Watson (ALDE). – Mr President, I should like to add my words to those of my colleagues Mr Poettering and Mr Schulz in thanking all the contestants in this competition for the Presidency of our House.
The result that we have is an honourable one. I am proud that the political family I represent gave the European Parliament a first-class President in Pat Cox. I believe that he will be a hard act to follow and I wish you, Mr President, all the best in your term of office.
I would, however, like to put on notice the Group of the European People's Party and the Socialist Group in the European Parliament. I believe that the alliance they have formed is an unnatural one. Such an alliance, when it happens in national parliaments, happens only at times of war or crisis. If these parties try to use this alliance to carve up the way things are done in this House, my group will fight them every inch of the way. If they conspire to block the necessary reforms in this House, we will stand up for the interests of the citizen. I believe that the citizens of the European Union are fed up with opaque government and back-room deals and look forward to the day when we have a mature Parliament, building a political majority not a technical majority.
(Applause)
Mr Poettering spoke of the need for stability. The trouble is that democracies are run by crisis management: serious problems are not tackled until they have to be. Our Union has problems and resolving those problems will require leadership. We will judge you, Mr President, on your capacity for showing leadership to this House in the period to come.
(Applause)
