What is the difference between niaivety and foolishness?

I only ask because I always regarded Lord Strathclyde as a pretty decent cove, but it seems defending the Government's position on Europe has pushed him into a position of foolishnmess, niaievety or maybe even knavery.

He was questioned by UKIP Peer Willoughby de Broke,

Is not this Council statement just a rehash of the European agenda, which was such a notable failure? Does the Minister agree that, as usual, it is all words and no action? Do not figures of 23 million unemployed in the European Union and 51 per cent youth unemployment in Spain show that the European Union is a total failure for its citizens? Would it not be much better to leave before we get sucked even further into the euro mire?

Strathclyde's answer was this,

We think that in the past the EU has gone in the wrong direction but we are hopeful. The noble Lord may not have read the European Commission's statement but I hope that he will take the opportunity to do so. I am glad to see he is indicating that he has read it. I think he should be heartened by much of what was said in it about growth, jobs, deregulation and single markets, which will aid prosperity in the long term.

He agrees the EU has gone in the wrong direction, but for some reason seems to think it might turn around. And on what does he base his hopes? The pious nothings in the latest Commission statement.