online diary of Richard Corbett MEP

February 2004

Monday 2 February

Correspondence, drafting articles and, especially, catching up with a mountain of reading.

Tuesday 3 February

Day dominated by the issue of the Working Time Directive. The Commission is conducting consultations on how it has worked and the key controversy is on whether the special dispensation accorded to the UK should continue or not. Under this dispensation, individuals may opt out of the 48 hour limit on the normal working week.

There is much evidence presented by trade unions that employers pressurise staff to sign the opt-out – and who is going to say no to that in a job interview if the job may well depend on it? Employers, on the other hand, argue that they need the labour market flexibility that the opt-out gives.

Although this is only a pre-legislative consultation, and the legislation itself will come later, there is intense pressure on us prior to vote next week, and the EPLP has determine its position today. Our comrades in the Socialist Group and most (but not all) trade unions want us to vote in favour of ending the opt-out. Most employers' organisations don't. The government is leaning towards the arguments of the employers. The EPLP decided to stick to the Socialist Group line.

Apart from that, the EPLP approved some documents which I have drafted which will now go out in the name of the EPLP. One is our response to "The Big Conversation". The other is entitled "100 Labour Achievements in Europe".

Wednesday 4 February

I am shadowed today by a young lad whose school is staging a mock European Parliament in a few weeks time. He is already remarkably knowledgeable about the workings of the Parliament, but wants to learn more at first hand. In the mock, he is to be the Socialist Group's candidate for President of Parliament. He comes with me to the meeting of the Socialist Group, which I find to be one of our less inspiring meetings, but he is nevertheless enthusiastic about it.

Thursday 5 February

In the morning various duties in the Parliament, including speaking to a visitors group from my colleague, Philip Whitehead's East Midlands Constituency. Then fly back to Leeds-Bradford airport and go to Kirkbymoorside to speak to the local group of Amnesty International. A well informed and articulate group of people and highly knowledgeable about foreign affairs. It was a delight to speak with them.

Friday 6 February

Catch up with correspondence and constituency cases in the office and then go to speak at Bradford West CLP in the evening before moving on to Shipley CLP. Bradford West, however, starts half an hour later than the I had been told so I come under some time pressure. As I rush out of Bradford West to get to Shipley on time, in comes my colleague David Bowe MEP – we must get our act co-ordinated better!

Shipley concludes with the Ring o'Bells pub which is, as usual, crowded – no doubt the screening of Aldershot v Barnet on the television has attracted in extra punters!

Saturday 7 February

Meeting of the Regional Board of the Labour Party followed by an election planning meeting with all the European candidates and constituency co-ordinators from across Yorkshire. Tremendous enthusiasm – far more than five years ago – as we grapple to get to grips with running campaigns for two elections on the same day (local and European) and, in all likelihood, a new voting method: all postal voting with no polling stations.

Then down to browse around Borders bookshop on Saturday afternoon before going back to Saltaire where I catch up with various people in the village, not least Ann Heald who does a brilliant job running the local tourist office which actually carries a leaflet "Saltaire, Village of Parliamentarians" about the fact that a member of the House of Commons, a member of the House of Lords and a member of the European Parliament (me) all reside in the village!

Sunday 8 February

A day with the family, culminating in a dinner for my son's birthday.

Monday 9 February

Already the second Strasbourg session of the year! Up at 5am, but no travel hassle this time. Arrive in Strasbourg at 12:30.

I am rapidly embroiled in a mini debate on the floor of the House when one of the members from the far-right (Mr Gollnisch of the French Front Nationale ) referred to the “suspicious” death of David Kelly. I rise to protest: whatever one's views of the war in Iraq and the dispute between the government and the BBC, no one has suggested that David Kelly's death was anything other than suicide, as the judicial inquiry concluded. To insinuate otherwise is outrageous.

To a meeting of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee on the subject of the Consumer Credit Directive.

In the evening, dinner of the LME MEPs and two visiting officials from Amicus trade union. Many members have had election planning meetings in their regions the last weekend and are comparing notes. Considerable enthusiasm from Labour Party members is the good news but tempered with the complications of the new legislation on fair election campaigning and the excessively bureaucratic way that this is being implemented, according to some, by the Electoral Commission. Or may I correct that: the way people fear the Electoral Commission will interpret it is leading to an ultra-cautious attitude, with no one daring publish anything remotely referring to elections lest it count as electoral expenditure.

Tuesday 10 February

First to an 8:30am event at the entrance to Parliament on the issue of “off-shoring”, whereby call centres are being relocated to India and other countries. This is a shared problem across Europe. We cannot and should not compete via lower wages, so it is crucial now that we can identify the skills and training needed to safeguard our communities.

After an interview with Ridings FM, I go to the speech in the European Parliament by the President of Columbia. His visit is extremely controversial, given the question marks surrounding his human rights record in this conflict torn country. Many members walk out, and others, including myself, wear a highly visible (for Columbian television) scarf as a sign of protest.

I do an interview with a German journalist who turns out to be from Neues Deutschland – the old party-owned daily newspaper of the former communist East Germany! I had no idea that it still existed. It seems that it does, and its relationship with the party (or what remains of it) is the same as ever. I wonder whether they will print in full what I say.

In the House that afternoon, President Prodi presents the Commission's spending plans for the years 2006–2014. This is just the start of a long process. The Commission's proposals stake out a significant increase in EU spending, to take account of EU enlargement with 10 new countries joining in May. However, they remain well below the current ceiling on EU expenditure. But it is also higher than “the group of six” countries which are net contributors to the budget, including Britain, have advocated.

