There was colour – and a rare moment of levity – in the European Parliament this week, writes MARY MINIHANIn Strasbourg
A GROUP of Italian journalists in the European Parliament’s press room flicked through a “who’s new” brochure with photos of the MEPs, pronouncing the women “bella” or “brutta”.
Others used their time in Strasbourg this week a little more constructively.
Step forward Socialist MEP for Dublin Joe Higgins, who hosted one of just a handful of press conferences. An announcement came over the intercom in the press room on Wednesday that the first-time MEP, who has found a home in the European United Left/Nordic Green Left group, would be launching his No to Lisbon campaign imminently.
There was no stampede and the number of translators was greater than the number of journalists, but what a platform. The parliament’s slick press briefing room, vacated just hours before by European Commission president José Manuel Barroso, is a far cry from the humble venues Mr Higgins uses at home.
With the help of headphones, Mr Higgins’s class war was instantly translated into French, German and many other tongues and he fielded questions from Spanish, Bulgarian and Dutch reporters. The only real fireworks in Strasbourg were those going off over the river Ill on Tuesday night to mark Bastille Day.
Outside the chamber, Mr Higgins criticised Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour MEPs for participating in the type of consensus-building politics that others consider one of the parliament’s greatest strengths.
“If they think they’re radically different at home, how come they’re pals out here all of a sudden?” he asked.
Fine Gael’s Mairéad McGuinness, Fianna Fáil’s Pat the Cope Gallagher and Proinsias De Rossa of Labour all spoke in favour of passing the Lisbon Treaty in the parliament this week.
Following the failure of Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald and Independent Kathy Sinnott to get re-elected to Europe, Mr Higgins is the lone voice calling for a No vote among the 12 Irish MEPs. This week he certainly used that unique selling point to his advantage.
It was an uncomfortable week for Mr Barroso, given the MEPs’ delay in scheduling a vote that could reconfirm him as president for another five years. The vote is now provisionally scheduled for September 16th. However, there was a rare moment of levity in the chamber when Mr Barroso spotted the mini Union Jack that United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage had placed on his desk.
To laughter and applause from MEPs, Mr Barroso then hoisted a small European Union flag.
The new Irish MEPs got their first taste of Euro horse trading as they jockeyed for positions on committees, where parliamentary insiders say the real work is done.
After a tiring week of attempting to navigate the complex interiors of the parliament, the new MEPs compared travel plans for the tricky return to Ireland from difficult-to-access Strasbourg.
Perhaps they might take a tip from the Czech MEP Edvard Kozusnik who turned heads in a skintight red Lycra outfit after cycling the 647km from Prague in just under two weeks.
Meanwhile, Hungary’s Adam Kosa became the first deaf MEP to address the parliament. His intervention in sign language highlighted discrimination against minority languages.
The British provided plenty of colour and interesting side stories at the session. One of the Conservative Party’s longest- serving MEPs, Edward McMillan- Scott, was elected as one of the parliament’s 14 vice-presidents in direct contravention of his party and his newly formed group.
The European Conservatives and Reformists was put together after British Conservative leader David Cameron pledged to pull his party out of the main centre- right grouping, the European Peoples Party, which many Tories regard as too federalist.
Others gossiped that the British National Party (BNP), which won two seats, was not welcome at a drinks reception hosted by the UK’s Minister for Europe, Baroness Glenys Kinnock.
It also emerged that Britain’s Labour government would back former prime minister Tony Blair if he were to stand for the post of president of the European Council.