Personal Statement is response to Theresa May's Statement

The Prime Minister has just spoken in Downing Street about the status of Brexit after the Salzburg meeting of the EU leaders last night.

This is my personal response and not in connection with my party positions or memberships.

The Prime Minister has continues to ignore the will of the people of Northern Ireland and just now also seems unaware of how the best interests of Northern Ireland people and business can be resolved. She has once again spouted the DUP rhetoric which is the minority opinion both at the time of the referendum and since.


As a result in my opinion Her Majesty's Government does have the concerns of the people of NI to the forefront of their thinking and are listening to a section of little England and not the reality of what her hard Brexit will bring about.

In my opinion now is the time for a poll on the status of Northern Ireland. I call on the Secretary of State to call a poll on the constitution position as set out in the Belfast Agreement before March 2019.

Sammy it's not about scare stories but opportunities

I do love it when I get to school my one time Economics teacher Sammy Wilson especially when it is about economics. When I read that Sammy Wilson (my teacher for the final term of 1986-7) said Loyalists were applying for Irish passports due to Brexit scare stories I had to laugh.

Sammy should know all about cost benefit analysis especially when it comes to "opportunity cost". In economics this is the value of the next-highest-valued alternative use of that resource. In this case it the cost of time on travelling on holiday. Everyone born on the island of Ireland is entitled to apply for an Irish Passport and the Good Friday Agreement allows everyone in the Northern Ireland to identify as British, Irish or Both. So there is no need for loyalists to renounce their British citizenship to get and Irish Passport.

The other thing to look at then is what people in Northern Ireland use their passport for. As photographic ID to get on flights to the rest of the UK. The UK has promised that the UK/Ireland agreement on freedom of movement will not be changed post Brexit and neither have the Irish who also want a frictionless border.

Next there is holiday flights, most short haul locations that are popular would be in the EU so there is an potential opportunity benefit in being able to go through the EU passport holders queue rather than the non-EU queue. I once had to bring a group of largely non-EU residents into the country at Dover. I whizzed straight through but as the leader of the group hung around in case there was any issues with the members of the group, all but one of the other leaders also being non-EU. I was there long after the majority of EU passengers were safely on their way. Post Brexit going to Spain, Greece, Amsterdam of anywhere else will see more scrutiny of an UK passport or at least be in a queue with people who face more scrutiny no matter what the best outcome is.

Finally there is longer-haul flights and in recent times with the improved road to Dublin and the express bus from Belfast to Dublin Airport a lot more people in Northern Ireland will fly from Dublin to America that maybe catching a flight to London and transferring. So having an Irish passport at Dublin Airport would be a breeze.

Sammy Wilson, the DUP and their Conservative friends have yet to give firm answers as to what will happen post Brexit so many people are looking at it objectively. The costs of having an Irish passport instead of a British one are negligible in monetary terms, but the benefits in terms of time outweigh any additional cost. Therefore it is economically opportune to take up an Irish passport ahead of Brexit, if things aren't worse afterwards they can always get a British one when it is time to renew but that will be based on experience rather than promising utopia in all things post-Brexit. As no matter how much Sammy et al are in cloud cuckoo land about Brexit not everything will be as it is now.

Cycle of Brexit: Endangering the Norwegian Model

So it appears that rather that following the Norwegian model of living with the EU Theresa May's vision for what Brexit means looks like it is endangering it.

Norwegian officials have warned Brussels that they are watching negotiations over Brexit closely. If a special deal is reached with the UK this will lead to Norway looking at renegotiating the terms under which it operates with the EU. The fact that May's government wants out of the Customs Union and out of the Single Market while still maintaining favourable conditions of trade and access with the EU is not looking good for countries like Norway who have reached an agreement with the EU and remain outside.

At a time when countries like Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia are also looking to enter the Customs Union the stance that the UK is taking means we are no longer having to appease just 27 other counties. There are also the additional 4 countries in the European Free Trade Association1, the 6 with Stabilisation and Association Agreements2, the 3 in the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area3 as well as the 4 with bi-lateral Customs Union arrangements4. In other words all of Europe until you get to Belarus and Russia.

Now you have to consider that some of the EU nations who border or surround some of those countries affected do more trade with them than the UK. When it comes to consideration of the remaining 27 EU nations all accepting the Brexit deal. The threat of Norway and potentially the others looking to also renegotiate their deal with the EU means that the chances of the special deal that May, David Davis and Boris Johnson say they can get looks less and less likely to happen. The EU cannot afford to give special terms to one nation who pulls out of the EU if it impacts on the deal they have with 17 other nations that the EU also has deals in place with. Effectively Britain is up against 44 not just 27 other nations when we sit at the negotiating table.

If the other 17 are paying something to the EU to benefit from their deals to help them trade with the EU and the UK refuse to pay anything we can expect to get nothing. Seventeen countries willing to pay for special access to the EU is going to be more beneficial than allowing one country to have access who is paying nothing. The Brexiteers have been playing high stakes poker with a bluff in their hand. It is the smaller stacks at the table from the associated nations who the EU will be gauging now that the UK has gone all in. That revenue flow is important to them, they may yet call on our all or nothing bet.

