So here I am, sitting in on an environment committee in the EU Parliament.
It’s been an interesting day, some parts tedious, the highlight has to be meetig Roger Helmer MEP.
The day kicked off early with an introduction from a spokesman from the EU Commission. He spoke about the work of the commission, claiming that the only democratic deficit in the EU is that of the low turnout at elections. Nothing about the commission making many of the decisions whilst not being an elected body!
After that we moved off to the Scottish office where we heard from a completely bipartisan civil servant who said her job was to push for ways that would see Scotland as a viable independent member state of the EU. so, basically we are paying for nationalists to promote Scottish independence as a viable option. This is exactly why so many dislike the EU!
The other aspect that has struck me most is the amount of offices. Brussels is just rammed full of offices with a distinct lack of eating places as the staff all get food on expenses.
We’ve now left the aforementioned committee and we are now off to meet the Conservative spokesman for agriculture.
This evening we are having a meal with Struan Stevenson MEP and then we return to the mother land tomorrow morning.
The whole point of the trip is clearly to get us thinking that the EU isn’t such a bad thing, but I’m pleased to report it’s done nothing but strengthen my position on it all.
As of now I am in the air, en route to Brussels for a ride on the gravy train that is the European Parliament. I’ll blog the full details of it after the trip, but for now let’s just call it an ‘all expenses and above’ covered trip.
Basically, Struan Stevenson, Conservative MEP for Scotland, has arranged a trip for members of Conservative Future Scotland (the youth wing of the Tories for those of you not in the know) to the European Parliament. Given that our itinery kicks off at 0930 hrs tomorrow morning, we have decided to travel today to take full advantage of the Brussels social scene this evening.
Today is a relaxing day. Tomorrow we have a full agenda of tours, meetings and greetings with various aspects of the parliament. I will of course keep you abreast with our activities right here on Green’s Diary.
Code named ‘ operation better off out’ (which will become quite clear after I return to he UK), we will be sampling the EU fisheries committee, meeting other MEPs, taking full advantage of the Belgium beers and of course consuming a fair amount of fine food.
Now, before you all scream, “students these days, what are they like? Weren’t like that in my day!” and wonder who is paying for all this then look no further than youself. I will explain the details on Wednesday when I return, but basically, if you pay tax in the UK, or any other EU member state for thet matter than I thank you. You have just funded 30 students to go on a booze cruise in Brussels. Did you sanction this action? no. Were you consulted on it? no. But, then this is the European Parliament we are talking about. The finest example of a model democracy ever known to man.
If you’re interested in scandalous expenses claims then look no further than the EU. Westminster is a mere acidental ink blot on the graph paper compared to that which is going on in Brussels.
Anyway, for up to the minute updates from the trip, check out my twitter feed here. I’ll also be posting regular updates on the blog, so long as the old ‘roaming interweb’ all works.
Having read and listened to Sir Nicholas Winterton’s comments on Rail travel tickets for MPs I can see where the uproar has come from, but I am saddened to say the least that so many Tories are joining the crusade against him. CCHQ has released a statement condemning his comments saying they are “out of touch views from a soon to be retiring MP whose views do not represent that of the Conservative Party”. Well there’s a surprise, the same CCHQ that has been trying to oust the Wintertons ever since Cameron came to power has now distanced itself from his public comments. Couldn’t really see that one coming could we?
Now, there will no doubt be many of you reading this thinking is he actually going to defend Sir Nicholas? Yes. I am. If you listen to what he actually says he is making a very reasonable argument as to why MPs should be allowed to go in first class. By talking about people who have a “totally different outlook on life”, he is talking about people just on their way to work and who are reading a book or people travelling to see friends, etc. He is not talking people down in the pompous and snobbish fashion that it is made out to be.
I am disgusted that the Tories have condemned his words. Sir Nicholas has represented the people of Macclesfield for many a decade and if they had a problem with him travelling by first class, then they would not have consistently voted for him. I personally prefer to travel first class because I find it quieter and you generally don’t get distracted by children or other noise. If I have work to be concentrating on I would rather be in first class where I know I can get on with it. Yes, there will be times when standard class suffices, but this is no guarantee. Does that make me a snob? IN CCHQ’s eyes, probably, yes it does. In the real world. No, it doesn’t. I don’t know about anyone else, but I would much rather my MP turned up to a debate having had the opportunity to study his papers fully rather than turning up to a debate not fully prepared because he couldn’t get a seat in standard class and there were children making noise and a variety of other general conversations taking place.
