ALDE Party Congress 2018 - “ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas...”

Jacques Brel, one of the great Belgian performers, sang of his sense of despair and loss at the end of a relationship, of the desperation with which men would try to resuscitate a dying romance they had destroyed by their own failures. And, whilst our relationship with Europe is in danger of reaching a depressing end through the failures of others, the sense of despair and loss is not dissimilar for some of us.

And so, at the end of an ALDE Party Congress which saw the adoption of a manifesto for European Parliamentary elections we probably won’t be fighting, and the creation of a leadership team for a campaign that will pass us by, what have we learned?

1. Europe, and even our liberal colleagues, are preparing to move on without us. Yes, they are sympathetic to our own desire to stay and engage, but there are some who, to be blunt, would rather have Brexit just happen than allow a protracted process and the resultant instability to distract from the serious business of reforming Europe, its economy and its institutions. We are pitied as much as we are respected for our history and our contribution in years past.
2. ALDE is torn between those who are proud to be liberals and those who see the advantages of using words like “progressive” and “centrist”, the latter looking to build a bigger tent, a more effective (or powerful) political gathering, bringing in the likes of En Marche. That tension expresses itself as much through strategic considerations as opposed to policy ones - any pan-European manifesto is inevitably drafted as to allow a degree of designed flexibility of interpretation.
3. The balance of power in the ALDE Party is shifting eastwards and southwards, with Bureau members now from Spain, Slovenia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. There are Liberal Prime Minsters in Estonia, Finland and Slovenia too, and Liberal Commissioners from Slovenia, Estonia and the Czech Republic. The new Europe means a new ALDE Party.
4. The apparent current weakness of the two historically powerful blocs in European politics - the Socialists and the Christian Democrats - offers the potential to change the dynamics of the Parliament, as both blocs lose support to the extremes at one end and, in moving to retain those voters, to the Greens and Liberals from their more moderate supporters. That leads to the emergence of co-operation between groups whose policy platforms have sufficient overlap.

The potential, both for growth of influence, and for a blurring of philosophy, is there, and in years gone by, Liberal Democrat’s would have been at the heart of the debate. That, sadly, is no longer the case.

And, if Brexit goes ahead, we will lose our right to vote or speak on future manifestos, or to vote for Spitzenkandidaten, leaving us amongst the Moldovans and Armenians in terms of status if not, perhaps, in terms of influence. It will not be the same, and the transition may be an uncomfortable one.

Ne me quitte pas, ALDE Party, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas...

One moment, there were stars, the next... ALDE decide to walk on the mild side...

Well, that was quick, wasn't it? No sooner had Italy's Five Star Movement decided to proceed with applying to join the ALDE group in the European Parliament than the latter chosen not to accept them.

In retrospect, it feels like the right move. Whilst the proposed deal seemed to address a number of issues of mutual agreement, the unreliability of M5S and their, at best, unorthodox view of how media ethics should be applied, represented some serious red flags.

It was an interesting proposal though, with the two sides intended to commit to the promotion of policies such as the simplification of the Brussels bureaucracy, resolving the immigration emergency via a system of permanent relocation, the promotion of the green economy and the development of the digital economy together with more job opportunities. There wasn't too much there to concern the liberal family.

However, the lack of adherence to a Group whip was somewhat troubling, implying that ALDE were a flag of convenience serving to give M5S a route to greater influence within the European Parliament.

It would have potentially tied M5S to a position of being in favour of the European Union, some progress from their stance hitherto, and there is an argument which suggests that bringing the populists into the mainstream acts to defang them of their less appealing views. Some might argue though that, if you lie down with dogs, you risk getting fleas.

A brief discussion amongst members of the Federal International Relations Committee exposed some significant reservations, and the news that the deal had collapsed met with some approval when news broke just as the meeting was coming to an end this afternoon. It will indeed be interesting to see what the ALDE Party make of events, when they meet in Ljubljana in early June.

TTIP: MEPs back EU-US trade deal but call for ISDS to be scrapped

The European Parliament has backed the conclusion of talks over an EU-US trade deal (TTIP) that could boost the UK economy by up to £10 billion a year, with 436 MEPs voting in favour and 241 against.

