FF comes in from the cold and begins the Liberal embrace

FIANNA Fáil took its first step towards officially joining the Liberal group in Europe this week when the bureau of the European Liberal Democrat party (ELDR) agreed to recommend its membership.

The Liberals have invited the Taoiseach Brian Cowen to lunch before the EU summit on Thursday where he is to meet the other four European prime ministers who also belong to the ELDR.

FF MEPs are upset by the move, however, as for the past five years Ireland South MEP Brian Crowley has been the co-president of the Union for Europe of the Nations (UEN) group and a big number of its staff, including its secretary general, has been Irish.