Fatuzzo, Fernández Martín, Fraga Estévez, Freitas, Gál, Galeote, García-Margallo y Marfil, Garriga Polledo, Gklavakis, Glattfelder, Gutiérrez-Cortines, Graça Moura, Gräßle, Grosch, Gyürk, Hennicot-Schoepges, Herranz García, Herrero-Tejedor, Iturgaiz Angulo, Járóka, Karas, Kasoulides, Korhola, Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, De Lange, López-Istúriz White, Lulling, Luque Aguilar, Matsis, Mavrommatis, Martens, Mayor Oreja, Méndez de Vigo, Mikolášik, Millán Mon, Naranjo Escobar, van Nistelrooij, Olajos, Oomen-Ruijten, Iry, Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou, Papastamkos, Pietikäinen, Pinheiro, Pirker, Pomés Ruiz, Rack, Ribeiro e Castro, Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra, Sanz Palacio, Schierhuber, Schinas, Schmitt, Schöpflin, Seeber, Siekierski, Silva Peneda, Sommer, Spautz, Stauner, Surján, Szájer, Thyssen, Trakatellis, Vakalis, Varela Suanzes-Carpegna, Varvitsiotis, Vidal-Quadras, Visser
Against ending the opt-out
Albertini, Andrikien÷, Ashworth, Atkins, Audy, Bartolozzi, Becsey, Berend, Bodu, Böge, Bowis, Brejc, Brezina, Bulzesc, Bushill-Matthews, Busuttil, Buzek, Cabrnoch, Callanan, Carollo, Casa, Casini, Caspary, Cederschiöld, Chichester, Chmielewski, Daul, David, Descamps, Deß, Deva, Dombrovskis, Doorn, Duchon, Duka-Zólyomi, Dumitriu, Elles, Fajmon, Ferber, Fjellner, Florenz, Fontaine, Fouré, Friedrich, Gahler, Gala, Gardini, Gargani, Gauzès, Gewalt, Goepel, Gomolka, Grossetête, Guellec, Handzlik, Harbour, Heaton-Harris, Hökmark, Hoppenstedt, Hudacký, Hybášková, Ibrisagic, Itälä, Jackson, Jarzembowski, Jeggle, Jeleva, Jordan Cizelj, Kaczmarek, Kamall, Karim, Kastler, Kauppi, Kelam, Kirkhope, Klamt, Klaß, Koch, Konrad, Korhola, Kušeis, Lamassoure, Landsbergis, Langen, Lauk, Lechner, Lehne, Lewandowski, Lo Curto, McMillan-Scott, Marinescu, Martens, Mathieu, Mauro, Mayer, Mladenov, Morin, Nassauer, Nicholson, Niculescu, Niebler, Novak, Olbrycht, Ouzký, Pack, Parish, Patriciello, Peterle, Petre, Pieper, Piks, Pleštinská, Podestà, Popa Nicolae Vlad, Posdorf, Posselt, Protasiewicz, Purvis, Queiró, Quisthoudt-Rowohl, Reul, Roithová, Rovsing, Rus, Saïfi, Sanzarello, Sartori, Saryusz-Wolski, Schnellhardt, Schröder, Schwab, Škottová, Sógor, Sonik, Štastný, Stevenson, Strejcek, Sturdy, Sudre, Sumberg, Tannock, Toubon, Ulmer, Urutchev, Van Orden, Vatanen, Veneto, Ventre, Vernola, Vlasák, Vlasto, Weber Manfred, Weisgerber, Wieland, Wijkman, von Wogau, Wortmann-Kool, Záborská, Zahradil, Zaleski, Zappalà, Zatloukal, Zdravkova, Zieleniec, Zlotea, Zverina, Zwiefka
Abstained
Doyle, Higgins, McGuinness, Mitchell
