Sweltering heat and the buzz of the World Cup just over the Rhine created an air of excitement in Strasbourg this week. The World Cup is a welcome relief from the politics of international relations. Here is a world where Brazil is the only superpower; where no one knows whether France, England, Germany or Italy are Europe's best team and where after a week such predictions look silly as the Czechs, Spaniards and Argentineans have been the best teams on display.
Having spent an afternoon in Stuttgart on Tuesday I was struck by the friendliness of the hosts and the good natured atmosphere of celebration from fans. Whether it is Iran, America or Togo it is important for all of us to remember that just because we might not like the Government of a certain country (or indeed know anything about it - trust me to get Togo in the office World Cup sweepstake - go Togo!) we are all more similar than we are different. Football, not English, is the international language: social glue that binds together people who have little else in common. Anti-German stereotypes have been mercifully absent from the genuine rejoicing in football that has been seen across the country. Maybe this will be the year when we can finally think of Germany as a normal country and stop going on about having won the war as if it makes up for always losing on penalties. I am hopeful we can, as long as we avoid playing them and it goes to penalties...
Meanwhile work carried on in the Parliament. A resolution was passed calling on the US Government to close Guantanamo Bay, legislation was agreed to improve the quality of groundwater in Europe and discussions were held on Bulgarian and Romanian accession to the EU. Listening to Commission President Barroso on Wednesday I was reminded that a year ago the Prime Minister came to Strasbourg with his vision of a new, dynamic Europe. Sadly this vision had as little substance as New Labour and, a year on, nothing has happened as a result of Mr Blair's fine words. No concrete reforms have been proposed, nothing has been done to reduce waste - for example scrapping the Strasbourg Parliament - and no new strategy exists.
The only new strategy at the EU Summit has been to put off a decision about the Constitution. This was an easy agreement to reach as it was exactly what they did last year. Like a deaf ostrich in a sandpit everyone in the strange Euro-bubble that is an EU Summit pretended that as long as no one mentioned the fact that what they were doing was very stupid they could pretend it wasn't happening. Quite how some politicians believe the Constitution can be raised from the festering hole in which it lies is beyond me. Let it go federalists! No one wants your constitution, even in France where generally they are tolerant of meaningless political treaties!
At least we've got Margaret Beckett sticking up for us. I have confidently predicted her demotion in every Government reshuffle since 2001, and yet her star has continued to rise and rise. And now it becomes obvious how. One of the very few achievements of the British Presidency was a commitment to greater openness in the secretive high-level Council meetings in Brussels. This week Mrs Beckett announced a U-turn on this policy: we no longer want people to know what our Government is negotiating. Apparently it would make discussions less democratic. Why the sudden change of heart? Well, if I were her and had just presided over one of the biggest displays of Ministerial incompetence in recent years (the inability of her minions at DEFRA to pay Single Farm Payments) I wouldn't want anyone examining what I did in my new job too closely either.
