A wake-up call for the "special relationship"

From The Times (23 July 2008)

Sir, In his warning to Barack Obama about the EU, William Rees-Mogg (Opinion, July 21) falls into the UK-centric trap of assuming that Washingtons view across the Atlantic should only be seen in the context of a special relationship with the UK. I would beg to differ.

Of course, the UK is an important participant in the European Union but because we have a half-hearted commitment, our influence within it is understood as being marginal. Yet an increasing number of US observers recognise the growing importance strategically and politically of the EU. They take into account its importance as a market and of nearly 500 million people, of which only 60 million live in this country. They have understood the significance of the impact of membership of the former Soviet bloc countries better than politicians here. They encourage EU attempts to have a more coherent approach to external challenges raised by foreign, defence, environmental or energy policies.

William Rees-Mogg should also note that both this year's presidential candidates want the EU to do more and both hope that present and future UK leaders will engage more constructively in EU efforts to do so. Senator John McCain is on record as urging America and Europe to work together. He has welcomed European leadership to make the world a better and safer place, looked forward to France's full reintegration into Nato and strongly supported the EUs efforts to build an effective European security and defence policy as profoundly in the interest of the US.

Far from Europhiles not being the future, as William Rees-Mogg argues, it is likely that our approach could be more in tune with US thinking and EU realities than his pleas for exceptionalism. US presidential candidates are giving UK politicians a timely wake-up call.

Ian Taylor, MP
Chairman, the Conservative Group for Europe
House of Commons, London SW1