Monthly Archives: February 2012

Showing my age: back in 1975, we had a referendum on membership of the mendaciously-named “Common Market”, and to my eternal shame I voted Yes.  After all (they told us) it was all about trade and jobs, and who could … Continue reading →

It seems that these fuel-cell vehicles just won’t go away.  I wrote about my recent test-drive in an adapted Hyundai. Today we had a briefing on the Mercedes programme, and afterwards I did a quick spin in their test car, … Continue reading →

Strange though it seems, the Socialists in the European parliament seem to be opposed to job creation in Romania. In my capacity as member of the parliament’s Petitions Committee I travelled to Romania last November to meet with representatives of the … Continue reading →

It seems that the world of business has started to become alarmed by attacks on it from people who should know better.  We expect it from the likes of Vince Cable — wise old owl turned headless chicken.  But we … Continue reading →

“The Coalition of the Unwilling”   The EU’s “Emissions Trading Scheme” (ETS) is one of a number of measures adopted by the EU to “fight climate change”. It is part of a massive, complex array of confusing and overlapping green initiatives … Continue reading →

  A while ago I wrote a piece about Angry Old Men (hat-tip to Victor Meldrew), so you won’t be surprised to hear that all too often I open my morning paper to find something that annoys me.  Usually a quick outburst … Continue reading →

Hot from the printer (or is it “burner”?), I have my new DVD, with a lot of lively stuff on Europe, on climate, and on a range of other issues.  Copies are being sent to constituencies across the East Midlands: … Continue reading →

Back in the Sixties, I was working for Procter & Gamble in Gosforth, Newcastle-on-Tyne.  I remember walking down a corridor one warm summer’s day, when an annoying housefly came buzzing around my head.  Impulsively I grabbed at it, and to … Continue reading →

The real thing, and the European Commission version Mike Lacey is a County Councillor in Derbyshire, representing Newhall & Seales.   Over the years he’s built up a successful local haulage business, Lacey Freight, now run by his son Ian.  Mike and Ian and their family … Continue reading →

Did I really write that?  Although I’m a life member, I’ve had a down on the National Trust ever since it chose to disregard a covenant on land bequeathed to it.  The Holnicote Estate was transferred to the Trust in … Continue reading →

The American CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) took place last week in Washington.  A number of our ECR colleagues were there.  I was unable to go myself, but Joe Bono from my office was there, assisting with the ECR stand, … Continue reading →

Never, I think, have I seen two such dramatically contrasting articles on facing pages of a national newspaper.  We have a hugely striking example between the clash of old-think and new-think — of inward-looking little-Europeanism versus outward-looking global trade.  You’ll … Continue reading →

Tim Montgomerie has scored something of a coup for ConHome with his revelations recently about the doubts of Cabinet Ministers on Lansley’s NHS Bill.  The story has dominated the media agenda for a day and a half, and is clearly … Continue reading →

(Or perhaps I should have said, a left ding-dong!).  In mid-January I wrote about the leading candidate for the Presidency of the European parliament, for the second half of the current five-year term: German socialist MEP Martin Schulz.   He … Continue reading →