No Euro-sceptics allowed

No Euro-sceptics allowedPosted by Daniel Hannan on 29 May 2008  at 13:23 
Tags: European Parliament, EPP, Conservatives, Ukip, Richard Corbett, Despotism, Independence and Democracy Group

Although I have been following it closely in the European Parliament, I have so far not blogged about the plan to make it harder for Euro-sceptic MEPs to form a group. Now that the Bill has passed its committee stage, though, let the record show that it is utterly outrageous. The worst possible reason for passing a law is with a specific person or group of people in mind. Doing so is the very definition of arbitrary government.

Euro-sceptic MEPs are not welcome in Brussels

Not that anyone seems to care. After all, when the European Parliament did something even more flagrant – disregarding its own rules so as to prevent pro-referendum MEPs from making their point in the chamber – the only paper to cover the story was a Christian magazine in Philadelphia.

The reason I have kept quiet, though, is that I’m not sure that the rule-change will have the consequence intended by its authors. Their aim is to frustrate David Cameron’s plan to form a non-federalist bloc outside the EPP. But the effect of raising the thresholds may be to collapse the smaller Euro-sceptic alliances, notably the Independence and Democracy Group (which contains UKIP), allowing the Conservatives to pick up the shards and this form a larger bloc than would otherwise have been possible.

In any case, there are worse things than sitting without pan-European affiliation. Leaving the EPP is the best thing I have done in the European Parliament. On my first day as an independent, something happened that had not occurred in eight years in the EPP: a member of the Parliament’s permanent staff came to my office and asked what she could do to help. As a “Non Inscrit”, I find myself with more resources, more staff, more speaking time and more freedom of action. Why? Because my allocations are no longer top-sliced by the EPP, and because I am no longer checked at every turn by EPP staffers who see it as their job to frustrate Euro-sceptics.

If all else failed, the Conservative MEPs could do very well alone. But I suspect that, once we raise the banner of opposition, others will flock to us.