If the UK scrambles away from the EU with nothing David Davis hasn't run the impact reports, but Scotland has. Is it worth it?


Footnote

1 Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein
2 Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo
3  Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine
4 Turkey, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino

EU Court rules definition of Marriage now includes same-sex marraige

One of the leading arguments the pro-Brexit, anti-Equal marriage unionist DUP have used to say that the marriage laws in the rest of the United Kingdom do not apply here is that the EU don't define marriage that way.

Until now.

Today the Advocate General of the European Court has said the "definition of marriage has now evolved to include same-sex couples". He also calls on all member states to recognise same-sex marriages that have taken place in other member states. The word spouse most now not only apply to opposite sex couples.

This may course interesting IF the Northern Ireland Assembly can get back up and running. Currently same-sex marriage from other parts of the UK are relegated to civil partnerships. However, if the right of spouses of any marriage have to be recognised that will have to change. It means that same-sex marriages would have to be recognised as marriages in Northern Ireland and takes us one step closer to hopefully allow same-sex marriages to take place here as well.

No doubt the DUP will try and come up with some other excuse quoting their rapidly shrinking list of countries that do not recognise same-sex marriage. Saying after years of quoting EU court definitions that we are about to leave and that should now apply to us now. Bear in mind that the DUP have uses Great British law when it agrees with them, over marriage they used Irish law after the British didn't along with EU. Now that even the EU laws are changing where next?

The DUP are losing the argument and soon and very soon I hope to see marriage equality, not just same-sex marriage come to Northern Ireland.

The EU has been an integral part of my life Mrs May

Yesterday in her Florence speech Theresa May said:

"The UK never felt a part of the European Union.The European Union, never felt to us an integral part of our story"

I beg to differ.

I sitting writing this in the house that my parents moved into in 1979 on the day of the first UK elections to the European Parliament. So even from then I new about Europe and that it was a part of our lives.

I went to University in Kingston at the end of the 80s and took as one of my options in both 2nd and 3rd year European Economics. It became something of a speciality of mine and my fellow students would often come to me if they needed to know how the mechanics of the European Union, Schengen Area, or then the exchange rate mechanism pre-Euro worked. I even had the horror of listening to parliament on the radio one evening while finalising an essay on our place in the EU on the day of the Maastricht Treaty debate and had to amend my argument slightly and quote from that debate before handing it in at 12 the following day.

I like many others have enjoyed fast access to the EU nations, especially when compared to those non-EU (or now EU) ones that I have also experienced whenever I go to continental Europe, whether for holiday or work. Indeed I have two wallets my every day one which contains Sterling or my other one for days trips to Dublin or Donegal and longer trips to the continent that contain Euros. You see I never change my Euros back into pounds as I know they will be used again at some point.

Indeed my stamp collection of Olympic stamps I base on a Euro price as a lot of the dealers that I purchase from on Ebay are based in Europe so I have to know if I paying a fair price for the items I am purchasing. When you are looking for the remaining 5/6ths of the worlds Olympic stamps that can be important for a Philatelist. With either the Euro, Sterling or US Dollar there are only three currencies I deal in both to buy and sell.

The job that I worked in while I lived on Edinburgh for 10 years would not have existed without us being integral in Europe. When you have working in a multi-lingual, Europe-wide support environment with EU nationals doing skilled work alongside you, you know you are an integral part of Europe. That is why I suspect London voted heavily to remain out of all the areas of England because they like me feel an integral part of Europe in their workplace, leisure time and neighbourhoods.

So Theresa May while you have spent you're working life in the Westminster bubble and maybe therefore think you have not been an integral part of the EU. Remember those times you passed laws to make our law, products, even our currency compatible with the rest of Europe. Europe has been an integral part of my entire life of now 48 years so don't throw it all away because people from your generation don't realise how integral it is. The reason you have yet to come up with creative ways to deal with Brexit is because of how integral Europe has become in our live not because it hasn't.

Your Brexit means Brexit argument that we have to come out of Europe completely is like a heart and lung transplant. The only problem we are facing is that even with your 2 year transition period while the UK is on a ventilator we have no organs yet to replace the European heart and lungs that are in the UK you are about to remove.

Dear all, An Apology - My part in Brexit - ALLEGEDY

Dear all,

According to Charles Moore (in yesterday's Daily Fail)  the UK would not have voted for Brexit if David Cameron had not forced through Same Sex Marriage. So of course this would not have happened if Lynne Featherstone had not raised the issue even though it was not in the coalition agreement.

But Lynne wouldn't have been able to raise it in cabinet had it not been Liberal Democrat policy after it adoption at Liberal Democrat conference in Autumn 2010. However, it also might not have been Federal Policy had not the Scottish party passed it as policy at their spring conference that Spring. It is for that first ripple that today I issue my apology and my part in our nation's downfall.

