The Sketch: If Europe is genuinely being shaped in Britain's image, God help it

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Portugal provides more evidence of Europe going in Mr Blair's direction

Right-wing Euro alliances are good for Britain, says PM

When the Prime Minister talks about the achievements of a Euro-summit, his levels of unreality multiply. Remember his report on the triumph that was the Stockholm conference? Yesterday, he told us Stockholm was a busted flush that had stalled progress.

He also told us: "Europe is being shaped in Britain's image." Next year he'll tell us the opposite. Perhaps he's already told Europe the opposite. If Europe is being shaped in Britain's image, God help it.

We were informed of an unstoppable momentum pushing reform forward. "We agreed to implement by the end of 2002 proposals to reduce regulation on business." It's the cunning British way of reducing regulation on business by increasing regulation on business.

Iain Duncan Thing did quite well. Actually he did very well. His predecessor crashed and burnt when he replied to Mr Blair's post-Nice summit statement two years ago. It marked the end of William Thing's Commons supremacy. Iain Duncan Thing didn't make that mistake. It wasn't a mistake that was his to make but let's not be churlish.

Out of 30 pages of results, Mr Duncan Thing said, only four short paragraphs could have given any comfort to the Prime Minister. No Common Agricultural Policy reform, no fisheries reform, no pension reform, no action on asylum- seekers, no firm action on Zimbabwe. There were agreed incentives for early retirement alongside a resolution for people to lengthen their working lives by five years. "The EU is getting more like Britain only in so far as it's publishing yet another meaningless 10-year plan."

Mr Duncan Thing produced a triumph, in that it wasn't a disaster.

Labour's Denzil Davies pointed out that GDP per head in Europe was just 65 per cent of the United States, and that enlargement would make that ratio worse. "Europe may never catch up!" he declared.

The Prime Minister accepted total defeat on this point by saying: "If Europe makes the structural reforms it needs to, we can indeed compete with the United States."

Later, Hunting With Dogs appeared on the order paper. You may have thought we'd done all that before. You'd be right. There's always a thumping Commons majority for banning it. Indeed, the sponsoring minister, Alun Michael, posed the question himself: "It is tempting to ask why we are debating it again." And, like all politicians, he failed to answer it. They could simply bring back last year's Bill and invoke the Parliament Act. But the Prime Minister doesn't want to ban hunting with dogs completely. That's why he is said (at the time of writing) to be attending the Commons to vote for a complete ban.

Ann Winterton put in a magnificently horsey performance. My God, at full stretch she's something to behold. Jodhpurs were straining all over the House, containing the excitement of honourable members.

Three of her arguments in particular struck home: the League Against Cruel Sports had withdrawn its objection that hunting was cruel. Nor was there any alternative that would produce less suffering. And the whole charade was a lousy way to reward backbenchers who'd supported Stephen Byers in his time of trial.

Does hunting degrade those who take part? No more than politics does. Look what it's done to that nice young man Tony Blair.

Simoncarr75@hotmail.com