European Union (Amendment) Bill

Well, one point about the European Union is that whenever we hear of a plan that it appears to be hatching, one always thinks, ““That’s so absurd: it couldn’t possibly happen. It wouldn’t dare do that, would it?””. We thought that about corpus juris, social policy and many things, yet history has shown that it always dares to do it. If I may continue, then, without ridicule from the Liberal Democrat Benches, I will reveal to the Committee that on 4 February I asked Her Majesty’s Government: "““Whether the European … Gendarmerie Force will assist with the 2012 Olympic Games in the United Kingdom; and what role they foresee for this force in the United Kingdom””." I received an Answer from the Government, in the shape of the noble Lord, Lord West of Spithead, which read: "““The Government have not received any proposals on the use of non-UK police forces in support of security of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We will consider any such proposals carefully””." In government-speak that, as we all know, means, ““We think that it may happen””. His reply continued: "““Policing in the UK is carried out with the consent and co-operation of the community””—" but which community? Then: "““We would not want to interfere with these long-established policing traditions of which we are justly proud””.—[Official Report, 4/2/08; col. WA 157.]" It must be said that the EGF, if I may refer to it as such to spare the Committee my deplorable French, was not validated until 8 October 2007 under the treaty of Velsen—the same day that the Lisbon treaty was signed, as it turned out. In that treaty, the EGF is allowed to recruit from candidate countries, and I understand that Turkey is particularly interested in joining in. Can this thing be used here, and are the Government thinking of allowing the EGF in? Of course, it is quite a clever arrangement; I have given the Committee the countries that make it up, and in that sense it resembles the Farnborough agreement to which I referred on defence matters. It is just a few countries, but it can easily be turned into an EU initiative.