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European Communities (Finance) Bill

I say yes to the first question. My hon. Friend has tempted me to give a non-new Labour answer to the second question, so perhaps a fudge is in order—[Laughter.] I am joking, of course. He has made his point incredibly well. Let us cut to the chase, as he suggested. We support making a contribution to help the countries of eastern Europe to prosper. That is the crux of this debate. That is the difference. Let me get to that point. The Leader of the Opposition said in a speech in March this year:"““The British Conservative Party has long championed EU enlargement…In recent years, the transition from Soviet totalitarianism took place more smoothly than many imagined possible, thanks to the prospect—now fulfilled—of EU membership for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. But the work is not yet done.””" He is right; the work is far from done. The economies and infrastructure of the new EU member states need considerable investment and support before those states will be able to compete in the market on an equal footing, and that process of regeneration is now just beginning in earnest. The Leader of the Opposition is the self-styled champion of those countries, but what kind of champion does the easy bit, providing the fine words, but then looks shiftily away when asked to back up those words with real financial commitments from the wealthier, established EU nations? The countries of eastern Europe need real champions who are prepared to step up to the plate, not fair-weather friends whose words are worth nothing at all.