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The hammer blows from voters continue to smash down upon Labour. Yesterday's disastrous showing in the European Parliament election will be seized upon by those urging the Prime Minister's removal and an early general election. But the real winner is British Euroscepticism.
The nearly 60 per cent of votes cast for parties broadly hostile to today's EU now has to be taken seriously, as Britain's political class works out how to deal with the apparently unsolvable European question.
Sadly, Britain now also joins other European countries in electing two racist, extremist MEPs from the BNP. The party leader, Nick Griffin, is anti-Semitic and will join France's Jew-hating National Front and other anti-Semitic and racist MEPs in Strasbourg. British mainstream political parties can no longer dodge the BNP question and why xenophobic politics are digging such deep roots in Britain.
Yet the miserable turn-out, not much better than for local council elections, the absence of any serious policy debate and the overwhelming dominance of the MPs' expenses scandal mean that last Thursday's European poll was as much about domestic politics as the future of Europe.
This is odd, as the European Parliament is important and influential — and will become more so if, as looks likely, the Irish will ratify the Lisbon Treaty.
The European Parliament is increasingly the co-legislator on trade, harmonising standards so that goods can be sold in 27 different nations without different national regulations, and on global environmental policy. MEPs also say Yes or No to the President of the Commission and to its commissioners.
So battling for British interests in Strasbourg and Brussels is what our MEPs are tasked with. Instead, the European election was fought, as it always is, on domestic national politics: thus Britain has chosen to send a majority of MEPs to Strasbourg who do not like the EU, who will claim the maximum of expenses — Ukip's Nigel Farage boasted he had trousered more than £2 million in his 10-year stint as an MEP — and whose main desire is to see Britain move to the exit door of the EU.
The slump in the Conservative vote to less than 30 per cent should worry David Cameron, even though Labour has deeper wounds to lick. The Conservatives are relentless in promoting their anti-European line. But Cameron cannot concede the politics of total withdrawal, which would leave Britain isolated on the world stage, with dwindling significance to the United States, China, India or Russia.
This goes to the heart of the Tory dilemma over Europe. Voters assume that if the EU is as bad as William Hague paints it, then Britain should be out. So the Ukip or even BNP vote allows British citizens who dislike Europe to speak the truth that the Tories dare not utter — that the logical end of Euroscepticism has to be withdrawal.
Every political leader in Europe calls for a better, reformed EU. But to achieve that desirable goal requires engagement in, not rejection of, the European Parliament. Yet in a couple of weeks, the new Tory and Ukip MEPs will turn up in Strasbourg but have nothing to do.
The Conservatives will not sit down and work with fellow centre-Right parties headed by Nicolas Sarkozy or Angela Merkel, even though both did well yesterday. The Tories are pledged to form a new alliance with homophobic Polish Right-wingers and a Czech party whose leader believes global warming is a myth.
This small grouping will be powerless and marginal. British ambassadors in EU capitals are openly expressing concern about a Tory government with William Hague as foreign secretary, in open conflict with major EU governments.
As a result, British businesses and NGOs cannot turn to Tory MEPs to advance their interests. Mr Cameron's isolationist politics turns Tory MEPs into political eunuchs, without power or influence to promote UK plc or any other cause which requires winning support from fellow centre-Right MEPs.
Yet Labour can offer little alternative. Despite Tony Blair's promise to place Britain at the heart of Europe, Labour's failure to make the case for engagement has left Britain as the EU's most faint-hearted member. Blair made pro-European speeches — but usually on the continent and rarely in Britain.
Ministers have seen the EU as a source of problems and irritation, not an opportunity to create new networks of British influence. Blair and Brown have appointed as many Europe ministers as Labour's years in office, while two of Labour's four foreign secretaries have come from the Eurosceptic wing of the party.
Margaret Thatcher spent £25 million to promote Britain in Europe in the advertising campaign of the late 1980s to get Britain ready for the single market. When I was Europe minister, my budget to explain the EU to voters was slashed to £200,000, a derisory amount given the billions Whitehall spends promoting its preferred policies.
Yet while voters and politicians turn their backs on Europe, citizens embrace the EU as never before. There are more Brits living in Europe, running businesses or owning homes there than ever before in our history. Our low-cost airlines take advantage of the single market to make the whole of the EU the place where we shop, drink and relax. Our universities all have thriving European departments.
