ALDE: competing loyalties as Clegg and Verhofstadt square up

Alright, where were we? Ah yes...

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was "federalism". Guy Verhofstadt is a federalist, and a very passionate one at that. He's also Belgian, but that isn't all that important, after all, good things come from Belgium, like beer and frites... and Magritte, now I think of it. It is, however, a combination that makes some people nervous, and others angry.

Mr Verhofstadt wants to be the Liberal candidate for the Presidency of the European Commission, an unlikely, but not impossible, eventuality. However, there are those liberals who don't think that his candidacy is a good idea, so they went away and found a potentially credible alternative. Olli Rehn was that alternative, currently serving as European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro, and a Vice-President of the European Commission. He's a Finn, and not as frightening to those who find charismatic, passionate Belgian federalists scary. He isn't as charismatic, but this is Europe, where charisma is optional, so that's alright.

A campaign ensued, with the early running being made by the Manchurian Belgian candidate, snapping up endorsements from all of the Benelux member parties and generally being everywhere. The Rehn campaign, however, struck back with a concordat signed by a number of liberal leaders, including Nick Clegg, endorsing him. It all looked to be quite exciting, and given that the Germans and the British were expected to vote for Rehn, it was going to be quite close too, assuming that the British delegation voted as instructed.

And that's where the wheels fell off. As a friend once said, trying to organise Liberal Democrats can be like stacking frogs in a wheelbarrow sometimes, and so it was decided to 'manage' the delegation to ensure, as far as possible, that it voted the 'right way'. Luckily, I made the cut, which is nice.

But, behind the scenes, one of the candidates may have concluded that he might not win, and the contest was causing some concern amongst the member parties. So, the Dutch Prime Minister and the new National Chairman of the FDP were sent off to make a deal. The deal was done, the candidates shook hands on it, and it was decided. Verhofstadt is to be the candidate for the Presidency, with Rehn to be nominated for a key position in the next Commission. Very neat, you may think.

Well, yes, but for the fact that our Leader doesn't like it...

This isn't a deal Nick Clegg or the Liberal Democrats have signed up to, and we won't be supporting it. We will continue to back Olli Rehn, and we regard him as being at the top of the liberal ticket across Europe, certainly in the UK. Nick Clegg will not be campaigning with Guy Verhofstadt and does not support at all his views of a federal Europe.

That's telling me, isn't it? So, obviously, I will be voting against the deal, as he would like me to. But I am being lobbied to vote for the deal by my MEP, Andrew Duff, someone I have a lot of time for. He makes some very good points, and I find myself wondering, "Exactly what does voting down the deal actually achieve?". Presumably, even if it were to be voted down, Rehn would withdraw from the contest, leaving Verhofstadt to be elected unopposed. And who else is going to vote against it, now that both men have written to us all, asking us to accept it? What, apart from a gesture, is the point?

So, as I'm an elected delegate, elected by Federal Conference delegates, what do you think I should do? The vote takes place on Saturday afternoon, so time is short...