I have launched a petition for my campaign on the Metropolitan Police proposals to close down its dedicated Human Trafficking unit. You can sign it by clicking on the link below.
Filed under: Labour Party | Tagged: Human Trafficking unit, Metropolitan Police, Petition to Save Trafficking Unit, Poppy Project | 7 Comments »
May I belatedly congratulate Faber on their excellent initiative to re-publish first novels by well known writers as a celebration of the publishing house’s eightieth birthday. It’s an original idea to celebrate both the Faber anniversary and the authors in this way.
You will not, therefore, be surprised to hear that I was immediately smitten and decided to try “Bliss”, Peter Carey’s first offering. It was not a difficult choice for me, having always been a Carey fan. Though read some time ago, I truly enjoyed “Oscar and Lucinda”, Illywhacker” and “The True History of the Kelly Gang”.
All these three books verge on the absurd and Carey never fails to see the world from his own idiosyncratic perspective, a perspective which generally falls on the right side of believable and readable. His writing also has pace and takes the reader along with effortless ease.
Not quite so, I’m afraid, with “Bliss”, whose main character, hail fellow well met advertising executive Harry Joy, having had a near death experience following a heart attack, believes he has gone to hell. Subsequently, amongst other things, his children have an incestuous relationship, his wife sets fire to a New York advertising agency and Harry himself takes up with a hooker called Honey Barbara. The book ends with Harry apparently having found real joy with Honey Barbara in the rural community where she originated.
I think the heart attack was intended to demonstrate how death can be a necessary prelude to life. I’m afraid, despite my desire to like the book, it was all just too whack, too over the top. Very much a first attempt, I’m afraid.
Filed under: Labour Party | Leave a Comment »
Fellow London MEP Gerard Batten is apparently campaigning to succeed Nigel Farage as leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). The site set up to support him is interesting to say the least.
Yesterday there was a post arguing that Gerard Batten’s attempts to cover up fraudulent spending of European Union monies did not matter, and there was no need for an investigation. An unusual position for a party which claims to be against the misuse of EU monies.
However, like Ashley Mote and now Tom Wise, Gerard does not consider that laws apply to him. Gerard is a man who does not believe it is in the British character to play by the rules, and pay your taxes. He is refusing to pay his television licence.
Let’s return to his campaign website which reads a bit like the diary of Adrain Mole aged 55 and 3/4. Schoolboy politics might provide a slogan like “Forget the rest and vote for the best.” In the unlikely event of a Batten victory how will Gerard create a leadership team of all the talents other UKIP MEPs?
Gerard’s leadership blog certainly likes a bit of Viz style humour, commenting on the recent Exeter UKIP leadership hustings, the verdict is juvenile: “Pants to the rest, Gerard is the best!“
Let’s hope this blog is written by an over enthusiastic supporter of Gerard’s.
Looking at his official website there is no mention of his campaign for Leader. Google “Gerard Batten” and Leader in news, and you find that the BNP have been writing to Gerard as the kind of person they think would like to donate to them. Why would this be?
Look at Gerard’s website, it is a place where a BNP supporter would feel at home. Let’s start with his article “The Myth of Multiculturalism” which starts
“THE MYTH of multiculturalism depends on the belief that completely different cultures, and indeed contradictory world views, can peacefully co-exist within the same geographic and political space.”
Gerard represents London, he doesn’t seem to have noticed there are people with lots of differents beliefs in London. We all manage to rub along together. Londoners are pretty tolerant people, we even manage to put up with UKIP MEPs.
How about Gerard’s views on immigration? He’s written a 4 page pamphlet on the subject with the title “Enough is Enough“?
Then there’s his article in Freedom Today The Islamist threat to freedom where he talks about his regard for far right Dutch politician Geert Wilders (who Gerard is pictured with above).
You can begin to see why the BNP might consider Gerard Batten would want to support them. Let’s turn back to the intellectual masterpiece that is the “myth of multicultalism” article. This says in language strikingly like something Nick Griffin might say:“The British political and intellectual elite have not only thought that multiculturalism is highly desirable but they have spent the last fifty years actively bringing it about.”
Who could Gerard mean? How about current UKIP leader Nigel Farage? He’s married to a German. Yorkshire UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom? He’s married to a Pole. Even the Queen married a Greek. That’s right Gerard lots of British people are marrying foreign people, and I think love is wonderful, but you want to stop it?
Often when I write about UKIP members misbehaviour I receive notes from UKIP members complaining that they are decent people, and are unlucky to have so many people of bad character in UKIP. The other possibility is UKIP attracts people of bad character, discuss.
Looking at Gerard Batten’s record shouldn’t UKIP be investigating him rather than considering having him as a party leader?
