Europe matters hugely to a minority of voters but the majority rarely rate it as a decisive influence on how they vote. So far most of the main parties have been avoiding the issue. They do not see votes in it and, for all of them, it is potentially troublesome.
Europe was a key factor in undermining the premiership of two Conservative prime ministers, Margaret Thatcher and John Major. Within the party the history is not forgotten and Europe is feared as an issue that can tear the party apart. The Conservatives today are more united over Europe than in the past.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you’re reading via RSS, you’ll need to visit the blog to access this content.
They have become a more sceptical party about the EU. A number of their candidates either want to leave the European Union or want to return some powers to Westminster.
Their election platform grew out of their opposition to the Lisbon Treaty. They had offered a referendum on the treaty but when, last year, it was ratified they dropped the idea of a poll. It was a move that dismayed some in the party. What they have promised in their manifesto is a referendum if any future treaty transfers further powers to Brussels. They would propose legislation on this in their first Queen’s Speech. They will also try and have some powers returned to Britain. They are eyeing employment and home affairs legislation.
Their difficulty is that this would involve a treaty change and after eight years of haggling over the Lisbon Treaty there is little or no appetite in Europe for reopening negotiations. The Tories say they are in no hurry to win these opt-outs. They will negotiate over the lifetime of a Parliament. They are trying to make a point that when it comes to the EU powers should be able to move in two directions: both to Brussels and back to national governments. The aim is to break what is seen as step-by-step drift towards deeper European integration.
When I spoke to the Shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague, he stressed that they were not seeking “confrontation with the European Union”. They would be pragmatists.
Labour is not promising to change its approach to Europe. The Foreign Secretary, **David Miliband **, told me"a Labour government put Britain in a leadership role" in Europe. They believe they have influence within the EU’s institutions which the Tories would not have. The Tories say they gave up a British rebate worth £7bn and got nothing in return beyond an offer to review the Common Agricultural Policy.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you’re reading via RSS, you’ll need to visit the blog to access this content.
As regards joining the euro, their longstanding position has been “if the economic circumstances” are right. There is no indication when that might be.
The Labour approach is to resist some policies and to accept others. They will continue to fight financial regulations which could harm the hedge fund market and the way it operates out of the City of London. They, like the Conservatives, oppose a European Public Prosecutor.
Some voters still feel betrayed that the Labour government did not allow the British people a say on the Lisbon Treaty.When challenged over whether the British people would back some powers being returned from Europe, Labour’s argument is that it would make the British second-class citizens, with other Europeans entitled to rights that the British did not share.
The Liberal Democrats, traditionally, have been the most enthusiastic party about the European project. Many of its MPs would one day like to join the euro. Even with the currency facing its severest crisis their foreign affairs spokesman, Ed Davey, told me “there are advantages in the long term in working more closely on economics”. He says that any decision to join the euro would be put to the British people. I suggested to him that it would have been a mistake to have been in the euro now. He was not sure. He did not think it was an easy calculation. There would have been some benefits and some negatives.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you’re reading via RSS, you’ll need to visit the blog to access this content.
The Liberal Democrats would like to settle the arguments over Europe once and for all. They are suggesting a referendum where the British people would be asked whether they wanted to stay in the EU or leave. Other parties would disagree with that question. The Tories want to stay in the EU. They strongly support the single market but they believe many ofthe EU’s powers have intruded too far into areas which should be left to the nation states.
Ed Davey is a strong supporter of the European Arrest Warrant. He says already it has helped remove very wicked people and this was achieved by “working with our European partners”.
The UK Independence Party is founded on a desire to withdraw from the European Union. UKIP’s **Nigel Farage **told me that over the years the British people have been told a “complete pack of lies”. "Virtually everything (legislation) that happens in Britain has in some ways its origins in the EU."He wants a free trade agreement with Europe and not political union. They are campaigning for the British people to have their say in a referendum.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you’re reading via RSS, you’ll need to visit the blog to access this content.
Europe carries risks for the Tories. Labour sees few votes in the subject. The Liberal Democrats will be challenged on their enthusiasm for the EU as they surge in the polls.
Just down the road important decisions will be made on immigration, policing and justice. The question is how much power should the European institutions have in these areas and which party do the voters trust to handle the negotiations?
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/bbcnewsworldfullfeed?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/bbcnewsworldfullfeed?d=dnMXMwOfBR0 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/bbcnewsworldfullfeed?i=EwEow6d3E-s:yxWrT-xVg2Q:V_sGLiPBpWU
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/bbcnewsworldfullfeed/~4/EwEow6d3E-s