Westminster Comments Section

Europe / Tea with MP

Europe:

Few EU leaders will be mourning the demise of Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi this week. Like the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou two days before him, the global financial markets demanded his head and France’s President Sarkozy and Germany’s Angela Merkel provided the political guillotine for the job. The eccentric and scandal ridden Berlusconi may not have fallen on his sword as has been widely reported. When the memoirs of his resignation are written it may prove to have been a very Italian offer that was presented to him, i.e. “go or be gone”. Like the Greek drama before …

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Greek Tragedy / 81 Group

Greek Tragedy

A few months ago I was in Greece and witnessed the anger and distrust of the people in their Government and political institutions. To see Greeks rioting and condemning their politicians did not surprise me and to be candid their anger is not just unique to Greece. After all, the rest of the EU countries, including UK have witnessed political protest and riots over the summer. We just have to observe what is happening now with anti capitalist demonstrations at St Paul’s Cathedral, Glasgow and across other UK Cities. The Greek tragedy that unfolded last week had more to …

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Europe / No-Show

Europe

Last week in Parliament may yet prove to be a watershed for the Conservative led coalition. The Prime Minister had earlier announced his intention to whip his MP’s against a referendum on an In/Out vote of the EU. Before the referendum debate he made a statement to the Commons on the financial crisis inside the 17 Euro zoned countries with reference to the Greek bailout and also sought to placate his euro sceptics with promises of jam tomorrow which turned to jelly when Nick Clegg told them “No way Jose” to renegotiation or repatriation of powers.

No-show

The SNP MP’s were also …

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EU Referendum / Ghost of Major

EU Referendum

David Cameron has led his Conservative Party with an Anti EU agenda from the first moment he was elected leader of the Conservative Party. Like John Major before him he would not have been elected without the support of his EU sceptic right. To back his anti EU credentials he withdrew his Party from the mainstream centre right Conservative group in the European Parliament and did the same on the Council of Europe where his MP’s are grouped with a bizarre right fringe group including former KGB Russian MP’s.

Ghost of Major

The PM obviously does not want to follow the …

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Fox / Boundaries

Fox

The resignations of Cabinet Ministers do not happen often but when they do they generate a political heat that excites the political hounds (journalists) who go after their fox with gusto. In some quirk of fate the Conservative right who are forever supporters of foxhunting do not like their own Dr Fox being hounded. The Tally hoers are now supporting a Dr Fox hunting ban. 

Boundaries

The Scottish Boundary Commission has published its Initial Proposals for new UK Parliamentary Boundaries to be in place for the next General Election 2015. Scotland is being cut from 59 to 52 Constituencies as part of …

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