TURKEY CONSIDERING NUCLEAR POWER

The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last night spoke of Turkey's intention to build nuclear power stations to meet its growing energy needs. Addressing a dinner organised by the European think tank, Friends of Europe, Mr Erdogan described how Turkey will soon be making its final decision about the nuclear power he claimed it now required.

I must say I find this an uncomfortable thought. Although I have no objection to nuclear power in the UK and other countries with an established nuclear capablity, the idea of a non-nuclear power developing the potential, albeit for peaceful, civil use fills me with dread. Since Turkey is a member of NATO, my misgivings may be misplaced. However, we only have to think of Iran to see where this could go.

Much of the reminder of Erdogan's speech at the elegant Cercle Royal Gaulois Artistique et Litteraire in Brussels, was, as you may have expected, taken up with Turkey and the European Union. The EU, he claimed, will not be served by a fortress Europe mentality, and such an attitude will not help solve the present economic crisis. As far as Turkey joining the EU was concerned, the Turkish PM pointed out that a number of countries had once been considered inadmissible for EU membership. As well as mentioning Spain and Portugal, he cited the twice vetoed application from the United Kingdom. Turkey, which has had a successful customs union with the EU since 1996, is also negotiating for EU membership. Ten chapters of the accession process have already been opened and one is practically closed.

Mr Erdogan stressed that Turkey's goal is full membership of the EU. Privileged partnership is not acceptable and has never been raised in connection with any other country. Turkey will benefit the EU. It is the 17th largest economy in the world and the sixth largest in Europe while also being a member of the G20. Turkey's economy has consistently improved. Six years ago the GDP was 259 billion US dollars; it is now $750 billion. Inflation has been reduced from a high of 30 per cent to 10 percent and interest rates now stand at three per cent. All this means that Turkey is in line with the economic criteria in the Maastricht Treaty for EU accession.

As I have indicated before on this blog, I am a strong supporter of Turkey joining the EU. I think all of us involved in the EU now have a responsibility to make it happen.

On the question of Cyprus, Mr Erdogan expressed his displeasure that the Greek Cypriots had rejected in a referendum the plan put forward by former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. He also took the view that the north of Cyprus is not in the EU and told the audience that the Turks would always be one step ahead of the Greeks. This was not, I fear, a very helpful response. I only hope those participating in the current peace talks take a more enlightened view.

KEN CLARKE - MONEY BEFORE COUNTRY?

In today's Independent, Jeremy Hunt Shadow Secretary of State for Culture says

“David Cameron rightly expects all members of his Shadow Cabinet to put every ounce of energy they can into defeating this disastrous government, so no one should have any interests that deflect them from this.”

So will William Hague be giving up his directorships and make more speeches in the House of Commons than he does at dinners?

Will Oliver Letwin stop going to work in the City in the mornings for a merchant bank and make his work in the Shadow Cabinet what he puts “every ounce of energy into”?

Nothing released to the press to say that Ken Clarke will be dropping his directorships to focus his energies fully. I have always found puzzling the media view that Ken Clarke is a “nicer” Tory. As Deputy Chairman of British American Tobacco he has promoted a habit smoking that kills millions prematurely and puts vast unnecessary costs on health services, ultimately paid for by us as taxpayers.

Come on Jeremy, weren’t you being a little economical with the truth?

How can David Cameron ask to run the country when he can't even get his Shadow Cabinet to do what he asks?

HOW LONDON'S BUSES COULD GRIND TO A HALT

I have seen adverts for churches on London buses for decades and never heard of a Muslim, Buddhist, Jew or Atheist refusing to drive our iconic red London buses. London is the great cosmopolitan city of the world and we tolerate each others faith and those of us who are sceptical readily.

Now a bus driver is being allowed to drive only buses which do not have the "There's probably no God" advert. This is wrong. London buses would grind to a halt if the drivers all had to check whether they agreed with the religious adverts on them. Rightly they keep on driving.

I hope bus driver Ron Heather will show more tolerance and understanding, qualities which I consider to be part of Christianity, and changes his mind and drives buses whatever their adverts.

DISCUSSING GAZA WITH THE ISRAELI EMBASSY

At the moment sadly Gaza is the subject I am blogging on most. I appreciate the comments that constituents have made on my previous postings here and here.

Letters/emails on Gaza continue to dominate my mailbag/inbox and I am responding to every single one of them as soon as I can.

