Jim Murphy

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Tuesday 20 May, 2008

If Europe doesn't stand up for universal values, including respect for life and individual human dignity, who will?

This was one of many questions posed yesterday in the latest seminar in the Delivering Global Europe series.

My answer was that Europe needs to be bolder in support of these universal values.

Europe is at the forefront of international efforts to promote a raft of human rights issues: On the abolition of the death penalty; in establishing a productive human rights dialogue with China, Russian and the African Union, and increasingly with countries in central Asia. And the EU spend millions of euros each year on projects to tackle racism , human trafficking, torture and child labour and to promote the rights of women, minorities and indigenous people.

If the EU, with its economic, political and strategic influence doesn't use all the means at its disposal to advance human rights worldwide, it cannot credibly demand the same of others.

So the challenge we face is to make sure that the EU has the capacity to act coherently and decisively as a champion of fundamental rights, both at home and internationally.

The discussion yesterday raised many crucial questions, and I want to continue the conversation through our ongoing seminar series. I'd welcome your thoughts and questions here, through this blog, or through our website at: www.fco.gov.uk/globaleurope

Posted at 17:30 20 May 2008 by Jim Murphy | Comments[4]

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Dear Minister Jim Murphy – fco.gov.uk has excellence in peace-making strategy, however policy and prudent tactics need to be selective with 21st C.’s more global human rights/security-issues. Present applied Atlanticist cum NATO practice can degenerate into weak ‘coalitions of the willing’. Consistent with UNO/SecCounc leads on such policy, if then NATOUSA provides peace-enforcement while the CFSPEU provides its ‘soft power’, then long-term ESDPEUTO peace-keeping can well optimise a co-global end-stability by cooperative partnership. But if one posits a global ESDINATO – that is not a proven construct nor effective method since 1989/99! NATO’s expansions pre-EU ‘widening’ seem ill-advised per se. ESDForces might best co-operate within an ever-limited EU macro-region. Assume still that model UKNATO and UKex-colonial power of a multirole EUTO can thus prioritise its/their roles.

Posted by Stefan Peter. on May 22, 2008 at 12:27 PM BST #

Sir, if you want to improve rights, why not start at home? You could ensure that the UK implements Directive 2004/38/EC for a start, ensuring that British citizens living abroad have the right to bring their family with them on a visit without needing a visa. Instead of forcing them to be fingerprinted and scanned and making them fill out a 17-page form to get a 6-month Family Permit for a 3-day visit to the country. To say nothing of the fact that you have outsourced visa applications to a Californian services company. Or is that acting "coherently" within a European context?

Posted by Visa national on June 11, 2008 at 05:45 PM BST #

I agree with the poster above. Scandalous that my wife, just because she is Russian has to apply for a visa and has no 'rights' in the UK. We've been married now for 4 years and every time we visit the UK, we get the same look at passport control and the same question - Are you returning permanently? You know you are not allowed to, don't you. It grates me every time.

Posted by Mike on June 16, 2008 at 11:19 AM BST #

Mr Murphy MP Sir, While i wellcome your good wishes to the new President of Cyprus, and wishes for a peacefull settlement to there divided Island. I must though point out to you the plight of British subjects in cyprus who are being targeted and exploited by members of the Cyprus bar association and property developers. you will know from your own department the huge amounts of complaints you are receving. The Cypriot Authorities are doing very little to stop this, which is making the situation much worse. Our policy of finding a local lawyer simpley has not worked in Cyprus, As in many of the cases they are the root problem. Even the Cypriot police have been found to be not up to EU standards. Sir, We must look at our policy again in relation to Cyprus, while still supporting the peace process, we must ensure the Cypriots respect citzens from other Eu Countries rights, it may be a old cliche but stamped on our Passports is the Demand to other countries to respect British subjects and give protection. This has not happened in Cyprus. Sir would you like to make a statement to the many British Voters who are being exploited in Cyprus. You see how bad the situation is by the formatation of Action groups like CPAG and individual protests in the Uk at the Cypriot High Commision. IS OUR GOVERMENT GOING TO DO SOMETHING ??? Yours Sincerly James JH Lockhart

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