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Evening Telegraph

ONE of Peterborough’s own Euro-MPs could soon become the next leader of a national political party.

UKIP’s current deputy leader and policy chief, David Campbell Bannerman, has emerged as a front runner to take over the leadership of the party, following the surprise resignation of Lord Pearson on Tuesday.

The Euro MP is currently enjoying widespread popularity amongst the party faithful, having written UKIP’s 2010 election manifesto.

If elected leader, Mr Campbell Bannerman – whose great, great uncle Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman was Liberal Prime Minister between 1905 and 1908 – said he will make the issue of immigration a priority for his party.

He said: “I know that many people in Peterborough feel that their city has been changed beyond recognition because of the high levels of immigration. That is what local residents are saying and I will do my best for them.”

Mr Campbell Bannerman said he wanted to focus his efforts on targeting illegal immigrants.

The Sun Newspaper
By Clodagh Hartley

British MEPs may be on the brink of defeating European proposals to TRIPLE maternity pay – which would cost cash strapped UK taxpayers £2 billion a year.

An EU vote was due to take place today but it has now been postponed for the third time.

UKIP Deputy leader David Campbell Bannerman said “This vote has been put back at least twice, which is unusual”. “It indicates that it is feared it would not go through as economies cannot afford it”.

The new law would give mums 100 per cent of pay for 20 weeks, up from 90 per cent for 6 weeks, followed by £123 for 33 weeks.

There is no cap on the amount women can earn and still benefit from 20 weeks at 100 per cent pay, so high-flying women should gain most.

Mr President, Baroness,

I think none of us can fail to be sympathetic to the people of Krygyzstan for the recent suffering they have endured: 2,000 dead in rioting, 400,000 people displaced, mainly from the Uzbek community, placing an enormous pressure on Uzbekistan. This is ‘an immense crisis’, in the words of the Red Cross. This country is already the poorest and smallest of the former Soviet republics and it is tragic for a country that aspires so earnestly for parliamentary democracy to be in this kind of state. Indeed the triggers seem to have been the constitutional changes that they wish to aspire to. It is also one of the few Muslim nations in the world to be headed up by a woman (let’s that Iran follows shortly). This lady, Rosa Otunbayevat, is the first president of an ex-Communist Central Asian Country, and good for her.

So, all democratic nations should be doing all they can to support an aspiring parliamentary democracy of this sort but it is swimming in a sea of powerful, autocratic neighbours, and with the ever-present threat of radical Islam on its borders. This nation is a bulkhead of democracy and deserves our support. I fear that it has become a pawn in larger power games: it is now part of the Shanghai Co-operation organisation, which China and Russia use to dominate the central Asian land mass, and whose agenda should be regarded with some suspicion. China and Russia have incentives to destabilise the country to threaten the presence of an American Airbase there as well, with covert backing of opposition forces. May I conclude by saying that all democratic nations should support this brave aspiring but deeply troubled nation.

Thank you.

With its ‘External Action Service’ the EU is now a Single State

Mr President

There is something much deeper and significant about the External Action Service which is actually rooted in international law – about what constitutes a Nation State.  Under the guiding 1933 Montevideo Convention which the EU has accepted, there are four separate qualifications for a State.  First, a permanent population; second, a defined territory; third, a government, and finally, the capacity to enter into diplomatic relations with other states.

The EU already possesses three of these four: a permanent population – the Lisbon treaty makes us all EU citizens; a defined territory – the EU nations all have clear, defined boundaries; a government ?: well UKIP has long argued that this Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the real power – the Commission – are all part of an EU government.

That leaves the fourth and final component – the capacity for a nation state to enter into relations with other nation states.  Mr President, I believe that through the Lisbon Treaty, through Baroness Ashton’s role, and the External Action Service, the European Union now has all four criteria it needs under international law to declare itself a single nation state, a United States of Europe, and to do so overnight.

[ clapping from pro Federalist MEPs ]

I see there are many supporters here of that, and that confirms my speech and the threat to our nation states.

Thank you

WRITTEN QUESTION by David Campbell Bannerman (EFD) to the Commission

Subject: EU funding and Islamic extremist terrorism in India

It has been alleged by the Hindu Forum of Britain that EU funding to British Islamic charities has been funnelled by the recipients to Islamic terrorist groups in India (see The Economic Times 27 July 2008 ‘Probe into UK charities funding terrorism in India’). This includes the group ‘Indian Mujahideen’ which carried out the bombings in The Gujarat province of India in July 2008, in which 45 people were killed. What investigation has the Commission launched into these allegations (if any), and what steps is the Commission taking to ensure EU funding to Islamic civil society groups is not misused or passed on to a third party?

Answer given by Mr Piebalgs on behalf of the Commission

The Commission has examined the article ‘Probe into UK charities funding terrorism in India’ which appeared in The Economic Times of 27 July 2008 but has found no mention in this article of alleged misuse of European funds which might have been channelled towards terrorist activities.

All EU grants-financed projects are genuine development-oriented projects or aimed at strengthening the rule of law, democracy and respect of human rights. The organisations which implement these projects are selected through competitive calls for proposals and on the basis of proven experience on the part of the organisations in achieving the objectives defined for the Call for Proposal in question. In the selection process the status of the applicants and possible partners are carefully assessed. As far as payments are concerned, they are carried out when clearly agreed actions defined in the contract, have been implemented by the beneficiary. The final payment is released only on the basis of an external audit report confirming the eligibility of the actions implemented in line with the contractual provisions.