Graham's blog entry 31 August 2007

Published on Fri 31st Aug 2007

Since my Italian wife Rita is effectively obliged to spend eleven months of the year in the UK, I can hardly complain if she insists on our spending the month of August in Italy. But although she and the children enjoy the full month, mine ends with a bump on bank holiday Monday, when the European Parliament starts back. So I arrived home in Somerset in the early hours of Sunday morning, spent Sunday catching up on a month's worth of casework and started back on Monday.

I managed at least to delay my departure to Brussels until the evening, which allowed me to join Brian Greenslade in Exeter for the launch of a conference of the Assembly of European Regions which he was hosting. As our Leader on Devon County Council, Brian has invested the same formidable energy in international links as in domestic matters, creating many opportunities for the County's young people. I spoke to about 150, including visitors from all over Europe, at the impressive new Exeter Rugby Club at Sandy Park.

From Exeter I made my way to Witham Friary to join David Heath MP in celebrating ten years at Westminster. David is a parliamentarian's parliamentarian with a record of activity in the Chamber to match.

In Brussels I convened my 105 colleagues for an examination of the European Parliament's agenda. The Socialists have sought and obtained a debate about the impact.of hedge funds on job security. We secure a debate on terrorism, in which we will demand of the European Council why they have not filled the post of EU anti-terrorism co-ordinator, vacant since March. Also high on our list of priorities is an explanation from the Member States about why they have not adopted the recommendations of a report published last year recommending an EU co-ordinating centre for help with major disasters. It might have been helpful during the floods earlier this summer and could have saved lives during the forest fires in Greece.

My scheme to bring Chinese language teachers from Taiwan to five schools in my constituency is proceeding apace and I am looking forward to meeting them in London with representatives from the schools and local authorities when they arrive in a fortnight's time. I was however disheartened to learn at the last minute that the government will be charging visa fees of for each assistant, which apart from throwing a spanner in the works, gives me the headache of having to find an extra one thousand pounds.

On Thursday I spoke to Lib Dem MPs from national parliaments who we gathered in Brussels to discuss the negotiations on Treaty Reform. But my mind was elsewhere since I spent much of the day trying to prevent the UK government deporting back to Iran Mrs Pegah Emambakhsh, a lesbian who escaped to Britain when her partner was arrested and tortured in 2005. An estimated 4000 lesbians and gays have been executed in Iran since 1979 and this lady could face death by stoning if returned. Many EU countries have a policy of not deporting gay people to Iran. The UK does not. We should have.

To Paris Thursday night for a speech this morning to the summer university of MEDEF, the French equivalent of the CBI. They want France to introduce UK-style labour market reforms. While I think France needs reform I have to tell them not all in the UK's garden is rosy.