European Political News

I’ve been a Labour Party member since 1996 - I joined before I could even vote - and EU politics is my major interest. I’ve worked on all kinds of EU matters for a decade and I’m 27 now and I’ve done my fair share of different things in the party too, from delivering leaflets to running internet campaigns. So what next? I must admit that when I received the Labour Party e-mail a couple of weeks ago asking for people to put themselves forward for the European Parliament lists I was very tempted. But reflecting more on the issue I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not the right thing to do at present.

Firstly, the way Labour selects its MEPs is organised so as to favour the sitting MEPs, who face a trigger ballot to knock them off their places on the list - and none have been deselected. So all of Labour’s 19 MEPs will be odds-on to be returned again. As all of Labour’s MEPs have been in the EP for such a damned long time, the chances of any of them running keen and dynamic campaigns at the top of their lists in 2009 is basically out of the question - their jobs are safe, so why worry? If I did put my name forward I would not be in a winnable position on the list anyway, but that would not be a problem if the campaigns were at least optimistic. Plus if the EP elections are before a general election what hope for Labour anyway?

Secondly, my motivations to want to run to be a MEP are probably all wrong. I care a lot about EU politics, I want to enthuse Labour Party people (and the British population in general) about the EU, I think I’m a reasonable communicator, and because I understand how the EU institutions work I think I could do a decent job. Plus I have no intention of running for anything locally or nationally. I have however been known to campaign for federalism, and this blog demonstrates a freedom of thought and expression that would surely grate with the party.

Third, I’m known in Labour Party circles as a computer geek - I’m the person that sorts out the websites and fixes the IT networks. So would anyone think I would be any good doing political work? I could also be deluding myself. Related to this is the question of a mentor of sorts - who is there that I know in the Labour Party that has in any way ‘made it’ and I could count on for advice?

So here I sit, thinking of Labour’s MEPs in the European Parliament and how I wish they could do a better job, and how I have some forlorn hope that I might one day join them. But the sand has slipped through my fingers this time at least. I wish all the candidates for 2009 the very best; I’ll be out on the doorstep as ever.

[UPDATE - 4.12.07]
Seems I spoke too soon. In the days after the nominations closed, Gary Titley - leader of the EPLP - has announced he’s not running again in 2009. I had no idea this was on the cards. Why did he do it after the nominations had closed? I just hope more follow!

[UPDATE - 15.12.07]
And so it goes on… Now Glenys Kinnock has stated she will not continue to be a MEP beyond 2009. Why was it impossible for these people to announce these things before nominations closed?

The Barroso Commission is well past the half way point in its term - on 1st November 2009 a new European Commission team will take office. So who is going to be in it? There are whisperings in Brussels that José Manuel Barroso might be up for a second term, and that Carl Bildt might have his eye on the EU foreign minister/Commission VP post that will exist from 2009 if the Reform Treaty is ratified (and scandals in Sweden have not brought him down). Additionally Bertie Ahern would be an ideal candidate for the 30 month term as President of the European Council.

But what about the members of the European Commission? Speculation is already mounting about the next German Commissioner, although this might also be thanks to present incumbent Verheugen’s weak position due to personal scandals. As yet I have not seen or heard anything about a possible British nominee for Commissioner post 2009. So who will it be? Peter Mandelson has ruled out a second term but beyond that fact all I write below is speculation - I have no more facts about this issue than anyone else.

(1) Patricia Hewitt
A veteran of Neil Kinnock’s efforts in the 1980s to make Labour a pro-EU party, Hewitt has the government experience as a minister in the UK for almost a decade. She has no further career ambitions in UK politics, and I suspect Gordon would not be wanting to call her back after her troubles with the NHS. She’s currently leading on the Europe parts of the consultation for Labour’s manifesto for a 2009 or 2010 general election. She speaks French too, but she will be 61 in 2009, so that might count against her.

(2) Charles Clarke
Probably the most pro-EU Home Secretary since 1997, he’s another member of the Kinnock modernisers and is a big beast of the Labour Party that Gordon Brown might be happy to send off to Brussels. His straight talking manner might be a good way to present EU matters to a sceptical British audience. He will be 59 in 2009, and speaks French, German and (Cuban) Spanish. But does he have the stomach for frontline politics any longer?

(3) Geoff Hoon
A former MEP and Europe Minister, Hoon has been keeping his head down since the Iraq problems when he was at the MoD. He is thought to be a safe pair of hands as a politician and is intellectually sharp, although dour too. He will be 56 in 2009 and while I can’t find details of language ability it’s not in doubt that he can cope in the Brussels environment.

(4) Charles Kennedy
When Gordon Brown appointed his cabinet he included some non-Labour people: Mark Malloch-Brown, Digby Jones and Admiral West. So what are the chances that Brown could do the same with the nominee for European Commissioner, and go for someone outside the Labour Party? The pro-European Tories (Heseltine, Clarke) are over the hill, but what about Charles Kennedy? He’s the new chair of the European Movement, he’s a like-able and communicative politician, plus it would divide the Lib Dems. He would be 50 in 2009.

(5) Someone else
Who else could be in the running? From within the Labour Party Gordon could choose one of the discredited Blairites - Milburn for example - but does he dislike the Commission that much? From within the Cabinet then perhaps Peter Hain or Hilary Benn, with their interest in international matters, might be possibles. I cannot imagine any of the younger cabinet members wanting the job - Miliband, Milband, Alexander, Balls, Purnell, Burnham, Cooper. Beyond that it’s hard to know what to suggest.

Looking further into the future: if the Reform Treaty is ratified then only 2/3 of Member States get a Commissioner from 2014, on a rotation basis. But from 2009-2014 some unlucky country’s Commissioner is once more going to be allocated a portfolio such as multilingualism.

It’s a matter of two things I care about: web technology, and European Politics - particularly the Euro and what it means for price transparency. I was looking at the price of 1&1 Virtual Servers for a client I’m working for, and came across some startling data. 1&1 is Europe’s largest web hosting firm. It started out in Germany, and runs operations in France, the UK and other places too.

So how much should it be for a basic Virtual Server, Guaranteed RAM 128 MB, Burstable RAM (up to) 256 MB, Hard Disk Space 5GB, for a month?

• UK: £14.99 (€20.94) excl. VAT, £17.61 (€24.60) incl. VAT - with 60GB monthly transfer
• France: €9.99 excl. VAT, €11.95 incl. VAT - with 250GB monthly transfer
• Germany: €9.99 incl. VAT (I think - one one price quoted) - with 300GB monthly transfer

So what’s going on here? Same firm, very similar offers, and massively divergent prices between the UK and France and Germany. OK, paying your customer service people might be a bit more in the UK, but can’t 1&1 off-shore that to India anyway? Is it simply the assumption that customers will not try to make these international comparisons, made harder by the UK not being in the Eurozone?

And then there’s the bizarre web hosting market in Belgium where decent hosting prices seem non-existent, meaning you have to look to France, Germany or the UK anyway. But that’s a different story altogether.