A loveless marriage: The conservatives and the European people's party

Parliamentary Affairs

Volumn 61, Issue 1, 2008, Pages 31-51

  Lynch, Philip ^a   Whitaker, Richard ^a  

^a NONE

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EID: 37849028338     PISSN: 00312290     EISSN: 14602482     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1093/pa/gsm047     Document Type: Article

References (49)

1. This research was supported by British Academy research grant SG-40183. We are grateful to the MEPs, MPs, and party and group officials who granted us non-attributable interviews. We also thank Matt Clark for his D'Hondt calculator program.
2. K. Strain, 'A Behavioral Theory of Competitive Political Parties', American Journal of Political Science, 34(2), 1990, pp. 565-98.
3. See for example, T. Bale, 'Between a Soft and a Hard Place: The Conservative Party, Valence Politics and the Need for a New Euro-Realism.', Parliamentary Affairs, 59(3), pp. 385-400;
4. P. Stephens, 'Cameron's Blind Spot about Europe', Financial Times, 13 June 2006;
5. R. Sylvester, 'Cameron. Must Rue the Day He Promised to Leave the EPP', Daily Telegraph, 13 June 2006;
6. 'A Foolish. Promise', The Economist, 15 July 2006.
7. Between 1973 and the first direct elections to the EP in 1979, the group was called the European. Conservatives.
8. K.M. Johansson, Transnational Party Alliances, Lund University Press, 1997.
9. S. Hix, A. Kreppel and A. Noury, "The Party System in the European Parliament: Collusive or Competitive?', Journal of Common Market Studies, 41(2), 2003, pp. 309-31.
10. T. Jansen, The European People's Party: Origins and Development, Macmillan, 1998, pp. 105-9.
11. D. Cameron, 'I Want Us to be the Champions of Change and Hope', Daily Telegraph, 14 July 2006, www.europeanreform.eu
12. A. Maurer, R. Parkes and M. Wagner, Die britischen Konservativen im Europäischen Parlament, SWP-Studie S09, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, April 2007, p. 26.
13. S. Hanley, 'Europe and the Czech Parliamentary Elections of 2-3 June 2006', European Parties, Elections and Referendums Network. Election. Briefing No. 27, www.sussex.ac.uk/sei/documents/epern_no_27.pdf
14. For brief pen-pics, see Conservative Group for Europe, Meet the New Allies: Alternatives to the EPP-ED Group, Briefing no. 2, Mardi 2006, www.cge.org.uk/
15. MEPs Robert Atkins and James Elles claimed that group status is a joint decision of the party leader and delegation leader. This is an informal convention; the party leader has ultimate authority.
16. Seven Conservative MEPs signed a letter welcoming the policy to leave the EPP-ED (Daily Telegraph, 1 October 2005):
17. Callanan, Deva, Hannan, Heaton-Harris, Helmer, Sumberg and van Orden. Thirteen. MEPs were signatories to a counter-letter supporting EPP-ED membership (Daily Telegraph, 5 October 2005):
18. Ashworth, Atkins, Beazley, Bowis, Bushill-Matthews, Chichester, Elles, Evans, Harbour, Jackson, McMillan-Scott, Purvis and Stevenson. Dover and Kamall subsequently indicated that they would join a new group; Bradbourn (then chief whip), Kirkhope (leader), Parish, Sturdy and Tannock favoured the status quo.
19. N. Ashford, 'The Political Parties', in S. George (ed.), Britain and the European Community: The Politics of Semi-Detachment, Clarendon Press, 1992;
20. S. Ludlam, 'The Cauldron: Conservative Parliamentarians and European. Integration', in D. Baker and D. Seawright (eds), Britain For and Against Europe, Clarendon Press, 1998.
21. Euroseeptic MEP Teresa Villiers was briefly deputy leader having stood on a joint ticket with Jonathan Evans in 2001.
22. Poettering stated that Helmer could not remain, a member of the EPP-ED during the debate in the chamber. His suspension was then confirmed in a group meeting; Helmer voted in favour of his own exclusion.
23. R. Corbett, F. Jacobs and M. Shackleton, The European Parliament, 6th edn., John Harper Publishing, 2005, p. 95.
24. R. Helmer, 'The EPP: Cameron capitulates', Freedom Today, July/August 2006.
25. Q. Davies, Letter to David Cameron, 26 June 2007, www.quentindavicsmp. com/node/55
26. S. Hix, A. Noury and G. Roland 'Dimensions of Politics in the European Parliament', American Journal of Political Science, 50(2), 2006, p. 496.
27. S. Hix, 'Parliamentary Behavior with Two Principals: Preferences, Parties and Voting in. the European Parliament', American Journal of Political Science, 46(3), 2002, pp. 688-98.
28. A. Kreppel, The European Parliament and Supranational Party System, Cambridge University Press, 2002, pp. 116-7.
29. Strøm., op. cit. n 2.
30. Op. cit. n. 20, p. 500.
31. S. Hix, A. Noury and G. Roland, Democratic Politics in the European Parliament, Cambridge University Press, 2007, p. 135.
32. Ibid.
33. This figure rises to ten if Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson is included.
34. The final second reading vote was not taken by roll-call.
35. D. Farrell, Electoral Systems: A Comparative Introduction, Palgrave, 2001, p. 75.
36. Since 2007, the number of vice chairs per committee has increased from three to four.
37. V. Mamadouh and T. Raunio, 'The Committee System: Powers, Appointments and Report Allocation.', Journal of Common Market Studies, 41(2), 2003, pp. 333-51.
38. D. Hannan, 'Cameron Might Smash the Cartel', The First Post, 22 September 2006;
39. G. van Orden, 'An Exciting New Political Force in Europe', The European Journal, 13(6), July 2006, pp. 10-11.
40. D. Hannan, 'State Funding for Parties will Guarantee Sleaze: Look, at Europe', Daily Telegraph, 3 April 2006.
41. R. Helmer, 'Hey you Tories - Want an Extra £1/2 Million?', The European Journal, 13(4), May 006, p. 13.
42. Op. cit. n. 25, p. 130.
43. H. von Arnim and M. Schurig, The European Party Financing Regulation, Lit Verlag, 2004,
44. cited, in S. Lightfoot, 'The Consolidation of Europarties? The 'Party Regulation' and the Development of Political Parties in the European Union', Representation, 42:4, 2006, pp. 303-14.
45. Lightfoot, ibid., p. 309.
46. S. Hix: and A. Noury, After Enlargement: Voting Patterns in the Sixth European Parliament, www. personal.lse.ac.uk/hix/WorkingPapers.HTM
47. Joseph. Daul has hinted at new concessions, Financial Times, 10 January 2007.
48. Activist discontent about the selection, process can be gauged from the ConservativeHome website www.conservativehome.blogs.com/torydiary/europe/index. html
49. D. Cameron, 'We Have a Future to Fight For', speech at launch of Movement for European Reform, 13 July 2006, www.europeanreforni.eu/index.php/we-have-a- future-to-fight-for/