MEPs have demanded that the controversial Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) be replaced by a transparent and accountable form of investor protection that protects the right of governments to regulate in the public interest.

The Parliament's resolution also calls on negotiators to ensure that EU environmental and consumer standards are not lowered, public services such as the NHS are excluded and the transparency of the negotiations is improved.

The needs of small businesses must be prioritised in the talks, MEPs emphasised, with a focus on lifting bureaucratic barriers to make it easier for small firms and entrepreneurs to export to the US.

Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder commented:

Today's vote gives the European Commission strong democratic support to conclude trade talks with the US.

Public concerns must be taken on board. That means ISDS should be scrapped and replaced by a fair, transparent form of investor protection which ensures national governments have full control over the provision of public services.

We should also remember that the US is by far the biggest export destination for small British businesses. Helping these small firms expand by reducing barriers to trade should be at the heart of this deal.

The European Commissioner responsible for trade is a liberal, Claudia Malmstrom, and she has taken a big step towards transparency by publishing the negotiating texts online and opening up meetings to the public.

The ALDE Group's priorities for a smarter TTIP can be found at Pavel Telicka's website (he's a Czech member of the Group).

Tax evasion and avoidance - is this another sign that Europe is taking it seriously?

I receive a daily e-mail from the European Parliament, of my own free will, it might surprise readers to know. Generally, they're all a bit... well, dull and far too vast to read. However, occasionally, there is something that catches my eye...

The European Parliament as a whole voted on Thursday to set up a special parliamentary committee to look into EU member states' "tax rulings and other measures similar in nature or effect" and make recommendations for the future. The committee will have 45 members and is established for an initial period of six months.

Result of the vote: 612 in favour, 19 against and 23 abstentions. The composition of the committee was approved by a show of hands.

Mandate

The committee will look into tax ruling practices as far back as 1 January 1991, but will also review the way the European Commission treats state aid in member states and the extent to which they are transparent about their tax rulings. It will also seek to ascertain the negative impact of aggressive tax planning on public finances and will come up with recommendations for the future.

The list of committee members includes Anneliese Dodds (S&D, UK), Kay Swinburne (ECR, UK) and Patrick O'Flynn (EFDD, UK)

Background

The committee is being set up in the wake of a series of investigations launched by the European Commission into tax rulings for multinational companies in Luxembourg, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee plans to draw up an "inquiry" report (non-legislative, own initiative), on tax rulings will now lapse, because its remit would have overlapped that the special committee.

So, one Conservative, one Labour and one UKIP, and it will be interesting to see whether or not they intend to focus on solutions or soundbites. I particularly look forward to Patrick O'Flynn's thoughts on tax harmonisation and sovereignty...

Published elsewhere: @ALDEParty Council preview - "How was it for you?"

Not all of my regular readers follow Liberal Democrat Voice, so here's an opportunity to read my piece published there earlier this morning...

It seems like mere weeks since the last Council meeting of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe (ALDE), when optimism was in the air - admittedly helped by the presence of our Austrian hosts on that occasion, who were running an unashamedly pro-European campaign. Sadly, just six weeks later, delegates from across Europe gather in Brussels under rather less cheery circumstances.

The decimation of the British, German and Italian member parties in the European Parliament, plus the defection of the Romanians to the European People's Party following merger with a former rival, was somewhat offset by results elsewhere, with ALDE members doing particularly well in Scandinavia and the Baltic. And, with new political parties still searching for a pan-European home, the final outcome remains uncertain.

The centrepiece of today's agenda is a review of the campaign across Europe, and the value or otherwise of the support given to member parties in the run-up to May's elections. No doubt much will be said about the possible clash between the European Parliament and the European Council over the next President of the European Commission, and about how the 'spitzenkandidat' (lead candidate) concept worked for liberals - it had no impact in the United Kingdom because barely anyone knew anything about it until afterwards.

There are other consequences from the loss of seats, in that funding for the various pan-European political parties is linked to success in winning seats in the European Parliament. Some potentially difficult decisions will need to be taken over the next few months, and some thoughts on that will doubtless be aired during the financial report by ALDE Treasurer, Roman Jakic, who is taking time off from his day job as Slovenia's Defence Minister.