When Kieran Leach and I were researching the issues surrounding Same Sex marriage ahead of drafting the motion to conference an exit from the EU did not seem to have been an issue. At that time Belgium, (since 2000), Netherlands (2001), Spain (2005) nor Sweden (2009) had shown any inclination of leaving the EU as the result of their passing Equal Marriage legislation. It was also not an issue that the couple of speakers against the motion at that Spring Conference in Perth failed to raise as a consequence of what we were proposing. If we have missed out on some great piece of research that Charles Moore is privy to which states a correlation between Same Sex Marriage and exiting the EU we can only apologise.

As there is now a clear causal influence of being unable to remain within the EU and the passing of equal marriage or same-sex marriage legislation Kieran and myself can only apologise to the people of Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Ireland, Portugal, Luxembourg, France and Denmark for their impending exits from the EU family. We would also ask Finland to carefully reconsider their agreement to introduce same-sex marriages on 1 March 2017 if they want to remain.

We just did not that the flapping of this butterflies wings could be so catastrophic.

Yours
Stephen Glenn
Chair of Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats
Exec Member of LGBT+ Liberal Democrats Committee

PS Please take all of the above with tongue firmly in cheek.

Taking Control of What?

This morning Nigel Farage declared the 24th June our Independence Day. But what does that mean?

All though the campaign and indeed for the last 25 years against rising Euroscepticism I have said we need to be in the EU not outside it Now that we have stepped outside it may be sometime before some realise what is missing so here is some things that I have been pondering today.

1. Our EU deal won't be gold standard. The United Kingdom are about to become the first nation to use the Lisbon Treaty to walk away from the EU. Do we really think that a majority of the other 27 are going to want to see that repeated? Not bloody likely.

Indeed all through the campaign the Brexiteers have told us that leaving will have no affect on our ability to live, study, work or retire in Europe. It won't lead to increase costs and tariffs on our trade with the EU etc But there is no way the 27 remaining members of the EU are going to give us all the benefits that come with membership having walked away. If they did it would encourage other nations to walk away with a good deal and there would be no point of being in the EU at all. Farage said he wanted to bring down the EU, now the EU have the power in their hands to bring down the UK.

2. There is a sharp divide in components. The Kingdom in no longer United in Scotland every single local authority voted remain. Nicola Sturgeon had already said that a new Independence Referendum is on the table and Scotland had been assured by the No team that being part of the EU was only guaranteed if they voted against Independence in 2014. Being taken out of the EU "against their will" has changed the constitution question in Scotland and many who voted No may now feel that leaving the UK and negotiating to enter the EU before Brexit is final is now more attractive.

Then in Northern all of the areas next to our European land border, plus three of the four areas in Belfast and North Down all voted the remain In most of the others which are Unionist strongholds it wasn't a clear vote leave. The Northern Ireland Act itself is so enshrined in being part of the EU and its constitutions that it will need to be redrafted, and then reapproved by referendum. For many the easier option may be to ask a different question. To remain under those European protections by reuniting a nation state for the second time in EU history following on from German reunification.

Martin McGuinness the Deputy First Minister has said "The British government now has no democratic mandate to represent the views of the North in any future negotiations with the European Union and I do believe that there is a democratic imperative for a 'border poll' to be held."

3. London may lose its financial clout. The other region with a good vote Remain by a margin of 60-40 of course this is the financial centre, but a lot of the banks operate across borders and London is not just the UK financial centre but also a European one. Already some financial institutions had been relocation divisions within their organisation ahead of the poll to hedge against the result that came to be in the early hours. Others have intimated in the lead up to the poll that they will consider their position once the vote was known, so Nigel Farage's nice friends in banking may well be deserting him to head to Europe.

We have also already seen in the hours since the result became clear the pound fall to the worse level since 1985. I bigger single day drop in share prices that even Black Wednesday, which has a knock on effect to pension funds. Government bonds rating go from secure to negative. And a run on dollars and Euros, plus a upsurge in the price of gold (never a good sign as this is deemed security).

4. The EU want us out.... quickly. Within hours of David Cameron setting his own timetable for the separation to start in October the European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker has said, "Britons decided yesterday that they want to leave the European Union, so it doesn't make any sense to wait until October to try to negotiate the terms of their departure - I would like to get started immediately."

The leaders of the 27 nations are going ahead with a planned meeting on Tuesday, David Cameron was initially meant to be there to discuss the way forward, we are already outside of the room as far as decisions about our future are concerned.

So in conclusion. We have no control over the decision, may not have full control over all our united kingdoms, have lost control of our financial strength and now have lost control of the speed of divorce proceedings. And the first result is barely 24 hours old.

European Union Nobel Laureate

The winner of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize is the European Union.

There has been some mocking of the award from a mixture of sources. But maybe it is time to look at history and I'll take you back to Robert Schuman. You may not know who Robert Schuman was but in 1950 he was the French Foreign Minister. On 9 May of that year he issued the Schuman declaration in light of the two world wars that had centred on Europe in the previous 35 years.

The French had realised that justice across Europe and perceived injustice had led to the two wars and therefore for a lasting peace it could not be restrained to the State apparatus alone so the French Government issued the Schuman Declaration.

