○ PMTonyBlair&X39;sspeechtoEUParliament ○
PMTonyBlair&X39;sspeechtoEUParliament
PMTonylair'eechtoEUarliament英语演讲稿
Mr.President,collegues,distinguishedguests:
ItisanhonourtobehereintheEuropeanParliamenttoday.Withyourpermiion,IwillcomebackaftereachEuropeanCouncilduringtheUKPresidencyandreporttoyou.Inaddition,IwouldbehaytocoulttheParliamentbeforeeachCouncil,soastohavethebenefitoftheviewsoftheEuropeanParliamentbeforeCouncildeliberatio.
Thisisatimelyaddre.WhateverelsepeopledisagreeuponinEuropetoday,theyatleastagreeononepoint:Europeisinthemidstofaprofounddebateaboutitsfuture.Iwanttotalktoyouplainlytodayaboutthisdebate,thereasoforitandhowtoresolveit.Ineverycrisisthereisanoortunity.ThereisonehereforEuropenow,ifwehavethecouragetotakeit.
ThedebateoverEuropeshouldnotbeconductedbytradingiultsorintermsofpersonality.Itshouldbeanopenandfrankexchangeofideas.AndrightattheoutsetIwanttodescribeclearlyhowIdefinethedebateandthedisagreementunderlyingit.
Theiueisnotbetweena"freemarket"EuropeandasocialEurope,betweenthosewhowanttoretreattoacommonmarketandthosewhobelieveinEuropeasapoliticalproject.
Thisisnotjustamisrepresentation.ItistointimidatethosewhowantchangeinEuropebyrepresentingthedesireforchangeasbetrayaloftheEuropeanideal,totrytoshutoffseriousdebateaboutEurope’sfuturebyclaimingthattheveryiistenceondebateistoembracetheanti-Europe.
ItisamindsetIhavefoughtagaitallmypoliticallife.Idealssurvivethroughchange.Theydiethroughinertiainthefaceofchallenge.
Iamapaionatepro-European.Ialwayshavebeen.Myfirstvotewasin1975intheBritishreferendumonmembershipandIvotedyes.In1983,whenIwasthelastcandidateintheUKtobeselectedshortlybeforethatelectionandwhenmypartyhadapolicyofwithdrawingfromEurope,ItoldtheselectionconferencethatIdisagreedwiththepolicy.SomethoughtIhadlosttheselection.SomeperhawishIhad.Ithenhelpedchangeourpolicyinthe1980’sandwasproudofthatchange.
SincebeingPrimeMinisterIsignedtheSocialChapter,helped,alongwithFrance,tocreatethemodernEuropeanDef
