Home What's New Speeches & Articles Newsletter - Jul 2008 Biography Diary Contact Information Photo Album Parliamentary Highlights Publications Links MEPs' Transparency   Conservative Party Latest News from Conservatives.com Conservative Party Website
		'Wreckage of shattered dreams': Blair in Strasbourg Wednesday, 26th October 2005 Strasbourg - Prime Minister Tony Blair today faced a scathing attack from East Midlands Conservative MEP Roger Helmer. Blair was addressing the European parliament in Strasbourg, to report on the start of Britain's six-month EU Presidency, which is widely regarded in Brussels as a failure. There has been no resolution on the three critical issues facing the EU: the budget, which will probably not be resolved until next year; the Constitution, which is in limbo; and Turkey, where although a start to accession negotiations was finally agreed, the hard decisions have been kicked into touch. Helmer spoke of how Blair had been welcomed by EU leaders in 1997, who thought he was the man who would end British ambivalence about the EU, and finally take Britain to the heart of Europe. Yet he had let them down. He had never dared to face the resistance of the public to the euro and now never would. Blair's offer of a UK referendum on the EU Constitution led directly to the torpedoing of the project. It meant that France was forced to concede a referendum, and the French and Dutch voted NO. As speaker after speaker criticised the failures of Britain's EU Presidency, Mr Helmer believed Blair had come to Strasbourg "to survey the wreckage of his shattered European dreams". Commenting after the debate, Helmer said "I especially drew attention to the way that Labour's own MEPs have constantly sought to frustrate the Labour government's 'modernisation' policies. It may be New Labour in Westminster, but it's Old Labour in Brussels!" See the full transcript of Roger's speech