• It marked the birth of Europe
• It made war between Member States impossible
• It encouraged world peace
• It would transform Europe by a 'step by step' process (building through sectoral supranational communities) leading to the unification of Europe democratically, including both East and West Europe separated by the Iron Curtain
• It created the world's first supranational institution and
• the world's first international anti-cartel agency
• It created a single market across the Community
• This, starting with the coal and steel sector, would revitalise the whole European economy by similar community processes
• It would improve the world economy and the developing countries, such as those in Africa.

There has not been a war between the member states since 1945, the membership has now increased to include some of those cold war enemies. It has acted together as a European peace keeping force at times of genocide elsewhere, it has helped  developing countries financially as a means to peaceful growth.

Apart from the Balkan war in the 90s and other civil unrest in some countries in the lifetime of the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Economic Community and now the European Union Europe the continent that sparked the two bloodiest wars in world history has been at peace. Surely this is due to the binds that were established between them as a result of Schuman's declaration and the bodies that have followed on from that.

Surely for the length of maintaining Peace the EU is a more worthy winner of the Nobel Peace Prize than a US President in his first year of office.

Not even Salmond expects the Spanish Inqusition

The latest obstacle to Alex Salmond's vision of an independent Scotland within Europe comes from a rather unexpected source: Spain.


They have indicated that they would veto accession of an independent Scotland into the EU. The separation of other European states is something that Spain in the past has taken a dim view on, they have refused to recognise Kosovo as an independent state.


The Spaniards have real fear that a peaceful split in the United Kingdoms 300+ year Parliamentary union could lead to increased calls from the Basque and Catalonia regions for independence. The Basque region in particular has only recently ceased to be an internal terrorism threat, with Eta calling its ceasefire on 20 October of last year. The fear is that even though Scotland might head into a peaceful settlement, if Spain refuse to allow the same for these two regions the violence could return.

Already they are facing demands for a stronger financial deal from the Catalan premier Artur Mas, based on the Scottish agreement with London and the threat of the splits.

Of course Alex Salmond has a number of things that he is relying on for his vision of independence, one is that he will retain the Monarchy, though there are rival claimants for the Scottish throne that may seen the Jacobites return for a claim. The other is that the Parliament in Scotland has, in his opinion, the right to call the referendum itslef, despite this power NOT being devolved from Westminster. central bank will still be the Bank of England and they will still use Sterling. And of course his determination that Scotland will remain in the EU.


The reaction of the Spanish however, puts another kibosh on Salmond's plans. But no doubt he will continue to bluster on through despite this.


For those of you, like Tom Elliott from earlier this week, bluster from Salmond is the default position for the SNP to attempt to get their way.There was bluster about centralising a Local Income Tax rate in Holyrood, that is until it was found that his Government had defaulted on the payments to Her Majesty's Revenues and Customs that allowed Scotland to alter Income Tax by up to 3% from the UK rate. There was bluster to get a Council Tax freeze in the Concordat with promises to provide for the shortfall centrally which while the first has been observed the second is certainly selective in its effectiveness and many councils are making cuts to keep key services going.

I'm stepping outside, look after the pound for me - Cameron.

During Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday David Cameron answered the first two questions like this:

The British national interest means absolutely that we need to help resolve this crisis in the eurozone. It is freezing the British economy, just as it is freezing economies right across Europe. Resolving this crisis is about jobs, growth, business and investment right here in the UK. At the same time we must seek safeguards for Britain. That is the right thing to do.

Then to Ed Miliband's first question:

we will have the key aim of helping to resolve the eurozone crisis, and we believe that means European eurozone countries coming together and doing more things together. If they choose to do that through a treaty at 27 in which we are involved, we will insist on some safeguards for Britain—and, yes, that means making sure we are stronger and better able to do things in the UK to protect our own national interests. Obviously, the more countries in the eurozone ask for, the more we will ask for in return, but we will judge that on the basis of what matters most to Britain.

Now today the answer to the crisis the one that Cameron said was about ' jobs, growth, business and investment right here in the UK' was one that he and he alone couldn't get involved with. Apparently it was over regulations of the banks that the problem arose.

Now as a Lib Dem we praised Vince Cable on calling for more regulation of the banks well ahead of the crisis that kicked in. We shouted about the lift of regulations on banks under Labour. Indeed in our manifesto we said we would :

Work through the European Union for stricter international regulation of financial services and banking.

Because here is the thing Mr Cameron there is no such thing as a purely UK Bank bank anymore. They all have interests overseas, or are the UK Interest of an international bank. Therefore Cameron has thrown out the bath water, baby and all to spite his face. There will be discussions going on that the UK will be excluded from that will affect the UK Banking sector that we will not have any control over.

As for the aim of securing the EU, these talks in Europe were to agree to explore the possibility of working together. The details have yet to be thrashed out. Mrs Thatcher even when she disagreed about the move to a Single Market did stay in there and thrash out the details she could live with over Maastricht and other Treaties. David Cameron has put the UK so far on the outside that we're not even sure if we'll get the jobs, growth, business and investment that he's looking for. We're not even sure if our largest trading partners the rest of the EU are going to be allow such investment.

It's almost like the EU are sitting in Scotts camp on his return from the South Pole with 27 in the party as a blizzard blasts outside. But out into Hurricane Bawbag steps David Cameron with the words, "I'm stepping outside, look after the pound for me".

