Free Us From The EU

A UKIP colleague who stood at the General Election in a neighbouring constituency to me, has a pertinent letter in today's Oxford mail. I reproduce it in full below (the article she refers to is here):

The European Union may be the source of cash bonbons for some businesses (Apply for EU cash, businesses urged, Oxford Mail, August 12) but Britain's membership of the EU is bad value for taxpayers.

The Leader scheme’s £1.89m budget means that about £2.7m of British taxpayers’ money was paid to the EU.

That is, for every £1 of taxpayers’ money handed over, only 67p is returned, with strings attached as to its use.

The freedom to retain the whole £2.7m instead of losing £810,000 to the EU would be better value for taxpayers, especially during recessionary times.

Free from European Union centralised control, unfettered decisions whether to spend or save the money could be made by local councils, involving democratic accountability and real localism.

Jacqueline Jones, Oxford Road, Cumnor

Well said, although the line 'involving democratic accountability and real localism' will probably fall on deaf ears despite pre-election promises.

Bullying Serbia?

Certain countries in the EU are bullying us bleats Serbia according to the Telegraph:

Serbia has accused “certain influential EU states” of blackmail, claiming they plan to block its accession to the EU unless the Balkan country accepts the independence of Kosovo.

Bozidar Delic, the Serbian deputy prime minister, made the claim ahead of a United Nations vote on a motion tabled by Serbia calling for the UN to reject Kosovo’s declaration of independence.

“A small number of influential EU member states have decided to use our candidacy application as a means to impose pressure on Serbia ahead and during the debate on Kosovo at the United Nations General Assembly,” Mr Delic claimed in an interview with the Serbian magazine Politika.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade has refused to accept the breakaway republic’s declaration despite considerable international pressure.

Well of course they are Mr Delic, it's nothing new, and will only get worse should Serbia succeed in their EU application. That's the price you will have to pay if you don't want to remain a sovereign nation.

If you don't like it, take Iceland's lead and adopt 'cherry knocker' tactics with no intention of ever joining. Until then, shut up.

Balls

No not that one, Federer. What a player:



Some of the comments on the YouTube site are priceless. A fake? Yep because a hugely talented player who's spent nearly all of his life practicing hours every day couldn't possible hit a tin can off someone's head at a 100 paces? It must be impossible because humans are not very good at this aim at target stuff are they?

I also love the 'must be fake because it would endanger life' comments too. I must look out for all those dead ballgirls every year at Wimbledon hit by tennis balls. Yeah Henman you murderer!

hattip: Opinionated and Vocal

Lord Pearson Steps Down As Leader

In a not entirely unexpected move Lord Pearson has stepped down as leader of UKIP:

UK Independence Party leader Lord Pearson of Rannoch is to stand down from his position, the party's chairman has said.

Lord Pearson led the party for less than a year after taking over from high-profile MEP Nigel Farage, who quit to concentrate on his failed attempt to oust Commons Speaker John Bercow from Parliament at the general election.

In a message posted on Twitter, party chairman Paul Nuttall said: "Lord Pearson has decided to stand down as leader of Ukip.

Update: Rather than link to the less than impartial BBC version (see the difference in tone between them and the Press Association linked above), here's the full press release:

Leadership Resignation Statement from Lord Pearson of Rannoch


I took over as leader of UKIP last year to see the party through the General Election, and said I would then consider my position. We increased our vote by 50%, and have many exciting plans for the future. But I have learnt that I am not much good at party politics, which I do not enjoy. I am also 68, and need to give more time to my wider interests. These include the treatment of people with intellectual impairment, teacher training, the threat from Islamism and the relationship between good and evil - not to mention my dogs and my family.

So it is right that I should stand down on September 2nd, early in the Parliament, to give a younger leader time to be established before the next election, which may come sooner than we think. There is no shortage of talent in UKIP, and the new leader will have my full support. I will continue to do what I can to raise funds for the party.

UKIP has never been more important for our freedom as a self-governing democracy. We have a coalition government which supports every new power grab by Brussels: supervision of our financial services; an EU diplomatic corps; new police and surveillance powers; bailing out the folly that is the euro.

Much of this is illegal under the Treaties, but that has never worried Brussels or the Luxembourg Court, which now make most of our national law in a secretive process over which Parliament has no control.

History teaches us that trouble lies ahead when a regime is free to break its own laws with impunity, when it is supported by a puppet court, and when its people are powerless to get rid of it. That is what the European Union has become, and the only way out is the door.

Now the British people are to be allowed a referendum on how they elect their MPs, but they are denied the referendum they were promised on whether those MPs should govern the country; on whether we should remain ensnared in the tentacles of the corrupt EU octopus, or be set free to enjoy the fruits of democracy and free trade.

UKIP must go on telling the truth about “Europe”: how we cannot control immigration if we stay in the EU; the madness of throwing £6.7 billion a year in net cash down the Brussels drain when we face savage cuts at home; the terrible suffering in developing countries caused by the Common Agricultural and Fisheries policies; that only some 10% of our GDP goes in trade with the EU, yet its dictats strangle 100% of our economy; that leaving the EU would create jobs, not lose them.