So while our politics remains more and more hostile to Europe, our lived experience becomes ever more integrated. Indeed even the good showing for anti-European ideology in this election also shows Britain becoming more, not less, continental, as the Continent's nationalist and xenophobic politics cross the Channel to become commonplace in Britain.
Like the great 19th-century political questions of free trade or Ireland, which divided British politics for decades until some consensus was found, the question of Britain in Europe will agitate our political class for the foreseeable future. Right now Euroscepticism has triumphed. But no British government will ever dare offer an official policy of full withdrawal.
Thus we will hear sound and fury over Europe and send many MEPs to Strasbourg with little to do but claim expenses. Until we can reach a pro-European consensus Britain, alas, will remain a sour, crabbed member of an EU in which we should and could lead with panache, confidence and style.
Denis MacShane is Labour MP for Rotherham and was Britain's longest serving Europe minister, 2002-05.
Reader views (17)
The EU is seen by our lack lustre members of our bombed out Labour Government as a gravy train to their retirement. The EU works for the EU and the people in it. Like Hitler's government the State comes first and the people the ammunition for the guns. This country has nothing to earn from Europe except death. Travel the war graves in Belgium, Holland, France, Italy, Norway and Denmark and you will find why the British people will always say NO to the EU.
- Albert Hall, hove england
Once we used to trade with the World; what happened to that?
I also believed that Ireland rejected the Lisbon Treaty; what happened to that?
How did England ever manage without, or before the EEC?
Any political organization that forbids a public vote or referendum is a dictatorship.
If the EEC was so great; how come they are now as skint as the British are?
Talk about crap.
Listen mate; what will be, will surely be, with or without Europe.
Remember we were alone in Europe during WW2; did they save us then?
- Mickyinlondon, london
aS mj says until the lady from Spain (Ms Andrsson) is givern the credit she deserves for exposing the corruption in the EU and also on the same point that the books are properly auditd and signed off who can trust the never ending and incresing gravy train that is Europe.
- Edwin Sheppard, Pinner, UK
And is the present Government better than the EU?
Sorry folks but the UK's main trade is with other EU members. If the UK leaves the EU companies will still have to comply with a large amount of EU legislation in order to do business.
The UK needs to be more involved in influencing policy rather than the current childlike stance. England does not have an empire and never will again. Grow up and forge partnerships that will last.
- Guy, Luxembourg
'British ambassadors in EU capitals are openly expressing concern about a Tory government with William Hague as foreign secretary, in open conflict with major EU governments.'
Perhaps they should resign in favour of new officials who understand that their job is to serve the elected government. Mr McShane is in denial that people's hostility to the EU is based on clear-eyed awareness that it is primarily a machine to create comfortable lives for smooth insiders like himself. Could he explain why Ireland has to have another vote on the Lisbon Treaty? Did democracy produce the wrong answer last time? And why Ms Andreson was sacked and victimised for exposing rampant corruption? Does he admire her stand, or not? If not, why not?
- Mdj E10, london uk
Few thinking people will agree with 100% of any party's views or policies. In general, if we agree with 60% of what they say, we'll vote for them. OR, if one issue is particularly important to us, we will vote for the party which reflects our view on this one issue. It is thus unfortunate if people who feel strongly that the UK should leave the EC (which I personally believe will fragment over the next 20 years or so in any case) are obliged, in order to vote for someone who reflects that view, to vote for someone who is e.g. anti-Semitic.
The point is, which are the policies which have led people to vote for the so-called "far-right"? In my view, almost certainly a rejection of the overweening power and (apparently) unaccountable corruption of the EC.
- Nick, paris, france
I think the Conservatives will accomplish a great deal more by being a big player in a smaller alliance than a marginal player in a large, established alliance.
- St, London
It's time the arrogance of Labour, and other parties, and their Eurofile agents in this country, who are determined to rob the electorate of their democratic rights to determine their own Economic and Foreign Policy are stopped.
The Lisbon treaty, with or without a 'Referendum', aims to do this by small amendments , which will give Brussell's more power to override both issues, and thereby give 'jobs to the boys' who, are not interested in this country and its parochial Westminster government as they see it, and never have been, but are obsessed only in power, and developing their own personal careers in a monolithic autocracy.
The proud ordinary British people of this country are fed up with this, and have seen right through it and expense, and have shown this in the EU elections, or those who can just about control their contempt enough to bring themselves to the Polling Stations to register their contempt, at the Government who keep pushing for the EU as if only THEY know what's best for us!.