Beware of Greeks playing roulette with their whole economy

The breaking news is that George Papandreou seems to have played Roulette with his nations debts but many in his own party and the rest of the government have prevented him from staking it all on a referendum. Earlier today four of his own cabinet opposed the measure and the Prime Minister will be seeing Greek President Karolos Papoulias to offer his resignation.

The crisis came to a head today after the EU withdrew its bailout offer of a rescue package unless Greece decided immediately whether they were in or out of the Eurozone. Earlier the main opposition leader Antonis Samaras of the New Democracy party called for a coalition goverment to safeguard the EU deal, which wrote off 50% of the debts owed by Greece in return for sharper austerity measures. Some of Papendreou's MPs refused to back his call for a referendum calling instead for a national government or an early election. His slim majority was only 4 in the 300 seat parliament.

So where does this leave us?

Clearly the Greek political leaders are trying to shore up their economy as best they can. Realising that the EU deal may be the best option that they can get at this point. However, the people are still angry about the need for greater austerity measures to enable them to pay back the new deal. However, it looks likely that they will leave the Euro to allow greater flexibility over their own economy to enable them to pay back their debts. But the level of austerity in Greece is likely to last for many years.

One thing that appears to have come from the past week since the Greek package was agreed is that the entire world seems to be at a point where if someone fails to take positive economic action there will be panic. The fact is that in or out of the Eurozone, whether in Europe or not, every economy is getting so entwined with each other that any nervousness or fear of default could be on the point of bringing down a lot more than simple the economy of one relatively minor country. Also if Greece were to leave the Eurozone, there is the question of the lack of mechanism for them to do so, and also the question of whether they would also have to leave the EU. In doing so this may well lead to further issues.

The fact is that when David Cameron says we're all in this together he means not just across the UK, but across Europe and further afield.

Whether a new Greek government can bring about stability quickly is the matter that world leaders at the G20  in Cannes will be watching closely. As the latest events in Greece were happening as the EU deal was being discussed in Cannes.

Note As this is a breaking news story issues may well move on while I am away from my computer this afternoon.

UPDATED Human Trafficking: Labour, Lib Dems and the EU Directive

Originally posted at 04:18. Now updated with new information which in my humble opinion makes this vitally important and potentially a coalition deal breaker.

Yesterday on my way to Liberal Drinks in Belfast I read a story that really got me seething, sadly I couldn't get signal on the train or it would already have been written up.

Apparently the coalition government has used its European opt-out not to sign up to a directive that includes a common definition of trafficking which makes it easier to convict people across the 27 member states. Dennis McShane is up in arms about the Government failing to sign up to this directive.

In the European campaign before it got scuppered by the expenses scandal the Lib Dems were quite correction pointing out some of the errors in the EU and some of its strengths including cross-border policing. We especially aimed our attack at the Conservatives who were wanting to scrap many of the protections that the EU gave our citizens under co-operative policing. Therefore if a directive was being ignored, or opted out on by the new Government Lib Dems would rightly be pointing that Dennis McShane has a right to be angry.

However, when I googled to find said directive the only result that came back that matched the remit of the story is this one. It has been open to signature since the 16th of May, so you suggest a new government would be keen to act on it. Unfortunately that particular 16th May is in 2005. Therefore does that mean that the directive has been around for five years? Does that mean the Labour Government, under which Dennis McShane was Europe Minister, failed to sign the directive in a full term of parliament?

Now of course there may well be another directive in 2010 that I have been unable to find. If there is and someone would like to post a link to it in my comments please do and I'll amend the post accordingly. However, it does on the surface, after my initial anger, to be yet another case of the Labour opposition trying to punch holes in the Government ship and ending up merely exposing their own shortcomings.

Update As I asked above any update on a new directive would be welcomed. Well Olga Ivannikova has provided just that. There was a new directive on 29 March 2010.

Therefore I would echo Olga's that we as Liberal Democrats should stand up so that nobody is enslaved in this or any other way. Not kowtow to Eurosceptic Tories who want nothing to do with Europe even when it is for the betterment of humanity.

This for me is a line in the sand which the Lib Dems should not step over. We should sign up to this EU directive. If not we as Liberal Democrats should walk away from the coalition.

EXCLUSIVE George Lyon MEP - Principled McMillan-Scott Exposes Cameron

The following is an exclusive guest post from Scotland's Liberal Democrat MEP George Lyon about what his new colleague Edward McMillan-Scott's joining of the Lib Dems earlier today means for the Conservative Party.

If ever you needed proof that David Cameron is not fit to lead Britain, then today we got it in the principled defection of former Tory MEP Edward McMillan Scott to the Liberal Democrats.

My new colleague was damning in his assessment of Cameron's Conservatives saying that their European Parliament group – the European Conservative and Reformists - contained "MEPs who have extremist pasts". He also said that Cameron was, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, deceiving the electorate in opposition only to destroy Britain in Government.

Like any group which keeps questionable company, the Conservatives will find sensible voices in their party moving away from the lunatic fringe where Cameron has exiled them.

