Edward McMillan-Scott: Liberals matter in Europe... they should matter here too

I write from the unique perspective of a lifetime in the Conservative Party, which expelled me for my stand against David Cameron's controversial allies in Europe (Nick Clegg called them a "bunch of nutters" in the TV debates) and, since March, as a Liberal Democrat. In the Conservative Party, I argued for years that they would benefit as much as the Lib Dems and the minor parties from proportional

representation at Westminster. I know the Tory diehards hate PR but they must find out the truth.

Some of those voices have been heard in recent days, and I single out the baleful utterances of Norman Tebbit. The former Conservative Party chairman has been warning against any deal with the Liberal Democrats, but, it must be asked, what is his prime motivation? I am convinced that his Europhobia has got the better of his judgment.

Indeed, it was Lord Tebbit's encouragement on the BBC Politics Show on March 7 for Conservatives to vote UKIP in the General Election and the fact that he was not immediately slapped down by David Cameron, which led me to pick up the telephone and join the Lib Dems. Incidentally, in 21 constituencies last Thursday, the UKIP vote deprived the Tories of a seat and thereby Cameron of his parliamentary majority. Under PR, UKIP would win seats.

Coalition governments are as decisive as majority governments. Research shows that of the 10 toughest economic disciplines brought in by governments during financial crises in OECD member countries since 1970, seven occurred under coalition governments .

The two parties are different, as I have discovered campaigning across the country. The weekend meetings of Lib Dem MPs and leading activists to discuss the post-election scene were an example of party democracy in action. The Lib Dems really do listen to their grass-roots. Conservative MPs only met for the first time last night, although David Cameron spent Sunday and Monday wooing his various factions. The Tory party today is top-down. After William Hague's so-called reforms, which cut out the voluntary party, the membership really has no say: it is only the MPs who matter.

After 25 years as an MEP, I have had continuous experience of

parliamentary coalitions. Working out solutions does not make for bad decisions, but for fair decisions which focus on the interests of the majority of the public. You do not drop your principles, but have to argue them against others.

Contrast this with the decisions taken by Labour's single party

majority governments in the UK recently: the Iraq war, the erosion of our civil liberties, the destruction of our economy. A single party government often has to rely on its extremes to get government business through. Think of John Major's reliance on his Eurosceptic fringe, the "bastards" organised by Iain Duncan Smith, which harried him into demanding a vote of confidence.

Major only got the Maastricht Treaty through with Ulster Unionist

votes. It is on Europe that LibDems and Conservatives disagree most. Most Lib Dems want Britain to lead in Europe; many Tories want Britain to leave Europe. I have long argued that the Tories say one thing in opposition and would do another in government. This was proved by a

leak of a letter Hague was to have presented to EU foreign ministers yesterday.

During the run-up to the election, to secure the votes of Lib Dem waverers, the Tories were using warm words on Europe. The harsh terms set out in Hague's letter, to repatriate powers over criminal justice as well as social and employment policies during the first term were intended to provoke confrontation in Europe – and then lead to the in/out referendum demanded by the Eurosceptics.

When David Cameron walked away from Europe's mainstream conservatives and Christian Democrats, he isolated himself and his ministers from influential EU counterparts. While they hold summits or prepare the agenda for meetings on key British interests like reform of the City, Cameron could only watch events on his hotel room TV.

In the European Parliament, his powerless little group is adjusting to political reality, where the Liberal Group is on the winning side in 90 per cent of votes. Liberals matter in Europe: it is in the country's interest that they matter at home too.

Edward McMillan-Scott is MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, and a European Parliament Vice-President. He joined the Liberal Democrats in March.