Now that Tom Wise has admitted his guilt to expenses fraud, shouldn’t questions be asked as to why Gerard Batten defended him and tried to excuse Tom Wise’s fraudulent misdemeanours?
Surely any mainstream political party expects their representatives/leaders to pay taxes like the television licence fee?
Filed under: Labour Party | 1 Comment »
Pierre Lellouche
“It’s not going to happen for a minute. Nobody is going to indulge in rewriting (treaties for) many, many years. Nobody is going to play with the institutions again. It’s going to be take it or leave it and they (the Conservatives) should be honest about that.”
So says M. Pierre Lellouche in the Guardian today. M. Lallouche is, of course, the French Europe Minister. He is also a member of the UMP, the French centre-right Party, which once viewed itself as the sister party of the British Conservatives. M. Lellouche, reported to be one of the most Anglophile members of Nicolas Sarkozy’s government, is also on record as accusing the Tories as “castrating Britain’s position on the EU”.
To make matters even more uncomfortable for the Tories, their idea that they could overturn the principle that EU law overrides national legislation simply cannot be implemented. The Factortame litigation led to a series of landmark decisions in UK and EU law and the case confirmd the supremacy of European Union law over national law in the areas where the EU has competence.
It is clear to me that the Tories are ducking their “Clause 4″ moment”. Instead of taking on those in their Party who are implacably opposed to Europe and dealing with the issue once and for all by holding a referendum on whether Britain should withdraw from the Eurpean Union, they are putting forward impossible policies which totally lack credibility in the hope of placating the Eurosceptics, newspapers as well as MPs.
Mr Cameron should be brave, stand up and be counted and say he will hold a referendum about whether or not Britain should stay in the EU. This is the only honest policy from the Tory point of view. Grasp the nettle Mr Cameron, do what you have to do. Face up to your very own Tory “Clause 4 Moment”. Your pussyfooting is doing this country no good at all.
Filed under: Labour Party | Tagged: David Cameron, European Union, Nicolas Sarkozy, Pierre Lellouche, The Guardian, Tory Party, UMP | 1 Comment »
It appears that David Cameron still doesn’t get it. Although he abandoned his “cast iron” pledge to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in his speech earlier today, he is still talking as if negotiations with the EU about Britain getting rid of those EU agreements the Tories don’t like are possible and something the Tories would be able to do.
Let me remind Mr. Cameron that the UK is fully signed up to the three issues he seeks to get rid of (see the relevant extracts from his speech set out below). Undoing EU agreements once have been concluded by all the member states has no real precedent in the EU and, as Mr Cameron has to admit, his attempts to unpick EU agreements would need the support of all the 26 other EU member states. Does David Cameron really think this is going to happen? Why would the EU wish to allow Britain more opt outs than we already have and in the process create a precedent that no Treaty or agreement is sacrosanct and can be modified willy-nilly at the whim of one member state.
Mr. Cameron, I tell you that what you are trying to sell to the British people is a whole lot of smoke and mirrors. You may wish to base your policy on quicksand to maintain the grace and favour of the Conservative Party. The people of Britain deserve much more.
“A Conservative Government will address some of these problems by negotiating three specific guarantees with our European partners guarantees over powers that we believe should reside with Britain, not the EU.
“So we will want to negotiate the return of Britain’s opt-out from social and employment legislation in those areas which have proved most damaging to our economy and public services for example the aspects of the Working Time Directive which are causing real problems in the NHS and the Fire Service.
“The second British guarantee we will negotiate is over the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
“We will want a complete opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
“The third area where we will negotiate for a return of powers is criminal justice.
“That will mean limiting the European Court of Justice’s jurisdiction over criminal law to its pre-Lisbon level, and ensuring that only British authorities can initiate criminal investigations in Britain.
“I recognise, of course, that taking back power in these areas, or negotiating arrangements that suit the UK, is not something we can do unilaterally.
“It means changing the rules of an institution of which we are a member – changing rules that Britain has signed up to.
Filed under: Labour Party | Tagged: Conservative Party, David Cameron, Lisbon Treaty | Leave a Comment »
It’s gratifying to be proved right, though rather less gratifying when it’s on such a fundamental subject as Britain in the EU.
Since I posted yesterday, David Cameron has been put in a very invidious position by the ex-Tory Shadow Home Secretary David Davis. Davis has, in effect, issued a direct challenge to Cameron’s authority on Conservative policy towards Europe.
Writing here in the Daily Mail, Mr. Davis has called on the Tory leader to offer the public a referendum on the future of Britain’s relationship with the EU. Davis’s challenge is, of course, a direct result of yesterday’s announcement that Cameron has abandoned his “cast iron” pledge that the Tories would hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
Cameron and the Tories have consistently and constantly argued that the Labour Government should have held a referendum on Lisbon. What price honesty now, Mr. Cameron?
