A tribute to the civil servants, and to the Centre for European Reform

I missed Prince Charles's visit to European Parliament today, not just because I am not on that committee, but because I had a day in London meeting various officials and policy advisors from the Foreign office, Cabinet office and so on.

Those who claim that the government was cavalier in its negotiations about the Lisbon Treaty ought to see these officials at work. They are meticulous in knowing and analysing every detail of the treaty, looking at all the possible implications and advising ministers accordingly. They also know that the British government won on all its "red lines". The only thing is they can't say so, as civil servants, but must leave it to ministers to try to get the message across through a hostile media.

In the evening, I attended a packed 10th birthday celebration of the Centre for European Reform think tank. Not very many Tories - they don't really believe in reforming the EU - but many businessmen. A smattering of Labour MPs and peers, but also a few trade unionists. Good speech by David Miliband, looking to the future beyond treaty ratification, which will indeed be a welcome development. And as to the CER, plaudits all round for its contribution to debates on reforming Europe - which has certainly helped reform the EU (with the Reform Treaty the latest step), but which has not (yet) managed to change the way Europe is debated in Britain.