Don’t marginalise Europe is message from fringe

Biggest rounds of applause at the Guardian fringe event at the Liberal Democrat conference in Birmingham are for pro-European sentiments from the panel.

Vince Cable talked about a “very very profound crisis – its whole existence is in jeopardy” to which the answer was “more intense European integration.”

Paddy Ashdown said the UK needed to “deepen economic ties” as well as political and defence ties.” The activists loved both statements.

The Lib Dem pro-European heart still beats in the same place on Europe but you sense  it’s currently a passion in search of a policy. How could it be otherwise, maybe, given the turmoil in Europe.

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But it reminds the Tories that even while European institutions shake this lot stand by the dream and will not be signing up to anything that distances the UK to a permanent outer ring.

There’s a regular commission from programme editors when we come to this conference for pieces on “what are the Lib Dems for?” Paddy Ashdown said it still wasn’t clear. He said right at the start of the fringe: “We have not yet articulated what we are for.”

Ouch.

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