McMillan-Scott did no more than stand up to a party machine pushed by Cameron into establishing a group containing members such as Michal Kaminski, who is a member of a Polish party the U.S. State Department classes as anti-Semitic. Also in the ECR are members of the Law and Justice party who described President Obama's election as the "end of the civilisation of the white man".

Something you would expect to hear from Nick Griffin, not friends of the man who would be Prime Minister.

Cameron has not denounced his European bed-buddies for their views, and in neglecting to do so he has shown himself not fit to lead the Conservatives in Europe, never mind Britain in EU.

I firmly believe that the majority of Conservatives are disappointed, even embarrassed, about the company their party keeps. Like McMillan-Scott, those who have doubts about Cameron as a leader of principle do have a natural home.



Nick Clegg has put fairness at the centre of the Liberal Democrats general election platform - fairness in the tax system, fairness in education and fairness for you from politicians.

David Cameron's attitude towards his friends in Europe, and to the man who stood up to him, shows that his call for change is fake. I would be surprised if he could even spell fairness.

The Conservatives latest poster campaign features people claiming they have never voted for the Tories before but…

Well, I have one for you Dave. I have never voted Tory before but I know someone who did; he is called Edward McMillan-Scott. He has deserted you, others will follow.

The Real Test for Euro Membership

When I was a student we still only had the exchange rate mechanism of the European Monetary System. But being the great fan of Sci-fi that I was my dissertation looked to the future and a European currency, I pointed out that the real test for such unity wouldn't come in the good times but would come in the bad, then I said it would depend how Germany, France, Italy and the UK (yeah I was an optimist) reacted when times were tough and part of the zone needed help.

Well it may be almost twenty years later but such a crossroads has been arrived at. Or to be precise we've been standing at that crossroads for sometime waiting to stride off confidently but now we're about ready to head off, we're not sure what to do.

The issue of course is Greece.

The EU leaders have said they are prepared to deliver a rescue package for the Greek economy and to shore up the integrity of the Eurozone, they just haven't announced the details yet. But at the end of over a year of such support for other EU economies some nations are not happy. This morning on the news I heard mention of some in Germany being up in arms and saying enough is enough and saying they would be better returning to the Deutchsemark.

Of course there are criteria for entering the Eurozone these have to be met before admission is allowed. These are clearly laid out to EU member states that wish to enter. The issue of expulsion isn't so clear, but there is talk that some wish to remove Greece. Indeed Phoebus Athanassiou writes in a European Central Bank working paper that such a move in almost certainly illegal, there is no exit criteria only for entry.

Of course the reason for setting up the Euro was to allow competitive advantage, economic stability and smooth out the dips that any one Euro member would have against the world economy. The larger nations would benefit from the security if their prices across the zone and the ability to plan within the world. The smaller nations would have the security blanket of the more established nations, benefiting from the economy of scale to help them develop. That is all well and good when times are good, even when they are stagnated, but not when they are dipping sharply.

There is the option of voluntary withdrawal a country then could in theory devalue its currency to improve competitiveness and to set its own interest rates.But either expulsion or withdrawal would not be an easy option. Don't forget as well as Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal are also finding it tough just now.

The Options

• Expulsion - verges on illegality, plus needs to create a new European Community minus the expelled member.
• Voluntary withdrawal - at this stage almost impossible to withdraw from all the institutions needed to be in Eurozone without withdrawing from EU itself.
• Withdrawal keeping Euro - Some states outside the EU currently operate the Euro so would be possible to withdraw, revalue and keep Euro at new rate.

However, as I said above the smaller nations saw the Euro as a security blanket. Any move to expel would lead to insecurity of the remainder, it could see the unravelling of the EU.

The thing is that the Eurozone countries have to be in this together, that was the agreement, that was the commitment that was made. Like a marriage it is for sickness or in health and divorce is a whole lot messier with so much involved.

President Blair's Titanic

Well Capt. Brown had ordered the stoking of the engines and it was full steam ahead for the 'good' ship Blair to sail to the European Council Presidency.

Whoops! Mere hours after the captain gave a strong backing in a press conference, just as news that Vaclav Klaus appears ready to sign up the Czech Republic sign up to the Lisbon Treaty, it has run aground on an iceberg.

Neither Nicolas Sarkozy nor Angela Merkel are 'terribly enthusiastic' about the idea of President Blair. His main backer outside of his good captain is Silvio Berlusconi guess all those holidays in the Italian leader's villa haven't quite paid off as expected for the Blairs, as such an endorsement may as well come from Silvio Briatore or John and Edward in today's political circus.

Indeed Sarkozy, the French president, and Merkel, the German chancellor,discussed the position over dinner at the Elysée palace on Wednesday. They are understood to have agreed the post should be filled by a central right member of the EPP grouping in the EU, so there goes the hopes of any UK Tory as well.

The reason for the French lack of support was summed up by Jean-David Levitte, Sarkozy's most senior foreign affairs adviser who said:

"The UK is not in the eurozone, nor in the Schengen [free travel area in the EU] and it has a number of opt outs. These are not advantageous in this search for a candidate."

