Richard Kershaw, BBC
The European Election moved into top gear today with the launch of the Conservative manifesto by the Prime Minister. It's a glossy, sixty one page document that's strong on national sovereignty, enthusiastic about free cooperation with other states, but hostile to any suggestion that Brussels should tell Britain how to run its social affairs or determine its tax levels. It's particularly fierce in its condemnation of the ideas of the Commission's President, M. Jarsquoues Delors, and of his Committee on Full Economic and Monetary Union. The manifesto says that they imply nothing less than the creation of a federal Europe, and that they go way beyond what is realistic or desirable.
M. Delors has suggested that Mrs Thatcher cannot believe in total free trade and in the defence of British self-interest at the same time.
Peter Hill reports on this manifesto, and on the Prime Minister's forthright reaction to M. Delors' remark.
MT
Nonsense. If he is saying that if you join the Common Market you can never fight your own corner, that you can't cooperate and do things together … I'll not forget that it was Mr Delors who made a speech, uh, which he said, that 80 per cent of the decisions - if he were to be believed - would be made in Europe. That would not suit the British people at all. Uh, and I might say that some of the directives that are coming up are arrogating to the centre things which in a federal state would be left with the separate states. And I will not forget also the speech which he made to the TUC, which was a highly political speech. Our way has achieved far more in Europe. We've agreed 200 directives because they were in the interests of all of us, and the highly important ones depend upon a unanimous vote. Our way is the way of cooperation and persuasion. That is the way ahead. It has done very well for Britain so far, and done very well for all the states in Europe.
Peter Hill, BBC
Mrs Thatcher has no time for Euro rhetoric. For her it's a question of practical, step-by-step progress, of fighting one's corner, of staying strong and sovereign and only cooperating on the things we can do best together. Any idea of a Tory split she dismissed as a “slight difference of emphasis”. But there are Conservatives - both in the Commons and Strasbourg - who will be disappointed that this manifesto makes few concessions to the federalists in the party, who'd like Britain to being a more willing partner. I asked Michael Heseltine, who has just published a book called The Challenge of Europe, if he too found the tone disappointing?
Michael Heseltine
No, I don't. The exciting thing that's happening is that there's a debate that we've had in this country recently, about our relationship with Europe, and the Conservative Party - except for one or two people who have always been against our membership of Europe - is now wholly united about the fact that we are within Europe, it is our destiny and we've got to make it work. But the interesting thing is, that the debate is being conducted by the Conservatives. The ideas are Conservatives'. The policies we are going to see evolve in Europe are Conservatives'. And the most sinister thing - and why … I understand why Mrs Thatcher has played [sic] such attention on parts of what [end p1] Brussels is about, is that the Labour Party is now convinced that Europe is right. Now if they're convinced of it, there is ground for anxiety. But they've got a very different purpose behind their conviction than the Conservative Party.
Peter Hill, BBC
But the manifesto is very very strong on national sovereignty, and you have argued recently very much the case for flexibility?
Michael Heseltine
Yes, but you see the difficulty of this debate - it is often about words and about emphasis. I made it absolutely clear in a speech I made in the House of Commons last Thursday that Europe - and Britain's role and pursuit of her role in Europe - is about British self-interest. It is how we enhance national sovereignty. And I reject utterly the idea that there is a sort of Euro-concept, a sort of Euro-person. There's nothing like that. There are a lot of people like us, trying to gain from Europe. Now, you then move to second stage: how do you gain? Well, you don't gain by giving in, because all the others are fighting for their self-interest, we have to fight for ours. That can enhance your sovereignty when you meet a common accord.
Peter Hill, BBC
But surely there are many things that you have argued that you would like to see happening in Europe that aren't in this manifesto?
Michael Heseltine
Ah, but I'm a backbencher. I have one view, one voice. There a lots of others. The leader of the party has to take the totality of the party, and has to speak for the party at large. It's as much the responsibility of the leader to do that as it is my responsibility to put my contribution into the debate. The important thing in the Conservative Party is that when we have a debate, we do it as friends, as colleagues, we do it with smiles on our faces, and unlike the Labour Party we don't walk around the corridors of power with knives to stick into our colleagues' shoulder-blades. Uh … I am suggesting that this manifesto is a most skilful, uh, synthesis of Conservative opinion. It draws the party together. It gives us a common position from which we can argue, and win.