The British government has worked hard to counteract any perception that it is being
marginalised in Europe. Before the election, the Tory party went around to different capitals to assuage any fears that may have existed. The message: despite the Conservative departure from the
EPP, and their anti-Lisbon Treaty remonstrations, they would not be a problem. They would be businesslike.
Once in power, David Cameron unleashed his charm, showcased his polyglot Deputy Prime Minister and sent William Hague out to make everyone feel that they had a partner not a pariah in London. Further, the energetic and amiable David Lidington replaced the combative Mark Francois as Europe Minister. Links with France, forged by the much-maligned Liam Fox and cemented over the Libyan intervention, showed that Britain was not about to go it alone or remain only focused on the USA.
But as the Euro crisis has unfolded, the reality is slowly emerging: Britain is, once again, being marginalised in Europe. And with it, so are issues dear to Britain’s heart: the importance of the City of London, the need for Europe to remain an open, liberal and deregulated economy, and the need to enlarge the EU.
The government is fighting hard to manage this diminution of power for two reasons. It wants to be seen as able to advance Britain’s interests, but it also wants to avoid eurosceptics saying that Britain might as well leave the EU as it is no longer wanted in the club by the other members and has, anyway, lost influence.
Yet on the European continent, the diminution looks unmistakable. When George Osborne admonishes the Eurozone, as he has done recently, few papers in France and Germany even pick up on the Chancellor’s statements. The decision not to back the European bailouts directly, but only through the IMF make sense domestically, but comes with an international price. Speaking to several German politicians recently, I had the sense not only that the tide was turning against a UK idea of Europe but that people were fed-up with us.
This is bad for Britain but also bad for Europe. A Europe run by Germany and France will not work. It is as simple as that. But a Britain on the margins of Europe does not work for Britain. How David Cameron escapes being squeezed between the 17 and the 81, however, remains to be seen.
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