Very valid points, hard to lead Europe if you keep asking for exclusion. The list if the Tories take over would be even longer, opting out of the EU convention on Human Rights, pulling out of the cross border police agreements, even seeking to unravel the treaty that is about to be signed.

Bizarrely of course both Labour and the Tories say they want to lead Europe, but on their own terms. It is clear from the view of our EU members that is not the view that is tenable across the rest of the members. The decision of David Cameron's party to pull itself away from the mainstream centre right grouping is putting even more distance between us and the people who should be our closest allies.

Does this bode well for Labour's fall back of David Milliband for the the other new position, that of high representative for foreign policy? Personally I think Milliband is right to distance himself from seeking the role, as he is likely too to fail on similar grounds. Add in there though the view of the UK as a foreign aggressor by many in the world and this role surely is beyond the hope of any member of the ruling party in the UK just now.

So while the cabinet plays on it looks like the Brown/Blair Line's ship Titanic is sinking in the cool, cold waters of European politics.

Trump Gains Right to Stabilise Nature

The European Policy for Coastal Dunes states:

"Management towards dynamic dunes should be promoted. A dynamic dune system is more resistant to erosion processes, is cheaper to maintain, has higher natural values and is more sustainable than fixated dunes."

Later today however work begins to stabilise part of the fifth largest dune system in the UK (pictured) after a decision by the Formantine area committee to give the green light to work to go ahead to stabilise them. When Donald Trump first saw the Menie Estate he thought:

"As soon as I saw it there was no question about it. I looked at 211 fantastic sites all over Europe, but here it is - the dune size and the ocean front. There is no piece of land that I have ever seen that is comparable to this."

Sadly soon not even Balmedie will be comparable with what he first saw. The prime example of a dynamic dune system cited after the above quote from EU policy is the Slowinski National Park in Poland (pictured right) which has had a dynamic dune system for thousands of years.

The Balmedie Dune system stretches for 14 miles and Trump's golf complex along 2.5 miles of that length will seriously affect the eco systems of the other, by removing the dynamacism of the dune system. It may even led to serious erosion and dame to the system in other locales. While the EU is aware of the need to protect dunes, the fact that from today work will start to lead to the loss of one of the few remaining dynamic dune systems in the EU is a sad day.

So Here's to You Mrs Robinson (Something About Mary)

Writing in today's Scotsman* but repeated on his own website Lib Dem MEP George Lyon has outlined the Lib Dem objections to Tony Blair being named the first President of the EU under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty. In the same paper this morning families of Iraq soldiers killed in the Iraq conflict say that far from be elevated to President in Brussels he should go to the Hague to face charges of war crimes.

George ponders how the man who was responsible for the illegal invasion of Iraq, ignored millions across Europe who opposed the war, rode roughshod over our European neighbours who warned against it, angered Muslim nations who feared it, and circumvented the UN that tried to avert it, could possibly represent the EU on the world stage. Blair is seeking to use his role as a soft-landing after a hard fall, one we are also still hoping the economy although after his watch, but because of his Government's actions is also hoping for.

But Labour will tell us, who is the alternative candidate? Surely we need someone we can trust? Well George has an answer to Labour trying to promote their golden smiled hero to one last great office, and it is one I agree with, former Irish President Mary Robinson.

Not only did she enjoy a successful period as President of Ireland but after that she went on to be UN High Commissioner for Human Rights a role she also excelled at. While Blair made enemies for the UK and took away his own country's human rights, Mrs Robinson did just the opposite. She is a respected campaigner for human rights the world over.

In concluding George says:

"It is the duty of a responsible Government to back a candidate that can enjoy the support of the majority, not the minority. In backing Mary Robinson over Tony Blair, the UK Government can show that the position of EU President is far too important to be governed by tribalism.

"There is already a great deal of scepticism over the position of EU President, we should not add to it by fuelling the fire with nepotism. That is the danger the UK faces by backing Blair.

"So, here's to you Mrs Robinson. You've got my vote. It's time you had Britain's too."

George has even got a petition on his website that you can sign if you hate the idea of President Blair as well, I already have.

*Requires Premium membership of the Scotsman website.

Longannet Not Receiving CCS Development Funding....Yet

At the end of last week the EU were distributing £160m of funding to a number of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) facilities around Europe. One of the potential bidders for the funding was Longannet power station in Fife. This is one of the first coal power power stations to install the technology to reduce the amount of CO2 it uses while providing power.

One UK plant was amongst the successful bidders Hatfield in Yorkshire, which was one of the few pre-combustion projects in the running. But supporters of Longannet are not that disheartened as a pioneer in the field they are hopeful of future funding from a second trance of EU support coming next year to take the process further.

One such supported was Lib Dem MEP George Lyon whose Facebook update late last week read:

"Still waiting for CSS funding news for Scotland. So far Compostilla has won the Spanish bid and Vattenfall has the German CSS project."

I asked George what his view was now that the final news of the successful bids was out. He said:

"I launched my European election campaign at Longannet power station confident in the facilities available and the ambition to put Scotland at the forefront of carbon capture and storage technology. This decision has not changed my view and I remain confident that Longannet has a vital role to play in the development of CCS technology.

