Interview with Richard Corbett MEP
Here's my interview with Richard Corbett MEP for Redbrick. He is a genuinely nice guy, and it's great to talk with someone who is so obviously passionate in favour of the EU. Makes a nice change:
To call Richard Corbett pro-European seems something of an understatement. At Oxford University he co-ordinated the “Yes” campaign in the EU Referendum in 1975. He was first elected as a Labour MEP for 1996, and is now Deputy Leader of the Labour MEPs.
Corbett has many other interests on his CV. He is currently on two European Parliamentary Committees, a member of groups including Amnesty International, The Rambler’s Association and the Fabian Society, and President of the British Beer Club in the European Parliament. He is also a passionate Liverpool fan. I resisted the urge to talk to him about beer and football all afternoon. You would much rather read about the European Union, anyway.
It is a refreshing change to hear someone talk so enthusiastically in favour of the European Union in the way Corbett does. For all of his other interests, he says that he is most passionate when talking about Europe.
Why should we stay in the EU? “There are three reasons. The first is an idealistic reason – to achieve peace. Since the fall of the Roman Empire to World War Two, almost every generation in Europe has been at war. The EU has helped bring about peace. Secondly, from a pragmatic point of view, it makes sense for a range of interdependent small and medium sized countries to work together. Finally, there is the selfish reason. Britain is a trading nation and its exports are vital. 60% of its trade is with the EU. She does more trade with Holland alone than with the rest of the Commonwealth put together.”
Corbett is also eager to combat the UK’s negative perception of Europe. “There is so much misinformation and a very well-financed anti-European campaign. It is difficult for pro-Europeans to put their views across. The bulk of the press in Britain is anti-Europe. In readership terms, 67% of newspapers are in the hands of those who are against Europe. From the Times to the Sun, there is a deliberate policy to portray the EU in a negative light. This leads to a succession of ‘Euromyths’. This is designed to make the EU look silly, but also sinister.”
Examples of silly Euromyths in the British press include the claim that the EU wanted to standardise the size of European condoms and force farmers to grow straight bananas (the two stories aren’t connected).
If you could change one thing about the EU, what would it be? “Stop the European Parliament meeting at Strasbourg. It has to meet there, instead of Brussels, four days a month. It’s like asking the House of Commons to move to York for four days a month. It is silly and wasteful”.
We also talk about what Gordon Brown’s “vision for Britain” should be. As well as improving key public services, Labour should, “retain our uniquely successful record on economic performance”. Does Corbett think this unique record would have suffered by joining the Euro? “We have managed OK in the short-term, but does staying out mean losing out?
“There are two ways we can lose out. The first is that British firms compete with Eurozone firms at a disadvantage, as they have to incur “conversion costs” and “hedging costs”. Secondly, it could lead to less inward investment. If a Japanese firm, say, wanted to invest in the EU, it would locate in the main currency area. Ireland now gets lots of inward investment, because it’s an English-speaking country in the Eurozone.”
Europe is now back on the agenda, with calls for a referendum on the EU Reform Treaty. With more people now unsure of why Britain should be in the EU at all, it is pleasing to see those like Richard Corbett flying the flag for Europe. For one thing, the EU annoys the Daily Telegraph, and anything that does that cannot be too bad.
Cory