If they ignore this lesson again, they do so at their peril in the next General Elections. This lesson applies to any Party that ignores or tries to usurp the electorates wishes.
It is incredible that millions have already been spent in setting up an army of bureaucrat's to govern both civilian, military and Police, to take away our democracy, and to undermine NATO which, given a chance, only needs to evolve to a new role rather than the EU reinventing the wheel.
- Mr B . Calver, London, England
Europe is run along deeply Socialist [failed] lines and will continue to fail. Europe ignores the real competitive issue which is China, without addressing this competitive threat Europe will continue to fall behind and lose jobs even in a recovery. McShane doesn't care, he can cling to his socialist views knowing full well that our taxes will pay his index linked pension. The UK should immediately leave the full EU and join Switzerland in reasserting sovereignty, dump the EU red tape garbage, dump the Euro laws that only impose yet more costs on our businesses. Set us free, control our borders properly. The positive effect on the UK will be huge. We have no influence in the EU now so whats to lose?
- James Ritchie, Oyster Bay Cove, NY
I voted for an EU referendum - perhaps McShane remembers his party's lies on that manifesto promise?
And - roll on the day - I'll vote to kick out those MPs so divorced from real working life that they claim around £20 grand every year to redecorate their garages.
- Tv, Hounsow, UK
Europe is only supported by Euro gravy-train spotters leaving platform 2 from the houses of Westminster. Like most things Joe public just wants to know three things
How much will it cost?
What will we get?
Why is the task of running this county being done in two different places? In Scotland this is three!
You could moot the facts that we also do not feel European or share much empathy with them over the channel
- Gary, Brentwood 1
The Czech party leader does not "believe global warming is a myth". He believes man-made global warming is a myth. This is different, and does not qualify him to be ranked by you as morally equivalent to a homophobe.
- Ted Davies, LOndon
"The nearly 60 per cent of votes cast for parties broadly hostile to today's EU now has to be taken seriously"
Yeah, democracy is so inconvenient isn't it ? As to Hague's view on the EU, isn't it just to offer a referendum on Lisbon ratification (which, to be honest, is the same as I thought Labour's policy was at the last election)
- Roy Grainger, London
When was the last time the accounts of the European Union have been signed off by the accountants. If a public company behaved like the council the directors would have been in prison years ago.
L Green
- Lawrence Green, Weybridge, UK
As usual Dennis you political elitists don't hear us joe publics and 'misunderestimate' that which you do hear.
You airily state that 60% voted anti eu, yet waffle on about the Lisbon treaty in Ireland completely bypassing the issue of our promised UK referendum. You Europhobes lied to us, ignored us and now we have voted with overwhelming clarity you claim that it was about something else. Your arrogance is the issue here. 60% don't want the EU, we want a vote that we were promised and we want you to act on the result of that vote. Are you listening yet? Ignore us again and we will consign you to the dustbin of history at the next election.
But if so called extremist parties are listening to us then why should we not vote for them rather than you deaf arrogant political euro loving elitists? Thats termed democracy. I long for it to be introduced into the UK.
- Ethan, UK 'ipper'
If he looks at the table for those attaining 5 or more GCSEs on free school meals he will see that, apart from Travellers, White boys fall well below Black Caribbean boys and every other ethnic group. After 12 years of Education, Education, Education Labour give the impression of having abandoned White Working Class boys. And you wonder why some people are driven by your Government to the BNP. I did not vote BNP but it is important that the main parties at least try to understand how they are failing people.
- David Burns, Beckenham
We've been told for years and years by europhiles like Denis McShane that the EU is moving in our direction, will slim down, will make itself more accountable etc. etc., and that the emergence of a Euro-State is a myth.
But none of this is true. Most people don't have a clue who their MEP is, or what their policies are. All they have is a vague impression of a cosy self-serving elite, drawing vast salaries and benefits, engaged in foisting laws on us from a long way away, and expanding itself into areas not wanted.
There's no accountability, people feel powerless to influence what happens at EU-level, which is why euro-votes are seen as worthless and are being used as a club to beat this hated New Labour government.
No-one is to blame more than the Blair/Brown politicians, who have refused to be honest with us and tell it like it is - that the EU project does involve the creation of super-national bodies, and in the withdrawal of powers from the nation state.
- David, Doha Qatar
