Good to see the new chair of the Dutch Labour Party is my former MEP colleague Michiel Van Hulten. The new leader of the Danish Social Democrats is similarly a former colleague, Helle Thorning-Schmidt. Both were in the Campaign for Parliamentary Reform, which worked with me on the “Corbett Report” (link to PDF) which reformed the European Parliament’s internal Rules of Procedure three years ago. Their support was important in helping shape a package capable of getting the necessary majority.

They join a long list of Socialist parties now led by former MEPs: Francois Hollande of the French Parti Socialiste, Elio di Rupo of the Belgian Parti Socialiste, Piero Frassoni of the Italian Democratic Left, Robert Fico of the Slovakian Social Democracy and Borut Pahor of the Slovenian Social Democrats (who is still serving as an MEP!). I wonder when Britain will follow this trend?