As we all know, the Conservatives made their U-turn after the Czech government caved in and signed up to the Treaty yesterday, removing the final obstacle to its ratification. I would have thought Cameron and co might have anticipated this happening and made their policy accordingly.
For David Davis all seems startlingly clear. He proclaims today:
“What we should do is, in my view, clear. We should have a referendum, not on the treaty, but on the negotiating mandate that the British Government takes to the European Union.
“The question should contain four or five specific strategic aims which clearly summarise our objectives.
“The sort of things we might include are: recovering control over our criminal justice, asylum and immigration policies; a robust opt-out of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights; serious exemptions to the seemingly endless flood of European regulations which cost the UK economy billions of pounds each year; a recovery of our rights to negotiate on trade; exemption from European interference into trade in services and foreign direct investment rules; and an exemption from any restrictions on our foreign policy.
“The referendum should be the first piece of legislation in the new parliament, and should be held within three months of the election.
“Some fear this would become an ‘in or out’ referendum, a decision on whether to continue our membership of the European Union. It would be nothing of the sort. Killing this tired old canard is one of the reasons the referendum question has to be absolutely clear in language and intent.
“Of course it is possible that we will not achieve every change we want.
If that is the outcome, we should give the British people the right to accept or reject it in a further referendum.”
So that’s all right then Mr. D. Hold a referendum which will have no status whatsoever with the EU Council of Ministers, the European Commission or even the European Parliament and then seek to impose Tory Party prejudices on the EU as a whole. Wow, that’s one hell of a policy. I’m glad you believe it Mr. Davis because I can assure you no-one in the EU will give it even the smallest chink of the light of day, your referendum notwithstanding.
This David Davis nonsense only serves to highlight Tory wrong headedness on Europe. The Davis faction, which to an outside observer seems to be the Tory grassroots, most Conservative MPs and the majority of the Shadow Cabinet, are quite honestly living in la la land. It will simply not be possible to do what they want. It is not a credible policy.
Since the Lisbon Treaty for the first time allows existing EU member states to withdraw from the European Union, the only referendum which makes any sense at all is the one on whether the UK remains in the EU or comes out.
David Davis in his article rejects such a referendum on EU membership, presumably because he thinks the he and the anti-Europeans would lose.
The views of the Tory Party, as opposed to those of David Cameron, on Europe obviously remain confused to put it mildly. It will be interesting to see whether my hunch that Cameron will go with his Party turns out to be correct.
Filed under: Labour Party | Tagged: Conservative Party, Council of Ministers, Daily Mail, David Cameron, David Davis, european commission, European Union, Labour Government, President Vaclav Klaus, the Lisbon Treaty, Tory Party | Leave a Comment »
The time has now arrived for David Cameron to come up with a new Conservative European policy. Since Czech President Vaclav Klaus has ended all speculation and signed the Lisbon Treaty, the Tories no longer have even the slightest amount of wriggle room. Cameron’s muddle through and hope for the best approach will no longer wash. But what decisions will he take, or perhaps more to the point, what decisions will his Party allow him to take?
Many Tory MPs, most of the grassroots and right wing newspapers such as the Daily Telegraph want a hard line on Europe. It never ceases to amaze me just how much time and energy the Tories are prepared to waste on the European Union. I am utterly convinced that the Eurosceptics are fighting a lost cause; Britain has been in the EU for over 30 years and over half our exports go to EU countries. We are in the EU and in Europe. It would be madness to leave and expose Britain to an extremely uncertain and isolated future. I believe the British people understand this and if push came to shove would make their views known.
However, Cameron no longer has the luxury of time on his side. He needs to be credible from today right up to the General Election. Will he follow his Party or go with the centre-right heads of government in the European Council? The European leaders whom Cameron may once have viewed as his allies in Europe are almost to a man and woman fed up with the Tories leaving the EPP to set up their own Eurosceptic European Conservatives and Reformists Group. There is little doubt that they will tell him that the EU works on the basis of compromise and that if the Tories seek to undo the Lisbon Treaty which has been the best part of 10 years in the making, and which grants Britain various opt-outs, British influence in Europe will suffer.
So heads (credibility with EU leaders) you lose with the grassroots and tails (popularity with Tory members) you lose with the heads of state. If I were Mr Cameron (thankfully there’s no chance of that), this is a dilemma I would rather not have to face. My strong hunch is that Cameron will go with his Party just as he did when he promised to take the Conservatives out of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) in the European Parliament in order to get himself elected Tory Leader. The Conservatives have, after all, already decided that, should they form a government, they will introduce a law stating that future change to EU treaties will require ratification by referendum.
