Business of the House (Lisbon Treaty)

I have always had great respect for the hon. Gentleman’s work on human rights and civil liberties, and of course his point is a fair one, but I do not think that he misunderstood in any way what I was saying. I am only sorry that he thought that so much of this afternoon’s debate, particularly the multiple points of order, contributed anything either to the scrutiny that the House is here to give or to the debate among the public. Nor do I find it surprising that the Conservative party is so isolated within the European Union itself. It was, again, the right hon. Member for Witney (Mr. Cameron), when he became leader of the party, who in an attempt to appease some of his Back Benchers pledged to leave the European People’s party.