Labour MEP for Yorkshire & Humber
A lot of eurosceptic arguments flow from a basic narrative which goes something like this: “75% of our laws are imposed on us by an unelected giant bureaucracy in Brussels, stifling our businesses in red tape and costing us billions of pounds a day. We thought we were joining a free trade area, but it […]
MEPs in the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly today to scrap mobile phone roaming charges across Europe. Assuming this decision is confirmed by elected governments when they meet in the EU council, from December next year it will cost no more to make or receive a call, send a text or use mobile data when abroad […]
This evening sees the second installment of Nick Clegg’s debate with Nigel Farage on the subject of Europe. Once again, I’ll be live-tweeting the debate as it happens. You can follow my tweets on Twitter, or follow the hashtag #europedebate for the whole conversation. There’s been an interesting discussion since last week’s radio debate on whether […]
I was disturbed to see a couple of days ago that UKIP have upped their anti-EU propaganda campaign and are now sending direct-mail letters, packed with frightening myths, to British small businesses in a thinly-veiled attempt to scare them into switching their vote in the upcoming election. This bizarre letter, sent to MOT testing centres […]
One of the issues that concerns many British people is animal welfare. During my time as an MEP, I made this issue a priority, and conversations with voters during this election campaign has confirmed to me that the topic is still close to many people’s hearts. As with many significant political issues, animal welfare rules […]
How will Clegg fare against Farage today? Attention to detail on European matters has never been Clegg’s strongpoint, and Farage will throw loads of clichés at him which need sound factual knowledge to rebut. If he can do so, fine (though he will also start with the handicap of his unpopular coalition tag). Farage is […]
British businesses are not the only ones suffering from Cameron’s attempted blackmail over Europe. It seems government officials themselves are getting so worried about the UK’s under-representation in the EU institutions that they are buying pseduo-advertising space in the Guardian to try and reverse the trend: British officials have played a crucial role in shaping […]
I spent the morning on the doorsteps of Horsforth, with Mary Creagh MP, prospective MP candidate Alex Sobel, and over a dozen party members. Then I made my way to Scarborough for the Yorkshire & Humber Cooperative Party conference on the subject of speaking up for the North. There was an excellent analytical speech by […]
A packed, lively, powerful and emotional event at the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign fundraiser in Rotherham. The organisers, led by Emma Wallis, did a brilliant job. Having supported the Hillsborough families in their struggle for truth about the behaviour (and subsequent cover-up) of the very same police force in that same decade, I was […]
A hectic mixture of speaking engagements today. First a hustings debate with candidates from other parties (Conservative, Lib Dem, Greens, and a no-show from UKIP) at Leeds Trinity University with their journalism students. They cast votes in a ballot box after the debate, and I was delighted to see the result: LAB 25, CON 6, […]
Agriculture is important for Yorkshire & Humber. There are over 12,000 holdings, and nearly two thirds of them are small farms of less than 100 hectares (250 acres). Over a fifth are grazing in Less Favoured Areas/Areas of Natural Constraint. Overall, farming has bucked the trend during the recession. According to the National Farmers Union, […]
Nice afternoon debating at the York Older People’s Assembly with Green, Lib Dem, and UKIP candidates. The Tories didn’t show up. Another puzzling feature was that, although the lead UKIP candidate for Yorkshire & Humber (a certain J Collins) was in the room, she was replaced for the debate by Roger Helmer, an East Midland […]
In yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph, David Cameron wrote a piece outlining his professed intentions about Britain’s future in Europe. The article is particularly irresponsible in its first section, where Cameron (or rather, I suspect, his ghostwriter) deliberately conjures up several eurosceptic myths which he knows full well are either highly misleading or downright false — but […]
Sunday lunch was with Labour members in Otley, the lovely market town north of Leeds, with a delicious array of dishes and desserts made by different members. The previous evening, some members had been celebrating at the 70th birthday party of Councillor Pamela Gill, Town Mayor of Otley and a stalwart party member — but […]
Morning in Skipton at an open public meeting at the Herriot Hotel, where I had great support from the Labour members of the audience. But I hope I even convinced the Tories there to support Labour in the European elections. Pro-European Tories are distressed at the eurosceptic obsession of their party, and they know that […]