UKIP deserves a better politician than me to lead it and show the country how liberating and enriching life would be outside the EU. I am confident that one will emerge.

Malcolm Pearson August 17th 2010

EU Flag

Instead of telling the EU to go take a hike, it appears that yet again we are bending over backwards to comply with EU demands, according to the Mail today:

Business chiefs have issued advice to companies and public bodies on how to escape heavy penalties for failing to display European Union flags after British organisations were fined an astonishing £150  million for not giving the EU enough publicity.

Companies receiving European grants must display its logo on their buildings, posters and websites or face being forced to pay back some of the funding. Now Yorkshire Forward, a regional development agency, has produced an 18-page booklet that advises organisations how to escape the punitive penalties

One of the comments under article sums the position wonderfully:

So, having been forced to contribute to the EU budget, we have to fly a flag when we get a tiny bit of it back.

I'm going back to bed..

There's actually nothing really new in the Mail report; guidance for EU grants by Yorkshire Forward has been issued for years. It would be nice though if for once, someone gave them the 'Anne Robinson' treatment. Oh, they already have:

The body charged with attracting investment to the Yorkshire and Humber region is to be abolished.

Yorkshire Forward is among nine regional development agencies (RDAs) in England which will be replaced with Local Enterprise Partnerships.

The government confirmed its intention as it unveiled its Budget on Tuesday. The process will begin with a white paper to be published later this year.

Good riddance.

Smoking Is Good For You?

According to this sign I saw on holiday:


"You are endangering your life and the lives of others by...No Smoking"

Shock Horror! The BBC Mentions The EU.

Prominent on BBC News earlier today was a report that Dutch airline KLM is refusing to pay out compensation to its passengers delayed by the volcanic ash cloud earlier this year.

And throughout the report the BBC just couldn't stop mentioning the EU. It was liberally sprinkled with phrases such as; "protected by EU rules", "under EU rules passengers are entitled to compensation", "the EU Commission promises to get tough" and so on. The obligatory 'financially hit family' were featured, who were facing poor treatment from the airline. The tone of the report was very clear; nasty airlines, but at least the nice EU is on your side. They even interviewed a European Commission spokesman in front of the Berlaymont which must be a first (The BBC do know where it is then?), but no-one from the airline was interviewed or any hint that the airlines were grounded because of an EU decision in first place.

It wouldn't be such a problem if the BBC treated the more insidious actions of the EU with the same prominence. But they never do.

Back To Business

After a week's rest from the internet, blogging should resume back to normal. A politics and EU free week, apart from seeing the EU logo plonked all over English Heritage sites (presumably because they were eligible for a grant) so I'm now playing catch up.

My Hols

As from today I'm off on holiday for a week, and my internet access will be limited or non-existent, so blogging will be taking a sabbatical as well.

And talking of holidays leads me neatly onto this article in the Mail today regarding consequences of the European Arrest Warrant:

A student and four of his friends are facing years in a Greek prison after a holiday turned into a nightmare.

They were flown to Athens yesterday. Lawyers for the five claim the case against them is 'ridiculously weak', but they were powerless to prevent the extradition as the Greek authorities used the controversial European Arrest Warrant to force them to stand trial.

The long arm of EU power is now starting to affect people directly and in ways that it can no longer hide from. As Richard North states on a post regarding immigration the cracks in the dam are appearing. It will only get worse.

You can only govern peope by either consent or fear; the EU has neither. And when it starts to interfere negatively and obviously in people's lives, without democratic recourse, then the project is in trouble. Big trouble. It's always only ever been a question of time.

I leave you with a quote from one of the suspect's mothers.

[Mr Holland's] mother Vanessa said: 'How many more young innocent British lads like George will be banged up across Europe before the Government shows some mettle and gets to grips with the failings of the European Arrest Warrant?

'Parents, be very afraid – this summer it could be your sons wrongly accused yet you'll be powerless to stop their extradition and immediate detention.

'When did this country become so feeble in failing to stand up for the rights of its own?

Quite.

Loyalties

According to a EUROPA press release today, a British diplomat has been appointed as the new EUSR for Sudan:

Dame Rosalind Marsden, a British Diplomat, has been appointed the new European Union Special Representative for Sudan, effective September 1st, replacing Ambassador Torben Brylle.

She has a large experience in African affairs, including as UK Ambassador to Sudan, a position she held until May this year. She will actively participate, on behalf of EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, in the international efforts in Sudan, notably the support for the preparations of the upcoming referenda in Abyei and South Sudan, liaising with the Sudanese parties as well as with all the regional, continental and international stakeholders. She will also devote considerable attention to the unsolved situation in Darfur.

Not only a clear illustration of where the loyalties of our civil servants really lie, but also the continual drip drip of Britain's loss of sovereignty.