European Parliament

24.06.2009 EU Politics / UK Politics

And then there were 7 (or 8 again?) – ECRG already starting to crack

I’m no fan of the Tory Party or indeed any of the parties they are cooperating with in their new political group in the European Parliament, the ECRG – European Conservatives and Reformists Group. Yet even I cannot have imagined

22.06.2009 EU Politics / UK Politics

ECRG formed, so will it hold?

The UK Tories have today announced the formation of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECRG) in the European Parliament. The group will have 55 MEPs – 25 UK Tories, and Jim Nicholson from Northern Ireland, 15 Poles from PiS,

22.05.2009 EU Politics

Some wacky ways to improve the EU

I’m rather conscious that I have a tendency to rant and complain on this blog. So after some interesting questions posed by the audience at an event organised by le Cercle québécois des affaires internationales where I was the speaker

13.03.2009 EU Politics / UK Politics

Tories in the EP favouring symbolism over influence

So David Cameron is finally starting to make good his pledge to take the Conservatives out of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament, as covered by the FT Brussels blog, Richard Corbett and Iain Dale. There’s of course

02.03.2009 EU Politics

Brian Cowen makes a mockery of EP political groups – from the arms of Kaczyński to the Liberals in one easy step

Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen announced on Friday that the MEPs from his party, Fianna Fáil, will join the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe (ALDE) group in the EP after June’s elections. Graham Watson, currently leader of ALDE, has

19.02.2009 EU Politics

My father and the European demos

I am completely and totally sick of politicians who whine that the reason the EU will not work is because there is no European demos. Vaclav Klaus was at it again today in the EP, and Bruno Waterfield is practically

02.02.2009 UK Politics

New Europe | Cameron: time to make up your mind on the EPP issue

“The President of the European People’s Party (EPP) Party, Wilfried Martens, has just upped the pressure on David Cameron by asking for a clear decision by April from the Tory leader as to whether the United Kingdom’s Conservatives will sit

31.01.2009 EU Politics / UK Politics

Cameron: time to make up your mind on the EPP issue

President of the EPP Party Wilfried Martens has just upped the pressure on David Cameron by asking for a clear decision by April from the Tory leader as to whether the UK Conservatives will sit in the EPP-ED group in

13.01.2009 EU Politics

The Dutch obsession with national parliaments

Adriaan Schout and Jeroen van Dijken wrote a column last week in Dutch daily de Volkskrant entitled EU kan goed zonder Europees Parlement – essentially that the EU could do OK without the European Parliament. I picked up on the