"Despite what the SNP claim, Scotland's oil wells are drying up. Through CCS technology we can look to the future and begin to fill them up again, this time with harmful gases. Developing nations like India and China are fuelling the growth of their economies with coal. I want Scotland to be in a position to take advantage of these emerging markets.

"Longannet's bid was a good one, and they have already taken steps towards introducing CCS technology. When the next round of funding comes round Longannet will be in a strong position and I will continue to work with Willie Rennie MP to see this pioneering technology in Fife."

Other supporters of the work going on at Longannet include Richard Dixon, director of WWF, whose organisation recently said it through the Scottish plant was the best option in the UK competition for funding. He said:

"It is disappointing Longannet has not been chosen this time around. We sincerely hope it will get some form of support to properly test this technology soon, whether it is from Europe or as a winner of the UK government's own CCS competition.

"The world urgently needs technology that will reduce our climate emissions and Scotland is well placed to take a global lead in this important field.

"The power sector is responsible for more than a third of Scotland's emissions, most of it from burning coal. CCS is a potentially important technology which could help reduce emissions around the world."

Here's to the future and further research in this way of cutting emissions at Longannet and other locations, especially in China who are building so many coal fired power stations we need them to utilize CCS on a large scale.

Salmond's Illusion of Freedom

In the Scottish edition of today's Times there is a look at Professor Tom Gallagher's new book The Illusion of Freedom: Scotland Under Nationalism. In it he compares Salmond's leadership to that of Tony Blair, surrounded by a band of loyal advisers more closely than the party machine. He writes:

"Salmond rules through a small group of loyalists, some of whom have been by his side for a long time while others, still in their twenties, have only recently hitched themselves to his star."

Also the book looks at just who hope Scotland would have should he ever achieve the goal of independence. His summary of the team that would take us on in such an event is not inspiring:

"A look at the SNP reveals few builders or people driven by compassion and concern for the condition of Scottish society in present times. Instead there are many people motivated by driving ambition, ideological obsessions and a few who find it hard to contain their disdain for three centuries of the British experience or indeed the broader story of Western achievement which Scots contributed to in disproportionate numbers."

There is also cutting remarks, as if comparison to Blair was no enough that the Nats are actually Unionists in disguise. What has been revealed in their planning for independence is that there is no plan to replace some of the national institutions that derive from the rest of the UK. The whole central bank debacle in recent times. The desire to cling to the Union's monarchy rather than looking at potentially the rightful heir to Scottish throne disbarred by the British Parliamentarians by the Act of Settlement.

But most tellingly of all is that along with maintaining some of the functions of the Union what will sustain an 'independent' Scotland isn't so much oil revenue but an even greater reliance on unionism, European Unionism. The smaller state is going have to rely on greater handouts from Brussels than from Westminster, and hand over more sovereignty than the UK is prepared to do so.

One lesson Prof. Gallagher seems to be telling not fully committed nationalist inclined voters is be careful what you wish for.

Just What Diplomatic Message to Iran?

The number two from the British Tehran embassy yesterday attended the endorsement ceremony of President Ahmadinejad by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This was the disputed election that Iran has also heavily accused Britain of leading the populist opposition against in June.



The FCO seem to think that sending the number two, Patrick Davies the deputy head of mission instead of the Ambassador Simon Glass was enough to show the regime that this was not business as usual, claiming that we need to talk to the regime about its nuclear programme, human rights and other issues. But others think it was too much, Menzies Campbell said:

"The Government has been vociferous on behalf of human rights and individual freedoms in Iran but at a time when a show trial is taking place it surely would have been prudent to preserve coolness and meet only the most perfunctory diplomatic niceties."

And shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said:

"Under all the circumstances, representation at this event should have been kept at the minimum level possible. Other countries seem to have done that more effectively than the Foreign Office."

Although around the EU however the message was similarly confused. Sweden who currently hold the Presidency of the EU sent their Ambassador, France and Italy, one of Iran's biggest trading partners, like Britain sent their number two, whereas Germany sent one of their lowest ranking diplomats.



However, it was boycotted by Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, the defeated candidates, and by the former presidents Mohammed Khatami and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Also noticeable in their absence was any member of family of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini the leader of the 1979 revolution.



So it is possible to send a message more strongly, while keeping up the pretense of diplomacy? The FCO say they have yet to decide who to send the the swearing in ceremony on Wednesday, but seeing as Iran singled out eight local Embassy staff at the British mission during the protests against the election, which we protested, surely we have some case for not sending high ranking officials.



The current show trial that is going on at the same time as the swearing in process is continuing may not act as a suppressor of protest by as a stimulus for a continuance. The people are speaking and unlike the Star Trek episode where Gul Dukat says that the Cardassian people like to watch pre-determined 'justice' being enacted over and over again, the Iranian people may be smart enough to see that the trials going on are a mask to cover up the real issue of just what did go on between the people voting and the count being declared. Many are saying that is where the real crime took place, the crime is theft, distortion and fraud, not to mention of an undisclosed number who happened to disagree, and a few who were innocent.