Monthly Archives: November 2011

One of the Petitions we looked at last week in Romania related to the issue of wind turbine installations in Baia, which lies in the Danube delta, and therefore is also part of the Natura 2000 ecological network of protected areas … Continue reading →

Last week I went to Bucharest, Romania, with a delegation from the European parliament’s Petitions Committee.  We were dealing with a number of issues raised in various petitions including: Wind turbines: There are protests against proposals to install 2,400 wind … Continue reading →

  Last week Lord Pearson of Rannoch proposed a bill in the Lords calling for an official cost/benefit analysis on the UK’s membership of the EU.  Up jumped a Lib-Dem peer to tell us that the value of EU membership … Continue reading →

Forgive me for returning to the Tobin Tax (Financial Transaction Tax) yet again — but it illustrates one of those fundamental leftist misconceptions that I have railed against for years.  I call it “the static model”. It’s the assumption in … Continue reading →

I have written several times on this blog about the dangers of subsidies in the energy sector.  Indeed, there have been several examples of late which show how government involvement in new technologies is woefully misguided. One such example in the … Continue reading →

Europhiles love to tell us that 50% of the UK’s trade is done with Europe, and that this is a good reason for EU membership. Of course they’re wrong on both counts.  If you take account of re-exports and the Rotterdam effect, our … Continue reading →

Who’s right on the euro? Neither! Economics is the butt of many jokes.  The dismal science.  Ten economists with eleven opinions between them.  But I’m afraid we need a smattering of economics to get a grip on the euro problem, … Continue reading →

As a member of the European parliament’s delegation to Korea, I was able today to attend a meeting with members of the Delegation of the Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea.  I have attended such meetings many times before, and … Continue reading →

Surely the European Commission would not be recommending a policy which will depress GDP, drive business out of the EU, cost nearly half a million jobs, and arguably achieve no offsetting benefits?  Would it?  Oh yes it would! It’s that … Continue reading →

Dear David, I am surprised and disappointed to be advised by a member of the public that you are still writing letters citing “3,500,000 jobs dependent on exports to the EU” as a benefit of EU membership.  No one has … Continue reading →

I suspect that David Cameron avails himself of public transport only rarely, but in my view he’s on the wrong bus.  His references to “us sceptics”, and claimed determination to achieve a “more flexible EU”, seem to be motivated more … Continue reading →

 ….but press censorship would be worse Whisper it quietly — I’m almost ashamed to admit it — but recently I’ve actually found myself agreeing with the Great Panjandrum himself, Lord (Chris) Patten.  What a man.  Former MP, Party Chairman, Governor … Continue reading →

Because Germany says No! I read a piece in today’s Telegraph, by Bruno Waterfield, their man in Brussels, which contained a chilling paragraph.  I’ll quote it in full: Ministers have stopped saying that they plan to use treaty change to … Continue reading →

Yesterday a group of distinguished businessmen wrote to the press calling for action to stimulate growth, and asking inter alia for the rapid abandonment of the 50% income tax rate (let me declare my interest: I do not earn enough … Continue reading →