EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT (Hansard, 29 July 1976)

§ Baroness LLEWELYN-DAVIES of HASTOE
My Lords, on behalf of my noble friend the Leader of the House, I beg to move the Motion standing in his name on the Order Paper. The purpose of this Motion is to make possible a 1468 change in the Liberal representation at the European Parliament from 1st October, when I understand that the noble Lord, Lord Gladwyn, will be replaced by a Member of another place. My Lords, I beg to move.

Lord CHELWOOD
My Lords, I think it would be a pity to let this moment pass without a few words of regret that the noble Lord, Lord Gladwyn, will be going no more to the European Parliament.

Several noble Lords
Hear, hear!

Lord CHELWOOD
My Lords, the refusal of the Labour Party to send a delegation to the European Parliament in January 1973 enabled Mr. Health, without much difficulty, to arrange for two representatives of the Liberal Party—a Party which has always been staunchly in favour of the European Community—to go to the European Parliament. As joint Deputy Leader of the Conservative delegation, with Sir Peter Kirk, as he now is, my Leader, I worked very closely with the noble Lord, Lord Gladwyn, as a member of the key Political Committee for some two years, and the three of us found a broad measure of agreement on almost every major topic that we had to consider. If I may say so, the noble Lord brought tireless energy, enthusiasm and great experience to his work which he always approached from the broad national point of view, and never from the narrow national point of view.
I feel that it is a very great strain indeed on the Liberal Party being represented by only one delegate in the European Parliament, especially as that delegate is now to be a Member of another place. It is hard on all Members of another place who have to carry the dual mandate, which I myself did for a year before I joined your Lordships in the Upper House, and it will be particularly hard on the sole representative of the Liberal Party, for whom I feel very much indeed.
I greatly regret that the Liberal Party is so under-represented on the British 1469 Delegation, and hope it will not be long before we have direct elections to the European Parliament involving some element of proportional representation. That may be impossible in 1978, but I do not think it should be beyond the wit of man, with a little ingenuity and a little magnanimity, to find a way of giving the Liberal Party more than one representative. I think that we owe the noble Lord, Lord Gladwyn, a great debt of gratitude for his splendid work.

§ Lord ARDWICK
My Lords, without associating myself in any way with some of the remarks that have just been made, I should like to say that even these ranks of Tuscany cannot forbear to shed a tear over the departure of the noble Lord, Lord Gladwyn. We have listened at Luxembourg and Strasbourg to many notable contributions from him, and I may say that in private he has always been most helpful to those of us who have sought his expert advice on the European Parliament, and on European affairs in general.

§ Lord GLADWYN
My Lords, I can only say that I am deeply touched both by the very kind remarks of the noble Lord, Lord Chelwood, about my activities in the European Parliament, and by the equally charming contribution of the representative of the ranks of Tuscany! I do not know whether all noble Lords are aware of the reason why, after the reduction of the Liberal Party's representation from two to one, I stayed on for so long in the European Parliament. The reason was, first, that I was getting through a defence resolution on which I had been working for several years, and this was achieved only last December. Thereafter it was agreed that I should, of course, make way for a member of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons, because that was obviously desirable, if possible. But it was not possible for various reasons until the other day when, owing to a reallocation of duties, Mr. Russell Johnston was freed from certain responsibilities and he is now taking over from me on 1st October.
I might just say that on that date I shall have been a member of the European Parliament for nearly four years and I can assure your Lordships that, though I have greatly enjoyed my participation in the activities of a body which, I think, will go from strength to strength, the 450 odd 1470 working days that I have spent outside this country, to say nothing of the 60,000-odd miles that I have travelled in aero-planes, at my advanced age of 76, is really quite enough. Without being in the slightest degree controversial might I also add that, as I see it, it will not be at all easy—perhaps that is the least that can be said—to find 81 Members of this Parliament in 1978 willing to serve in the European Parliament in the, as I think regrettable event, of our deciding to nominate them. But on this subject I shall hope, as a Member of this House, to participate in the many and interesting debates which I am sure we shall have from October onwards, if, as I sincerely trust, the Convention on Direct Elections to the European Parliament is approved by this Parliament when it comes up for ratification in the autumn.