Gierek, Votes, AmCham

8.00 Our Lib Dem Parliamentary Party breakfast.

9.00 Working Group B. We are discussing the Gierek innovation report. I point out that I want to vote differently to our shadow and in general the meeting is with me but the shadow is not there so we do not actually take a decision. I negotiate with the administrator of the committee who says he will check it out with Toia, the shadow and come back to me. I say that if we can not agree it has to go to Group.

11.00 Back to the office. Some so-called compromise amendments on the report on the financial services white paper have come in. They look more like compilations than compromises. Many of my amendments have been presented in a way that more or less says notwithstanding (what Sharon Bowles says) it is the opposite. Amendments by John Purvis seem to have got the same treatment. I suppose this is only round 1, but we have a very short timescale given next week is a constituency week.

12.00 – 13.30 Votes. We all pile in, put our headsets on (usually with one ear listening to the hemicycle and one on the translation as it is the only way to put your hand up at the right time otherwise by the time the translation comes through a late yes looks like a no). Someone starts to speak and then I suddenly realise I can not understand and fiddle with my translation channel. Danuta is doing the same, then others and I discover we have all picked up earphones of the next place along. After headset swap along the row we all settle down again.

14.15 Meeting with AmCham (American Chamber of Commerce) financial services people. Most of these I know and see regularly, but it is useful to have a collective meeting. We discuss general issues of supervision, Solvency ll, payments and the white paper on financial services and various other things.

15.15 I go to pick up my flight tickets for trip to Lisbon at the start of the Portugese Presidency.

16.00 Do radio interview with Quadrant on roaming charges.

17.00 Meeting with Royal and Sun Alliance about Solvency ll issues.

18.30 Go to Group where Italian prime Minister Prodi is speaking to us. During the meeting our administrator comes over with Toia’s comments on my voting suggestions. With a bit of toing and froing we reach agreement. Group meeting then continues. I leave at about 8pm in order to collect together all the financial services papers ready for compromise meeting in the morning and take them back to my hotel. It is suggested that maybe I would like to speak in the debate on Donnici. I readily agree. I think it would be good if some non-Italians speak.