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A new term in Parliament
July 2, 2004 12:00 AM
By Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP in High & I
By Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP in High & I
This is my first opportunity in the High & I to thank everyone who voted Liberal Democrat on June 10th, and I do so most sincerely.
In particular of course I am pleased to have been re-elected as an MEP for London. We improved our share of the vote significantly over 1999 - while the other major parties got lower percentages - and came close to getting a second Euro-MP seat.
I believe we got credit for sticking to our beliefs over Europe and the Iraq war, as well as improvements being made locally by LibDem boroughs, such as in Islington. At a time when the support for both Tories and Labour is crumbling and uncertain, we have a big opportunity to reach out to a larger pool of potential voters.
I have been seamlessly back to work. At least I don't have the problem of being a new girl in the European Parliament as in 1999. I look forward to crossing swords with the Kilroy-Silk UKIP boy band (not a single woman in their dire dozen).
If they intend to wreck everything, I guess they won't be interested in trying to make sure human rights and civil liberties are respected in EU activities. Much too boring and hard work to actually call the Commission and Council to account, more fun just to prance around. (But how will they justify their salaries and expenses? Will they hand them back? Don't hold your breath.)
I have been active again as a patron of the Guantanamo Human Rights Commission and joint lead MEP on the issue for the European Parliament. Do go and see the play 'Guantanamo: honor bound to defend freedom', now at the New Ambassadors theatre. It was humbling to sit near Azmat Begg as he watched himself and his son Moazzam, a prisoner for almost 3 years and held for the last year in solitary confinement, played on stage.
The Attorney-General has at last said that Bush's proposed military commissions do not meet fair trial standards, something every other decent lawyer has been saying for 18 months. Now Blair wants it known that he has in fact asked George Bush to repatriate our citizens.
The timing of this 'leak' was a curious coincidence. It came just after publicity was given to Charles Kennedy's statement that Bush told him last autumn Blair only had to ask and repatriation would happen. And it came just before the Supreme Court judgement on whether the Guantanamo prisoners should get out of their legal black hole and into the protection of US law and due process.
What has Blair been doing all this time? As a self-proclaimed 'moral missionary' enforcing freedom, democracy and the rule of law round the world, and a lawyer who leads a government of lawyers, why has he tolerated without public protest the state of utter lawlessness suffered by our compatriots in an American concentration camp?
And what does it say about EU governments that they have failed, despite MEP pleas, to unite to demand an end to this gross breach of human rights? If they did, I believe more people would see the relevance and accept the legitimacy of the EU.
What would you like to do next?
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