Monthly Archives: September 2014

In my political career I must have been to twenty or so political conferences, Conservative, and in recent years UKIP.  After so many, it’s easy to get a bit cynical.  But any cynicism was blown away by our 2014 Doncaster … Continue reading →

I never cease to be amazed by the nonsense and folly and downright vindictiveness you find on Twitter.  Mostly I don’t respond, but let me share some choice items with you. In September, like migrating birds, a new batch of … Continue reading →

You won’t find AfD marching down here Recently we received an invitation from something calling itself “The European Liberal Forum” to a round-table sandwich lunch event to launch the Ralf Dahrendorf Roundtable Study, entitled “The Unstoppable Far Right?  Populism and … Continue reading →

Time for a re-think, Alex? Recently on my blog, I paid tribute to Alex Salmond’s dignified and honourable reaction to the defeat of his YES Campaign for Scottish independence.  He called for reconciliation and unity. Alas I spoke too soon.  … Continue reading →

A Dame-School The rot set in for British education in the sixties and seventies, when teachers stopped being teachers and started being “learning facilitators”.  Don’t teach the little darlings any facts or skills — just help them to work it … Continue reading →

Now that the dust is settling, maybe it’s time for reflection. First of all, the choice of the Scottish people is a tribute to their sound common sense — despite the blandishments — and later the pressure and threats — … Continue reading →

Viviana Durante dances Mary Vetsera Just one hundred and twenty-five years ago, Crown Prince Rupert, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, took his teenage mistress Mary Vetsera to the hunting lodge at Mayerling, a small village in Lower Austria.  The site … Continue reading →

I’m occasionally astonished to reflect that I’ve now been an MEP for fifteen years.  During that time, and especially in the early days, I used to get people saying to me “A single currency works very well in the USA.  … Continue reading →

So says David Cameron.  But as in so many things, he could well be wrong.  Most economic commentators expect a very negative reaction to a Yes vote, if that’s what happens on  September 18th.  This could happen quickly: indeed it … Continue reading →

A small postscript to my piece about Any Questions, which you’ll find below.  There was a question about child abuse, and the recent scandals.  I took the opportunity to air a point that I know has been of great concern … Continue reading →

Westonbirt School for Girls On Friday Sept 5th, I appeared on the BBC Any Questions panel at Westonbirt School, near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, along with Anna Soubry MP (Tory, Broxtowe); Caroline Lucas, former Green MEP and now MP; and Michael Dugher, … Continue reading →

MY WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE COMMISSION: “I understand that the Commission proposes to introduce measures to limit the power of electric kettles. Is this the case? Does the Commission have any grasp of the basic physics of boiling a kettle? … Continue reading →

On Tuesday I attended the first post-election event of the European Energy Forum (EEF),   of which I have been a prominent member for many years.  A lot of the best MEPs in the Forum have failed to return after … Continue reading →