In an interview with the Daily Telegraph on 23 September, Foreign Secretary David Miliband laid out the case for the European Union (EU) being the best forum for the UK's national interests in a globalised world.
David Miliband argued that the EU, with the reforms to its structures contained in the Lisbon Treaty, could be a global power. Or, he insisted, Britain could choose to become a bystander in a bipolar 'G2' world where the US and China called the shots.
"I don't want to live in a G2 world," he said. "I don't want to live in a world where the US and China carve it up between them. If we don't want to live in a G2 world, our best shot is to get Europe to stand up - to make, at least, a G3 world."
The Foreign Secretary admitted, in the face of public Euroscepticism, that successive governments had failed to carry public support with them.
"The Government has, over the past 12 years, made the European agenda one where Britain has much, much greater influence. That increase of influence and comfort level that Britain has with the agenda has not been matched by improved popularity ratings for the EU. Even when Government's do brilliantly, they should never give themselves more than a B-plus. In terms of selling [the EU] we don't get a B-plus," he said.
The EU's problems with the public, he said, had been made worse by endless wrangling over Lisbon. If the Irish approve the treaty in their return referendum, he said, that could be a chance to move on.
"Any organisation which spends eight years talking about its own internal plumbing is not going to capture the imagination of the public. One of the greatest blessings of the Lisbon Treaty is that it brings to an end institutional navel gazing...the EU [will have] 10 years to prove itself."
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