This week I arranged a meeting with a senior member of the Israeli embassy to press my view that there should be an immediate ceasefire. I took the opportunity to provide him with copies of my blogs and all the comments that have submitted on them. They demonstrate that the overwhelming majority of Londoners writing to me support me in calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Please continue to let me know your views. I will continue to do all I can to work for an immediate ceasefire.

VICTORY IN HARINGEY

The coldest I have been leafletting in a very long time was last week for the 7 Sisters by-election in Haringey. Great to hear about the victory and my congratulations to Joe Goldberg. For details of the result and some analysis see Luke Akehurst.

TORIES ABSTAIN ON EQUAL TREATMENT AT WORK

MEPs today voted on a Report on the implementation of Directive 2002/73/EC, a Directive on putting into practice the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions.

Written by Spanish Socialist Teresa Riera Madurell, the report concerns the implementation of the Directive rather than any policy change. The UK has, in fact, done all it should and fully implemented the terms of the Directive.

Strange indeed then that nearly all Tories voted as a bloc and abstained on the final vote to accept the Report. Those who abstained were:

Ashworth, Bowis, Bradbourn, Bushill-Matthews, Callanan, Chichester, Deva, Elles, Evans, Harbour, Heaton-Harris, Kamall, Karim, Kirkhope, Nicholson, Parish, Stevenson, Sturdy, Tannock, Van Orden

Only Beazley and Dover voted for the Report

By abstaining, the Tories have again broken with the EPP (the centre-right group in the European Parliament to which the Tories loosely belong). The first draft of Theresa Madurell's Report was objected to by the EPP who tabled many amendments which watered it down. However, in the end, true to the spirit of European compromise the EPP, PSE (Socialists), ALDE (Liberals) and the Greens came together to propose a jointly amended text. All of these parties therefore voted in favour of the report - with the not so honourable exception of the British Tories.

It will, of course, come as no surprise that UKIP Members Bloom, Clark and Farage together with the far right, including father and daughter Le Pen, voted against the Madurell Report. The Tories are certainly keeping interesting company these days.

TORIES VOTE AGAINST FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

You will have seen that I blogged yesterday on the Tories anti-women votes on two paragraphs on the report by Giusto Catania dealing with fundamental rights in the EU.

You may be interested to know that on the final resolution on the report on fundamental rights in the European Union the Tories mainly abstained. Nicholson, Sumberg, Sturdy, Beazley and Bradbourn actually voted against the report.

This means they voted against or abstained on calls for greater equality measures for women (in equal pay, direct and non-direct discrimination, right to return to same job after childbirth etc), cross-border rights for same sex partners, improved rights for immigrants (particularly the Roma) - just to name a few.

TORIES VOTE ANTI-WOMEN AGAIN

The Tories are at it again, abstaining on votes in the European Parliament which will have a profoundly beneficial impact on women's lives.

A report went through today on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union 2004 - 2007. Written by Italian Communist, Giusto Catania, the report looked at all aspects of the European Declaration of Fundamental Rights.

Yet this was not good enough for the British Tories, some of whom abstained on two crucial votes on women.

Beazley, Bushill-Matthews, Deva, Kirkhope, McMillan-Scott, Stevenson, Sturdy and Tannock would only accept the paragraph below if all references to sexual and reproductive health (the italicised section) were deleted:

"Stresses the need to raise public awareness of the right to reproductive and sexual health, and calls on the Member States to ensure that women can fully enjoy these rights, to put in place appropriate sex education, information and confidential advisory services,
and to facilitate access to contraception in order to prevent all unwanted pregnancies and illegal and high-risk abortions, and to combat the practice of female genital mutilation"

The other Tories abstained, with only Atkins, Karim and Purvis accepting the complete paragraph.

The other significant paragraph was:

"Stresses that ethnic minority women should be ensured access to public funds, irrespective of their legal status, to enable them to access safe, equal, culturally sensitive health services and rights, in particular sexual and reproductive health and rights; a European legal framework to ensure the physical integrity of young girls from Female Genital Mutilation should be adopted "

Only Purvis accepted this complete paragraph. All other Tories either abstained or voted against the complete text, objecting to the section highlighted above.

Interesting that this week it was only men who were representing the Conservative Party in Europe.

GLENIS WILLMOTT MEP

My congratulations to Glenis Willmott - the new leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party!