Monthly Archives: January 2008

Plenary Speech, Bali, Jan 30th

Posted on January 30, 2008 by rogeroffice

Below is my speech to plenary I gave tonight. Let me know what you think!  Mr. President, I understand that on the day the Bali Climate Conference commenced, there were so many private jets at Bali’s airport that they ran out … Continue reading →

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“I Want a Referendum” campaign takes spoof traffic signs to EU summit

Posted on January 29, 2008 by rogeroffice

This must be one of the wittiest and most amusing referendum protests to date.  See the signs that they took to Brussels in December: click here and here.  And visit:  http://www.iwantareferendum.com

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Meeting Mike Huckabee

Posted on January 29, 2008 by rogeroffice

I thought I would share a picture of myself and fellow MEP Chris Heaton-Harris meeting Republican candidate Mike Huckabee taken last Summer

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Let’s tell the Nanny-State to back off!

Posted on January 28, 2008 by rogeroffice

Last Wednesday (Jan 23rd) saw me in Shoreditch Town Hall, at a “People’s Jury”, organised by ASH (the anti-smoking lobby group), on the question “What more should the government do to reduce smoking?”.  I rather threw the cat amongst the … Continue reading →

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Rare news of the Orange One

Posted on January 27, 2008 by rogeroffice

Hugh Muir in the Guardian, Jan 9th:  “A question from Robert Kilroy-Silk, MEP for the East Midlands. “Does the commission attribute the death of culture in France to its absorption into the EU?” he asks, borrowing his thesis from Time … Continue reading →

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Freedom Today, Dec/Jan edition

Posted on January 24, 2008 by rogeroffice

The latest edition of Freedom Today is a cracking issue, packed with news and comment on EU questions and a whole range of other issues, with contributions from John Redwood, Brian Binley, Tim Condon and others.  To get your copy (and … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom Today, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Breakfast with Borg, Commissioner for Fisheries

Posted on January 23, 2008 by rogeroffice

On Jan 10th I attended a major breakfast meeting addressed by the Maltese Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Joe Borg.  In a confident and measured speech he spoke repeatedly of “an integrated approach”.  Sadly he had little to say … Continue reading →

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Schengen change will add to immigration woes

Posted on January 22, 2008 by rogeroffice

The Sunday Telegraph carried a story about the extension of the EU’s Schengen free-movement area (travel without passports) to the new Eastern European accession states, with direct borders with countries like Ukraine.  While Britain is not part of Schengen, this … Continue reading →

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Slovenian Presidency

Posted on January 21, 2008 by rogeroffice

The EU’s six-month rotating Presidency goes to Slovenia for Jan/Jun 2008 — the first of the new accession states to hold it.  Their diplomatic resources are so limited that they may well be just a front for France, who have … Continue reading →

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The Charter of Fundamental Rights

Posted on January 21, 2008 by rogeroffice

Although we were demonstrating for a Referendum, the occasion bringing together the top brass was a formal signing of the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights.  That’s the one that Keith Vaz said had “no more legal force than the Beano”.  … Continue reading →

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The Treaty is shorter than the Constitution. Isn’t it?

Posted on January 20, 2008 by rogeroffice

President Sarkozy of France promised the people a “Mini-Treaty”.  So of course the Treaty is shorter than the Constitution.  It’s only 287 pages, against the Constitution’s 349.   But check the word-count.  The Treaty has 76,250 words, whereas the Constitution … Continue reading →

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Breath-taking effrontery

Posted on January 19, 2008 by rogeroffice

At the Strasbourg session of December 12th, the Presidents of the parliament, the Council and the Commission jointly signed the Charter of Fundamental Rights (yes that’s right — the one that had “No more legal force than the Beano”, according … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Speech | 7 Comments

The Hooligans’ Demonstration

Posted on January 18, 2008 by rogeroffice

An after-word on the “Referendum” demonstration in the Strasbourg Hemicycle on Dec 12th.  The Daily Mail described it as a “Hooligans’ Demonstration”.  Labour and Lib-Dem members said we should not have interrupted the proceedings of the house.   But we … Continue reading →

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How has it come to this?

Posted on January 18, 2008 by rogeroffice

The news today (Jan 18th) is that the EU is about to impose a mandatory target for renewable energy on the UK, of 15% by 2020.  This is not just 15% of power generation, which would be difficult enough, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy | 3 Comments

Labour goes nuclear

Posted on January 17, 2008 by rogeroffice

David Cameron says we should be prepared to recognise when the govern­ment is doing something right.  It happens so rarely that we may get out of the habit.  But their decision to sanction a new generation of nuclear power stations … Continue reading →

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