I’m happy for MPs to claim for first class tickets. Of course, if they claim for a first class ticket and then travel standard class (as happens with MEPs all the time) then that is wrong and is another matter. However, in this case it does not seem unreasonable to provide members of parliament with first class travel. It is not saying they are above the general public for they are not. It is merely saying that they need a place where they can guarantee they can get on with the work they have to do.
If you read previous articles on this blog you will quite easily find that I have consistently rallied against excessive expenses where necessary, but I will defend MPs when what they are saying has merit and this is one of those situations. There will no doubt be many other MPs who have the same feelings as Sir Nicholas, but are not in a position to push their head above the parapet.
It’s a dark day for politics when it gets lowered to lambasting members of parliament for simply wanting a quiet place to do what is important work which can and often does have widespread implications not only for their constituents, but for the country as a whole.
Iain Dale reckons the interview on 5Live was car crash esq, ConHome has come out against his words and practically every other media outlet is rallying against him. Yes, he might have come across better had he worded his answers slightly differently, however the point still stands. Sir Nicholas has been a fantastic MP standing up for this country and protecting traditions when others have insisted modernisation is the way forward. He will be missed from the Commons. He’s right, it’s not ‘troughing’ as Guido suggests and I’m proud to defend his comments.
Incidentally, if you don’t believe me about Sir Nicholas being right on this issue, then you can listen to his interview for yourself. Listen to what he actually says and listen to the disgraceful way Stephen Nolan tries to get him to retract his comments.
UPDATE: I’ve had a browse around the twitter and blogging world and evidently there is suspiciously nothing on this subject from Tom Harris, not even anything on his Twitter feed. Interesting, given that he uses first class to travel between Glasgow and London.
So how many saw the Piers Morgan “I want to be friendly” interview with our dear leader on Sunday evening? Apparently 4 million of us did. I have to admit, I was one of them, however I did have a glass of wine to help me through it.
I actually tried to view the programme without taking any prejudices into it and to be perfectly honest, I felt that 5-10 minutes into it Brown was actually doing quite well. He was smiling, responding to questions well and looked genuinely relaxed. But as is so often the case with Brown he can’t keep the facade up for long and once we got past the first advert break he slipped back into his usual dull tones with long winded answers and a face that looks like it’s been slapped by an army of blind beings.
When we got to the part that had been trailed the most – the questions about how he dealt with and how he felt at the time of his first daughter’s death I though the dealt with it well. It was obviously very hard for him to talk about it as you might expect, but he spoke slowly and calmly in measured tones that came across well. Now, as a pre-record interview it is clear that they’ve had several takes and I would suspect that lying in the ITV dungeons offices is a tape of all the attempts that for whatever reason were not aired. I would not be surprised if Gordon did actually break down and then he refused to allow it to be shown as even he would consider that PR gone too far.
Clearly the object of the exercise was a PR stunt otherwise his advisers would not have agreed to him doing the interview. Piers Morgan’s questioning was hardly tricky to deal with, particularly because it didn’t deal with government policy, it focused solely on Gordon the man. So, will it help when it comes to the ballot box? I doubt it. Yes, the programme shows that he does have a personality and I don’t doubt that, but what I and many others have always said is that he doesn’t have the right personality to be a leader in the limelight such as the Prime Minister is.
I know from people who have worked closely with Brown that he is not necessarily the man the media make him out to be. Yes, by his own admittance he is not always the best at explaining things and that is very evident when he tries to sell his policies. Yes he doesn’t come across well on the TV and that is why he was better placed at the Treasury where he was by and large out of the view of the cameras.
I don’t often write in favour of Tony Blair, but thank goodness he got the leadership when he did, otherwise Labour would be in a much worse position than they already are. Oh, actually, maybe that would have meant the Tories would have been in government by now and the economy wouldn’t have been completely wrecked. Just a thought.
Firstly I must apologise for the time it’s taken me to get round to my review of Cameron’s speech to Scottish Conference last Friday. I have been incredibly busy and I had hoped to post thjis on Saturday, however I was involved with a campaign day in Perth and so did not find the time.