It isn't all doom and gloom though, as Latvijas Attistibai (Latvia's Development Party) is seeking membership, and Council will be asked to agree that this year's Congress should take place in Lisbon in November, allowing us to meet with an emerging liberal group in Portugal, Nos Ciadados (We Citizens).

Finally, on a more reflective note, it will be interesting to see how ALDE looks going forward. In recent years, the influence of the German FDP and the Liberal Democrats has been particularly strong. Now that both have taken such an electoral beating, will ALDE see the emergence of new power bases within itself, and what philosophical impact will that have? Today might be very interesting indeed...

'I vote Liberal', a website for the European elections

This weekend sees a special Election Congress to select the Liberal candidate for the Presidency of the European Commission, and whilst the two erstwhile candidates, Guy Verhofstadt and Olli Rehn, have shaken hands on a deal whereby Guy will be the candidate and Olli will be nominated for a prominent role in the next Commission, the deal itself still has to be ratified.

But Saturday also sees the launch of a new pan-European website, www.ivoteliberal.eu, which will allow voters to find out more about all of the European liberal and democrat candidates for May's election, including a profile of each with contact and social media details.

The site will allow anyone to find candidates based on their specialist interest, country or political party, as well as to find out what European liberals stand for.

I'll certainly be adding a link to it from here...

Europe - telling it like it is...

Yes, it's that time in the political cycle again, when European elections take place. And, once again, the motley crew of Europhobes that is the United Kingdom Independence Party have taken centre stage. Their mixture of smears, inaccuracies and petty nationalism appeals to an electorate who, to be honest, have little idea as to where their money goes and what the European Union does for them.

Oh yes, the European Union is a flawed creation, overly secretive, with a democratic deficit and byzantine structures. Too many of its big decisions stem from fudged agreements made in smoke-filled rooms by the ministers of the national governments. And yet it has been, in broad terms, astonishingly successful. The creation of the biggest multinational free trade area in the world has acted as a model for other regional groups such as ASEAN, the freedom to work in other countries and to travel across borders without the need for passports, all of these things have made life better for those of us willing to take advantage.

Programmes such as Erasmus, the exchange scheme for students whereby they can study in another country for a year, encourage a freer flow of knowledge and engender greater understanding. Investment in key transportation routes eases the free flow of people and goods. For example, in mid-Suffolk, European Union funds helped to fund improvements to the A14 at Haughley, straightening the route and eliminating a notorious accident blackspot on the main road between the Midlands and the huge container port at Felixstowe.

Liberal Democrats have, in the past, been cowed into taking a defensive position on Europe by those who accuse us of being fanatically pro-European. Yes, we do believe in Europe and in greater cooperation, but not at any cost. The argument has to be won, and we need to be willing to talk about the good that comes from Europe, as well as the bad.

In Needham Market yesterday, a voter told me that he was opposed to Europe, and didn't see what we got in return. So I mentioned the A14 project, and pointed out that there was a sign stating that the project had benefited from EU funds. He was surprised, and felt that perhaps the sign should be bigger (and perhaps it should). Now I'm not going to claim to have changed his mind, but perhaps he won't be so quick to condemn in future. And if we can get EU funding for improving the key rail route from Felixstowe to Nuneaton (via Needham Market and Stowmarket, let us not forget), maybe he'll have something else to think about.

And for any UKIP voters out there who might be reading this, think about this. You sent them to Brussels last time, and did it change anything? Did they achieve anything apart from having one of their number get arrested for nineteen counts of benefit fraud? Although, in fairness, their difficulties with expenses (Tom Wise, anyone?) almost compare favourably to those of the Conservatives. And as for Labour, well they clearly didn't get it either...

On the other hand, Liberal Democrat MEPs have campaigned successfully against attempts to restrict civil liberties, in favour of lower roaming charges for mobile phone users in Europe, and spoken out for greater transparency in decision making processes. They have also published a code of conduct which is binding on all of our sitting MEPs and candidates, requiring the publication of their expense claims in full. The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that it was published a year ago.

So, if you believe in a better, fairer, freer Europe, you know where to put your cross. Just look for the bird of liberty...