UKIP: Nikki Sinclaire battling for Britain while Farage flees PEP meeting

While Farage lines his pockets........ Nikki continues to Battle for Britain. Taken from Nikki's website:

Questioning the President of the European Commission.

One of the advantages I have as a non-attached member of the European Parliament - I am not a member of any political group - Is that I have more opportunities to speak on important issues. Within the political groups it tends to be only the Presidents of the groups who get important speaking time.

On Tuesday I was able to question Jose Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission.




I asked him how it might be possible to have common EU policies when time and time again we see an inability to reach consensus on important issues such as foreign relations and security and defence. I suggested that it would not be possible to implement common policy without some loss of democracy for the EU member states.

The President's reply was evasive to say the least. I think I hit a raw nerve.

I was also able to ask a supplementary question concerning pan-European political parties.



He confirmed to me that these parties are an integral part of EU integration, and the development of the EU as a state in its own right.

We must be aware of this, and not be seduced - as some clearly are - by the promise of extra cash if our own politicians allow themselves to be subsumed into these wretched pan-European political parties.

Parliament asks for another €1.9 billion!

At a time of extreme austerity, the EU knows no cuts, and simply asks for more and more....

Galileo is the EU's global satellite navigation system. The project has been beset with problems, and appears to be floundering. Therefore, the taxpayer is expected to fork out an extra €1.9 billion in order to bring the project up to speed. Of course, I voted against this.

Galileo is 100% taxpayer funded, as attempts to attract foreign investment failed. At one point, China became involved, and there was discussion about allowing the Chinese to use Galileo as part of its missile targeting system. When common sense prevailed and this idea was jettisoned, the Chinese moved ahead with their own system - the Beidou/Compass satellites - which are already being deployed whilst the EU's project languishes in the bureaucratic doldrums.

EU tax - another attempt to grab our cash!

Many EU states operate a 'vignette' system of taxing vehicles. The system is likely to be rolled out across the EU, with member states being able to tax foreign HGVs using their roads, if they wish.

The European Parliament's Transport Committee has called for 15% of all revenue raised in this way to be handed over to the EU to help fund their own transport projects.

This is just one of a number of 'EU taxes' that are being discussed at the moment. I shall, of course, vote against every single one of these proposals.

Hiding the costs!

A recurring and divisive theme in the European Parliament is the cost of relocating MEPs and staff to Strasbourg for 4 days every month.

On June 8th in Strasbourg, parliamentarians debated a report on the EU's finances. The report contained a reference to the savings that could be made to the taxpayer by ending the ludicrous practice of having two seats. An attempt was made to quietly delete this reference, and to keep the extravagance hushed up. No less than 282 MEPs voted for the cover-up, but it was defeated, and the waste remains exposed.

I was amused to note that three British Conservative MEPs voted for the cover-up, but then retrospectively changed their vote. This is an administrative exercise only - their original vote could have affected the outcome, changing it subsequently would have no effect. I often wonder exactly what the Tories are really up to in Europe...

Scotch Whisky - under threat

I always enjoy meeting representatives of British industry in Strasbourg, and helping in any way that I can. I was therefore delighted when Mike Nattrass and I had the opportunity to meet with Nick Soper of the Scotch Whisky Association.

Whilst the EU is very precious about ensuring that continental brands are protected - Parma Ham must be from Parma, Cognac must be from Cognac, etc - Scotch Whisky suffers from the fact that the origin need not be shown clearly as part of the product name. If it says 'Scotch Whisky', it is of course from Scotland, but if it just says 'Whisky', then take care - it may be from Moldova, Brazil, or anywhere in between.

See Nikki's website for further information: LINK

The Fuhrer flees


At the Surrey PEP hustings meeting on June 4th , Nigel Farage arrived early and appeared to be in fine spirits. However, Tim Congdon hinted to him, somewhat unwisely, that he was to confront him with his own words condemning Pan European Parties at the end of the debate. When Congdon read out Farage's statement threatening legal action against the European Parliament in 2004, Farage had fled the hall and could not be found.

Farage may be a coward, but he is lucky with his enemies. Congdon could have derailed Farage's plans by humiliating him publically with his own words, but sadly he lacks the killer instinct, and Farage fled to fight another day.