Anyway, now that a few days have passed and the initial hype about how great all speeches are and the great feeling you get listening to them and how energised everyone is after them, I can now perhaps provide some reasonable analysis of David Cameron’s speech. He spoke for little over 1/2 hour which was about right I thought. He covered a wide variety of subjects, with an emphasis on how Labour have failed the country and the SNP aren’t interested in Westminster and so therefore the only way to not waste your vote is by voting Conservative.
He made a strong point about Gordon Brown not seeing Alex Salmond for over a year during the worst economic conditions the country has been faced with for 30 years. Following from that, he pledged to meet with the first minister within seven days of winning the election. This is a welcomed move by Cameron. There is a need for a new relationship between Westminster and Holyrood becuase the present situation is simply not viable and it is no surprise therefore that you end up with poorly informed decisions such as freeing the Lockerbie bomber which has implications in diplomatic terms for the whole of Britain, not just Scotland.
The key theme from the speech for me was the fact that he did not apologise for the Conservative’s poor standing in Scotland. He simply attacked labour and the SNP where necessary for their failings and then showed how it would be different under a Conservative government. In recent years, the Scottish Conference leader’s speech has seemed almost like a Thatcher style “we in Scotland” moment, almost as if the Conservative Party is an English party making a speech in Scotland with the tag line ‘tories on tour’.
This speech was different. There was much more of a positive message from it. A rallying call if you like, but definitely not a rallying cry. For Cameron has the Scottish Conservatives on his side and they are ready to fight to take back seats and restart the process of sending Conservative representatives to Westminster. The party has 11 target seats in Scotland, 6 of which we have a very realistic chance of winning and internal party polling polling is in line with this as well.
Cameron has always been good as public speaking and he is particularly good at delivering conclusions to speeches. In Friday’s conclusion he said:
“So we will fight this election campaign in a completely different way. Not just trying to win back those who voted for us before and went away, but reaching out to those who’ve never voted Tory before and saying to them:
Yes, we have changed, yes we are a modern, progressive Conservative party, yes, we have bold and radical plans to change our country and succeed where Labour failed, so come and join us – for a fairer, safer, greener country where opportunity is more equal. For a stronger, better, brighter future where our best days lie ahead of us, not behind.
That is our choice, that is the change, that is the modern, progressive vision the country is crying out for.”
Here we see a call, a call for a clean election campaign and a positive election campaign, one that points out the government’s failings, but focusses mostly on what the Conservatives will do to rebuild the country and put it back on top of the world.
Overall, it was a very good speech. I don’t think it can be classed as Cameron’s greatest speech, but perhaps the best speech he has given in Scotland. I don’t think it will turn the tide much, but it may convince a few. It certainly got very good coverage in most newspapers in Scotland which can only be good. Indeed in my conversations with various journalists at the conference, many do seem quite perceptive to what Cameron has to say. Whether they will endorse it come election time is another matter.
P.s. You can read a full transcript of the speech here
18:00 – that’s it from conference here in Perth I’m out for dinner this evening ahead of an action day in Perth and North Perthshire tomorrow so full analysis of the conference will probably not be up until tomorrow evening at the earliest
16:13 – he Closes by saying come with me as our best days lie ahead of us. Dc joined on stage by David Mundell and Anabel Goldie.
An excellent speech by Cameron. Full analysis to come later.
16:09 – I would rather we attempted big change and fail than limp through relying on relaunches and press releases
We need to trust people and so
Things will go wrong, but we need to do these things because that is the only way we will get the country back on tracks
16:03 – if you can work and aren’t working you can’t go on receiving benefits. It’s bad for society and we won’t let it continue
15:56 – labour have mucked up and are completely out of touch with the people so we need to come to the rescue
15:54 – 1st slip up: “the NHS in Scotland is dissolved, I mean devolved”!!
15:51 – “we’ve had to fix labours damage before and well do it again. We’ll role up our sleeves and work together to rebuild our economy
15:47 – solid focus on strength of union and that it is a disgrace that Brown did not meet Salmond for a year in a time of economic hardship
15:45 – dc on stage. Early focus on need to stop Labour damaging the country more
Pledges to never join the Euro : well received in the conference hall
14:46 – back in the conference bar ahead of Gove’s speech at 3pm. Will cover the main points here
14:07 – lunch fringe over, back to propping up the bar
12:16 – disgrace that the SNP have stopped the right to buy: one of the most successful policies of the Thatcher era
12:03 – snp not standing for UK parliament, Lib Dems not in the running for government so only a vote for the Conservatives can get a change of government.
