PS secretary-general Pedro Nuno Santos has reportedly rendered the European parliament ‘open mouthed’ by his ‘total break’ with all previous Socialist Euro MPs. In other words, he is fielding an entirely new complement of candidates for the European elections in June – none of them with any experience at a European level. This has apparently never been done before – and could put the incoming MEPs at a disadvantage (having little in the way of signposts on how to ease into the job in such a rarefied environment). As sources have remarked: “Surprise was general”, leading to “malaise and discomfort”. The decision implies a loss of “knowledge capital and political credit” within the PS delegation.