The Socialist Group meeting this evening is unusual in that it sees the expulsion of one of its members. Hans Peter-Martin MEP, a journalist who the Austrian Social Democratic Party put on their team at the last European elections as a gimmick that they have since bitterly regretted, was asked to leave after he refused to apologise to a German female MEP for his outrageously aggressive behaviour to her the previous week that had left her in tears. This is the latest in a long line of incidents involving Mr Martin. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that some of his friend in the media will come down on his side.

After a debate in the Socialist Group going on till 9pm , I escape for a bite with Glyn Ford and David Martin in an Italian restaurant. Much moaning about the state of everything.

Wednesday 11 February

In the morning, waiting for the bus, I chat to Hans Modrow MEP, the former Prime Minister of East Germany, and commented to him on how surprised I was yesterday to meet that journalist from Neues Deutschland, with I thought was long-since defunct. He assures me that it isn't, and nor is its youth magazine – which he had read everyday since 1947. Mr Modrow, who was educated in Stalin's Moscow after the war, is a living fossil!

Lunch with the “Young Turks”, as I call the campaign for parliamentary reform - a group composed of young MEPs elected for the first time at the last elections. They have invited me to talk about how we pursue the reform agenda in the Parliament which was carried forward significantly when Parliament adopted my report on revising its rules of procedure two years ago. Lots of ideas, including a pledge card on the subject, on a cross-party basis for the election campaign.

Then to a meeting of the EPLP with the Polish Social Democrats who will soon be joining our Socialist Group as full members. The first twenty minutes are taken up with introductions, which I enliven with a reference to Polish goalkeeper Jerzey Dudek, but we soon get down to brass tacks. Once the issue of the new EU constitution is settled (where the Poles are among the main culprits for blocking it, at present) there promises to be much fruitful co-operation and meeting of minds between our two delegations.

Off to the all-party group on disability. As the annual photo is being taken, it is striking that there are more members present than usual, including Liberal Democrat Liz Lynne who has not been seen there for some time, but who complains loudly that she should sit in the front row!

Interview with Radio Humberside, meeting with Socialist Group co-ordinators, Socialist Group meeting etc. until I escape, again at around 9pm.

Thursday 12 February

First a media photo call in the Parliament courtyard clutching a toy dolphin. This is because we have just voted for proposals that would help protect dolphins from being inadvertently caught in fishing nets. After chairing the Socialist Group's working group on Constitutional Affairs and participating in votes in the Chamber, it's time to start the long trek back from Strasbourg.

Friday 13 February

First to Bradford for a meeting with Labour Leader Ian Greenwood and his Deputy, Dave Green. As my office recently produced statistics and a leaflet of “What has Europe done for Bradford?”, there is much to discuss.

Then on to the office for constituency correspondence and then to a meeting of the Industrial Law Society in Leeds with Gerry Sutcliffe MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations, Competition and Consumers. A very well-informed audience.

Then to Saltaire for a quick bite at Beeties restaurant before retiring to bed.

Monday 16 February

Visited by Julie Smith of Cambridge University who fires questions at me for her research. Academics are way ahead of journalists in their level of knowledge about EU affairs!

Afternoon, meeting of the Constitutional Affairs committee for a hearing with Commissioner Barnier and several minor reports.

Tuesday 17 February

Constitutional Committee again, starting with a vote on my own report bringing in further reforms to the European Parliament's Rules of Procedure. Largely a tidying up exercise, but also an opportunity to plug some gaps and adjust for enlargement. By dint of boring most of my colleagues to tears, I manage to slip through some interesting changes.

Then a discussion on the negotiations on the new European Constitution with former Prime Ministers (of Italy and Belgium respectively) Giuilano Amato and Jean-Luc Dehaene who where both vice presidents of the constitutional convention that drew up the draft. National Parliaments have also sent delegates to this meeting, and the most vociferous are the Spanish and the Poles – precisely the countries who prevented agreement at the Brussels summit. We begin to bounce about ideas for possible compromises.

Then back to Leeds on the late afternoon flight, just in time to drive over to speak to Hull East Constituency Labour Party (John Prescott's). Heavy traffic as England against Holland (under 21s) is on at the Kingston Communications stadium – the first use of this stadium for an international football match. We hear on the radio on the way back that the match is a sell-out with over 25 000 spectators and England win 3-2. But it's also a great advertisement for Hull and its extraordinary new facility.

Wednesday 18 February

I am shocked to learn that the David Wilson saga is not, after all, over yet. Following his acquittal, he has still not been able to retrieve his lorry which was for months in Patras Police station, but is no longer there. On top of that they want to charge him several months of parking fees! This really is an outrage and I shall yet again have to take issue with the Greek legal system.

Really managed to get ahead on constituency cases and correspondence, before going off to Swillington to speak to Elmet CLP.

Thursday 19 February

Back to Brussels. The EPLP office and I put final touches to the format of my publication Answers to CommonHome | Photos | Links | Contact which will be published by them and used by colleagues across the country.

At lunchtime, I speak at a conference of the European Centre for Public Affairs in the splendidly renovated Résidence Palace building in Brussels. I am quizmaster for a quiz on EU (and especially European Parliament) procedures. It is University Challenge style with two teams: MEPs and Lobbyists. Last year, the lobbyists won, demonstrating that they know the rules better than the Members! This year, the Members won, but only thanks to reinforcing their team with an official and a former MEP, Tom Spencer.

After many frantic calls to and from Athens, there is good news on the David Wilson front: his lorry will be handed over on 15 March - at last!

Friday 20 February

I decline an offer to speak in Beijing in July to the World Esperanto Congress - tempting, but I can't possibly fit it in. By the end of July, after the election period and the constitutive session of the new Parliament, I think my family (if they still recognize me!) will deserve a holiday during our four week recess. I can't go haring off to congresses in China!

Come to think of it, they deserve to see a bit more of me this next week, which is half-term. So I'll cut out the blog for a week, and other non-essentials. More in March.