Monthly Archives: May 2015

Referendum special – Listen to me up against Vicky Ford MEP – about 35 minutes in the debate starts and I explain why the referendum proposals show the poverty of ambition the Prime Minister has.

As I write, I’m still not quite sure what the EU referendum question will be.  But “Do you agree that Britain should stay in the EU?” seems a likely option – with all the advantage of “positivity bias” accruing to … Continue reading →

Climate realists rightly draw attention to the vast subsidies paid to support renewable energy – wind and solar.  These subsidies are ramping up the price of energy in Britain and Europe.  They are forcing households and pensioners into fuel poverty.  … Continue reading →

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                                 At least the tie is the right colour, Dave One of the great weaknesses of Cameron’s position on his much-vaunted EU referendum has been … Continue reading →

OK. I’m going to get into trouble for admitting it. But just once in a while, Prime Minister David Cameron gets it right. And he’s right to try to repeal the Human Rights Act. And let’s be clear. That’s not … Continue reading →

Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott is a plain speaking, clear thinking kind of guy.  He recently commented on the Mediterranean migrant crisis: “If you want to stop the deaths, stop the boats”.  At first sight, this seems like a callous … Continue reading →

Writing in the Daily Telegraph (May 11th), Boris Johnson talks a good story about EU renegotiation and reform. (I think he’s entirely wrong about the potential for reform – but that’s another story.  The EU is beyond reform, and deserves to … Continue reading →

In recent years, in my work in the parliament, I’ve become more and more concerned about an issue that is scarcely if ever mentioned, either in the media, or indeed in Brussels (except by me — I mention it all … Continue reading →

Horrible grammar, but a good thought In the last few days we have seen a report from a respected German think-tank, the Bertelsmann Foundation, saying that Brexit (a UK exit from the EU) would do huge damage to the British … Continue reading →