I think Europe is going in the right direction and we shouldn't be set back.

Too often we think we can act without explaining and take decisions without justifying them.

I have moved on from being a British parliamentarian, I have moved on from being a New Labour politician, I have moved on from being the supporter in the active day-to-day sense of Tony Blair.

I think Europe is going in the right direction and we shouldn't be set back.

Firstly, people take for granted that the E.U. has created the biggest economic space in the world.

If the constitutional treaty is rejected it will be back to square one, just at a time when we want Europe to be a more effective force for good in the world, when we need to buttress ourselves against the pressures and insecurities of globalization.

Few politicians are good at taking the high ground and throwing themselves off it.