Going with Party rather than seeking influence in Europe’s corridors of power would be utter lunacy. Surely any intelligent and right thinking person can see that Britain needs influence in the EU. The EU is both our present and our future. While I, for one, would never argue that the EU as presently constituted is perfect, influence gives Britain the opportunity to make improvements and stand up for our national interests. Since the Tories have in the past claimed they do not wish to completely withdraw from the European Union, where is the logic in any future policy which may give away British influence?
Filed under: Labour Party | Tagged: David Cameron, ECR Group, EPP, European Council, european parliament, European Union, President Vaclav Klaus, the Lisbon Treaty | 3 Comments »
![jenny%20jones[1]](http://maryhoneyballmep.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/jenny20jones1.jpg?w=227&h=300 "jenny%20jones[1]")
I have had a nice letter of support from Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson the Green members of the Greater London Authority supporting my petition to keep the Metropolitan Police’s Trafficking Unit. Jenny writes on behalf of them both:
“I agree with you completely. It’s a stupid cost-saving measure which will harm trafficked people of all kinds.
As a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) I have been fighting this closure and at the next MPA meeting I shall try to get a motion passed which will ask the Mayor to keep the unit open.”
Thanks to Darren and jenny for their support. I have had support across the Labour Party and from many other people. I am pleased to say that over 1,000 people have now signed the petition. If you have signed it thank you, can you ask a friend to sign please? If you have not signed please click here to sign.
Filed under: Labour Party | Tagged: Darren Johnson, Greater London Authority, Green Party, Human Trafficking unit, Jenny Jones, Metropolitan Police Authority | 1 Comment »
![Tipstaff[1]](http://maryhoneyballmep.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/tipstaff1.jpg?w=240&h=300 "Tipstaff[1]")
Daniel Oxley, who posted a comment on my recent blog on the Lisbon Treaty, is an occasional commenter on the Honeyball Buzz. He has recently suggested that there is something improper about Sir Robert Atkins Conservative MEP “publicising” his wife on his webiste. On his front page he has a link to his wife Lady Dulcie Atkins. Duclie Atkins (pictured in the middle) is also listed as working from their home the Manor House in Garstang on his contacts page. Now it seems to me that this may be a little clumsily presented, but I read it that Robert is trying to be open and clear that he employs his wife, and that she has a public life herself which she is of course entitled to. Indeed I note her involvement with the Conservative Womens Organisation which must make for interesting conversations bearing in mind Robert’s anti-women voting record.
I would also disagree with Robert on his opposition to extending education in Europe. I personally think it is not good practice as he does to pay for an office in his own home as he does. Like my Labour colleagues I often take work home, but I do not expect to be able to charge rent for doing so! I have raised before questions on his other expenses.
If Robert did not highlight his wife’s role, I am sure there would be others claiming he was trying to cover up her public duties. So I welcome his publicising these issues, although I think a little explanation would be helpful.
In these difficult economic times I wonder whether he would consider some economic regeneration? I am sure there must be some emtpy office premises in Garstang or nearby. How about taking some space and putting some money into the local economy?
Filed under: Labour Party | Tagged: Daniel Oxley, Lady Dulcie Atkins, Lisbon Treaty, Sir Robert Atkins | 3 Comments »
The General Election campaign is starting. On Thursday evening I attended and spoke at Eleanor Tunnicliffe’s campaign launch to become MP for Richmond Park. As you can see from the photographs I had a great time and the evening raised a good amount of money to go towards the General Election campaign. Eleanor is an excellent candidate and I wish her and her local Labour Party every success.
Filed under: Labour Party | Tagged: Eleanor Tunnicliffe, General Election, Labour Party, Richmond Park | Leave a Comment »
![2ad23819-7cea-4d9d-916e-a248de61cc73.299c4091-5c5b-47a6-b11b-8e5aa2037dfd.223.0[1]](http://maryhoneyballmep.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/2ad23819-7cea-4d9d-916e-a248de61cc73-299c4091-5c5b-47a6-b11b-8e5aa2037dfd-223-01.jpg?w=223&h=172 "2ad23819-7cea-4d9d-916e-a248de61cc73.299c4091-5c5b-47a6-b11b-8e5aa2037dfd.223.0[1]")
This evening there is a candlelit vigil in Trafalgar Square from 8pm against all hate crime. Do attend if you can, and if you cannot you can observe 2 minutes silence at 9pm. I have been deeply concerned at a time when tolerance is rising,that there has been a rise in homophobic hate crimes. I am pleased that there is a visible way for lesbians and gay men to demonstrate in every community their love. Tomorrow is the second International Same Sex Hand Holding Day (SSHH!). I like this simple positive way of promoting equality which doesn’t require a letter, demonstration or lobby, just doing what comes naturally.
Filed under: Labour Party | Tagged: homophobic hate crimes, International Same Sex Hand Holding Day, Trafalgar Square | Leave a Comment »
