International

The refugee crisis, disquiet about the Polish and Hungarian governments’ completely idiosyncratic interpretation of human rights, a possible ‘no’ from the British to continued membership of the EU and from the Dutch to the Association Agreement with Ukraine, and a huge anti-austerity strike in Greece: things in Europe aren’t exactly tranquil. That was also true this week, by the way, of the European Parliament which gathered at Strasbourg for its monthly plenary. There, however, pressure came principally from running from one internal meeting to another. It is slowly beginning to seem like dancing on the edge of a volcano, only no-one seems to be aware of that.

Once again during this week we have adopted a great many resolutions. As I said to someone in the train coming home who asked what we’d discussed in Strasbourg, ‘oh, we resolved the civil war in Syria, found a solution for the instability in Libya, and even dealt with the mass murder of Christians by ISIS.’ If all this was really true, it would of course be fantastic news, but the reason that you’ve heard nothing about it is that all of this concerns bits of paper that hardly anyone reads. The EP has in fact hardly any say over foreign policy.

What the EP can influence is legislation. Here a decision was also taken, namely to tackle the halfhearted resolve of the European Commission which was its response to the auto industry’s fraudulent software. Officially this is an executive implementing decision, but the EP can nevertheless halt it if necessary. Except that the auto lobby had done its job well, and a narrow majority voted to go along with the spineless agreement.

If the European Parliament really represents the people of Europe, it’s high time that it started to listen to them. It would then understand how many people have turned their backs on ‘Brussels’. Instead, many Members cling to contrived enquiries performed at the behest of the European Commission and from which it turns out that all things considered a majority of the people are in favour of their countries’ membership of the EU. That the British think otherwise is seen by these MEPs as typical of that country, whose people are always grumbling and contrary. To be EU-critical in the European Parliament is difficult. You’re swimming against the tide. Still, as representatives of the SP we have to do it. However many crises it takes, in the end we want to see an EP that keeps its feet on the ground and really represents the opinions of people in Europe.