Under the influence

How much competition can there have been for a website address of britishinfluence.org? It has been snapped up – if that is the right term – by The Centre for British Influence Through Europe, the latest attempt at a pro-EU campaign group. (The occasional stray reference to British leadership through Europe suggests the organisers agonised over the name.) Some of those contributing are old Brussels hands. Peter Wilding used to work for the Conservatives in the European Parliament. David Gow was a correspondent for the Guardian. The advisory board, known as The Future of Europe Forum, includes Paul Adamson, a veteran (if ever youthful) public-affairs lobbyist, and a collection of less well-preserved former ambassadors. A launch event in London on 30 January is to feature Peter Mandelson and Kenneth Clarke. The future of Britain in Europe seems remarkably like the 1990s.