Labour have done so much damage we need to send them packing for
The good of the country
12:02 – Scotland is better in a united kingdom, not an
Independent one
12:00 – opens speech with focus on personal conservatism. Bedrock, she says lies in her dissagreeimg not agreeing with the nationalisation during the Wilson government.
11:55 – Anabel Goldie now on stage. All her msps are lined up on the front row and she enters to a standing ovation.
11:52 – Peter Duncan closes the candidates session. Now it’s
Anabel Goldie’s turn
11:35 – Richard Cook, ppc in East Renfrewshire now speaking. Richard’s true talent as a public speaker is clear given his speech was written a few hours ago!
11:20 – time out. Getting a cup of tea, just had a rather nice chat with Alan Cochrane of the Daily Telegraph
11:00 – star of the BBC Programme, Trawlermen, and our candidate in Banth and Buchan is now on stage. His speech focusses on rural affairs.
I see what the conference organisers are doing now, basically, because it’s a one day conference, there’s no time to have a series of topic sessions so they’re using the target seats candidates to speak on a variety of issues. Obviously this gives exposure to the candidates as well.
10:55 – west Aberdeenshire and Kincardine candidate now on stage talking about climate change.
Before him, Berekshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk candidate, John Lamont spoke with a focus on renewable energy.
What is clear here is that we really do have a good set of candidates in our target seats. From what I’ve seen so far, they will all make excellent MPs. I hope to speak to some of them later on
10:35 – Peter Lyburn, local candidate here in Perth now on stage. He opens his speech focussing on transparency and cleaning up parliament especially in area of expenses.
A fairly moderate speech from Lyburn. Mentioned Brown’s lack of meeting with Alex Salmond for over a year during the recession. We’ll hear more about that later in Cameron’s speech
9am: Here go’s. Up and and about after a cracking night out. Just waiting for breakfast then off to the conference centre for what promises to be a good day. I’ll post updates here throughout the day, or you can follow my Twitter feed at www.Twitter.com/greensdiary
On Monday, David Cameron set his vision for a decentralised political system. He talked of allowing local people to decide what happens in their local area, He talked of having more of a bottom up approach to national politics and he talked about giving people the power to recall their MP should they believe them to not be carrying out their role properly. But perhaps the most significant of the suggestions, if not on paper then definately in consequence was the idea to allow people to petition to get ideas voiced in Parliament.
He said that if a petition reached 100,000 signatures then it would be debated in parliament, but if it reached 1,000,000 signatures (as some have) there would be a bill tabled in Parliament. On the face of it this sounds like an excellent idea. People who can gather enough support for a particular issue might be able to see it reach parliament even if there isn’t support for it from within parliament. Now, here lies the first problem. If there is no interest or very little interest within parliament, then there is no way it will recieved a proper hearing as most will not bother to turn up for the debate. Further, if the petition reached bill stage and there wasn’t much interest, particularly from a majority government then a simple whip would be imposed and the bill would never get past it’s first reading.
The second problem is potentially a bigger one. Over 100,000 people signed the ‘resign’ petition on the number 10 website so under Dave’s imitative, it would recieved a debate in parliament. This in itself would be damaging to the government and indeed could lead to a vote of no confidence in the government. Put simply, it is a recipe for a government’s own downfall to allow people to have the power to push for a government to resign. Imagaine if that resign petition reaches 1,000,000 signatures and thus a ‘resign’ bill is written and debated. The situation would become crippling as valuable parliamentary time would be filled up with nonsense bills that would eventually destabilise the political system.
Thus on the face of it these measures look good and indeed aren’t bad suggestions, but by allowing people such power Cameron is providing an arrow with which he can be quite easily shot should a competent campaigner with media contacts who doesn’t like Cameron wish so.
Remeber the human rights act and how great that was, then fast forward to 2005 where it comes back to bite Labour over detaining suspected terrorists. I hope this is not Camerons ‘HRA’ moment, but only time can and will tell on that front.
Firstly I must apologise for the time it’s taken me to get round to my review of Cameron’s speech to Scottish Conference last Friday. I have been incredibly busy and I had hoped to post thjis on Saturday, however I was involved with a campaign day in Perth and so did not find the time.
