PADDY ASHDOWN: EUROPE IN HIS VEINS
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You can almost imagine Bruce Forsyth announcing the results of Paddy Ashdown’s Liberal Democrats during this year’s general elections. "Mr. Deputy Returning Officer", he would announce with that large, impish grin on his face, "didn’t he do well!". And didn’t he indeed. With 46 Lib-Dem members of parliament returned to Westminster, it was by far the best showing since the days of Lloyd George. The stuff of which, in normal times, moulds would have been broken. But for the former commando-turned-politico, alas, the sea-change in politics which swept Tony Blair into Downing Street did so with such a thumping majority that Ashdown is likely to remain an observer rather than a wielder of power for some time. All of which must surely mean that within 48 hours of polling day he would have sunk into the very darkest of depressions and the deepest of despairs.
"Rubbish! Absolutely not. I’m fed up with people saying its all doom and gloom, that we will be squeezed, that we should all give up, pack our bags and go home. Now those same voices who told us all that are saying that we will have no effect in this parliament. Oh really? Because we already have an agreement to have PR for Europe, an electoral commission and a referendum promised on PR for elections to Westminster. We are going to have a Freedom of Information Act and a Bill of Rights. These are all fundamental reforms, policies that we have believed in for 100 years are at last being introduced. So the fact that we have 46 members of parliament has made a very great deal of difference, its strengthened Labour’s backbone for one thing. In fact I didn’t want a hung parliament. I wanted a strong enough force to oppose Labour as and when necessary - and to work together where possible too. I got all that I wanted and more."
Remember Basil’s words of wisdom dispensed from the reception desk at Fawlty Towers? - don’t mention the war! Well, a word of advice when if you should happen to meet Paddy Ashdown at the House of Commons - or anywhere else for that matter. Don’t mention Europe! Not unless you have some considerable time on your hands, that is. For the merest mention of the word is likely to spur him into action for the best part of an hour - and perhaps his finest hour at that. For his are not the tired clichés of a machine politician but the heartfelt words of man who passionately endorses the European ideal. So wholeheartedly, in fact, that he positively lives, eats and breathes Europe, speaking with an evangelical commitment to the cause. And woe betide both the New Labour and Conservative Parties should their European credentials not come up to scratch.
"What our party is not prepared to do," he affirms, "is to duck and run on Europe. The Tories led us into Europe - but are now retreating into a bunch of little Englanders. Poor old Mr. Hague - he has become the unwitting prisoner of a group of xenophobes. In fact I would predict that the Conservatives will become the out of Europe party within the next five years. They will make the transition they want to make and become the party that recommends getting out of Europe. And as they do so Labour will dither and dally - particularly over monetary union. They are as split and divided over Europe as ever. Both of these positions are disastrous. I want to see Britain playing its full role in Europe. This country is still living in the dangerous illusion that we are not going to have a single currency - we are. It may be, sadly, that Britain can’t meet the necessary criteria in time. But we should at least make a declaration of intent - making it quite clear that it is our intention to join. Europe is without doubt the greatest issue that now faces Britain. And since when did this nation express its greatness by retreating behind its island walls and shouting insults at foreigners? We should go out, be leaders and trade with the world. Not the narrow and crabbed view that seems to have grabbed some of the establishment in Britain."
Despite his evident fervour and enthusiasm for the European bandwagon to roll, Ashdown insists that he is not advocating a United States of Europe. Because individual national differences are to be cherished - not stamped out - he will tell you. "The French aren’t going to ditch being French for heaven’s sake." Nor does he have any particular difficulty, apparently, with the so-called F-word, explaining that we in Great Britain seem to be the only people in Europe to have lost sight of its true meaning - decentralized, democratic and diverse. For Ashdown the test as to whether or not their should be a pooling of sovereignty is entirely pragmatic: would it be to the benefit of the nation states of Europe? In other words, as the lawyers say, it’s a question of fact in each case. Would it be of benefit when it comes to environmental pollution? Yes it would. When it comes to defence. Yes it would. When it comes to creating stronger competition? Another tick. When it comes to creating a European jumbo-system of social security? No. A European bureaucracy administering Britain’s fishing grounds. No again. In other words you can pick and choose which items ought to be on the European agenda - but doing so in a positive spirit from within.
At least you can’t accuse Ashdown of failing to practice what he preaches. For he has owned a holiday home in Burgundy, France, since 1987. His son-in-law is French. His grandson is French. Try as you might - you can’t catch him out - Ashdown is the living embodiment of un bon European.
"My grandson Matthias was born in the middle of general election campaign," Ashdown recalls with much pride. "In fact I should think that he is just about the only French citizen who made it to the number one item on ITN, BBC and Sky News! When we went returned to our village, after the election, it was the fête d’assomption and they greeted me like a returning hero - as if I had become Prime Minister myself! We have a number of really dear friends there and it provides me with all the peace, comradeship, friendship and fun that I have when I am not doing politics."
Ashdown rightly enjoys a reputation for being skilled with languages. After all, how many others in the House of Commons have taken a first class degree in Chinese, can speak Malay - or indeed dyak - the language of the head hunters of Borneo? Not bad when you think that he received only 5 out of 200 for O level French and whose school report confidently predicted that this boy will never learn languages.
"I am British and proud of it. But spending time in France has undoubtedly given an extra dimension to my life. Its a great country, wonderfully varied geography, wonderful food, wonderful weather - what more do you want? I know that for some people in Britain there seems to be a love-hate relationship with France. But for me the love is dominant - there’s absolutely no doubt about that."
Hold on there. Ashdown the oldest of the party leaders. Ashdown a doting grandfather. A holiday home in France. Ten years of running round the country visiting the same old drafty halls. Can we correctly assume, then, reading between the lines, that the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party is on the brink of announcing his retirement, paving the way for a younger man? No - we cannot.
"I have built up this party from 2.5%. We now have more councillors than the Tories. We run more councils than they do and we have almost double the parliamentary party of the last parliament. Plus we have broken in to the European parliament. In other words we have built a political instrument. The energy is still there. So as to whether or not I’m inclined to hand it all over to someone else - you must be joking! The fun is just about to begin."
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