I was very pleased today to see that Martin Schulz, the leader of the Socialists and Democrats – the Group to which the Labour Party belongs in the European Parliament – openly challenge David Cameron to clarify the nature of his alliances with right-wing parties in the EU.
Martin Schulz said:
“Mr Cameron needs to be open and honest about his intentions. After last year’s Euro elections, he abandoned the centre-right grouping of Sarkozy and Merkel in favour of a new alliance with eurosceptic and partially anti-European politicians, mainly from Eastern Europe.
“Now his old partners in the pro-European centre-right group, the European People’s Party, claim publicly that he is ready to rejoin their ranks if he manages to win the elections. It appears that Mr Cameron now sees what a grave mistake he made and he needs to clear this up.
“People across Europe, not just in the United Kingdom, have a right to know just where Mr Cameron stands on EU issues today.
“On behalf of my group, I am writing to Mr Cameron, inviting him to clarify this matter and reveal whether a Conservative government would rejoin mainstream European politics or continue to stand on the sidelines of decision-making in Brussels and Strasbourg.”
Mr Schulz should not be trying to manage another Member State’s General Election Campaign.
Sally, I don’t think Martin Schulz is trying to “manage” the British general election campaign. Surely everyone is entitle to their views