Vote 2010: policy guide - Europe
Updated on 06 April 2010
In the past the Conservatives have torn themselves apart over Europe. Those cracks have now been papered over and the issue, for now, no longer seems the hot potato it was, writes Jonathan Rugman.
In the past the Conservatives have torn themselves apart over Europe. Those cracks have now been papered over and the issue, for now, no longer seems quite the hot potato it once was.
That is because the Lisbon treaty has been ratified. So though the Tories can carry on railing against it, many suspect they will not do very much about it. The risk is that those who are not satisfied with this "for and against" approach may vote for UKIP instead.
L A B O U R
Labour's message on Europe is that if voters let the sceptical Conservatives in, then the "strong voice" of London in European affairs will be diminished.
Labour talks up the advantages to UK business of trading across a single market, and it says the world will be a fairer place if Europe is encouraged to play a powerful role on the global stage.
"Look at the euro perks we've delivered," Labour seems to say of its time in office - extended maternity leave, cheaper phone calls and flights, higher environmental standards for rivers and beaches. So forget the expense and the waste and the EU directives on banana sizes and all those bits of being European which infuriate many Britons.
C O N S E R V A T I V E
David Cameron says that if he becomes prime minister he will change the law to ensure a UK referendum before the transfer of any more power to Brussels.
Cameron has also said he will introduce a sovereignty bill, affirming that ultimate authority rests with parliament in Westminster, and change the law to require full parliamentary approval if Lisbon is used in ways the Conservatives dislike.
The Conservatives also talk of negotiating some kind of opt-out for the British judicial system, a tweaking of the working time directive, and an opt-out from the charter of fundamental rights.
L I B E R A L D E M O C R A T
The Liberal Democrats sound very similar to Labour on Europe. "Lead from the front, not swipe from the sidelines," the Lib Dems' website says, pledging a strengthening of ties with EU partners while simultaneously promoting reform, chiefly of the common agricultural policy.
Unlike the Conservatives, the Lib Dems talk of "opting in" to more of Europe, so that terrorism and cross-border crime can be more effectively dealt with. They want the EU's emissions cuts targets to be more ambitious, and they also talk of more "burden sharing" on defence - no doubt with the imbalances in Nato's mission in Afghanistan in mind.
While they say they want the single market completed, you do not hear the word "euro" from many Lib Dem lips anymore. The meltdown in Greece will surely reaffirm Conservative and Labour positions on staying out of the euro, and the Lib Dems know they could lose votes if they campaign on joining the eurozone.
