Birmingham University Labour Students

Tony Blair shows us that as far back as 1999 the Tories had no coherent policy on the European Union.  Little changes.

Filed under: Cameron, Europe, Tories | 3 Comments »

I never wanted a referendum anyway. but at least now its over.  The Government defeated a Tory amendment to put the EU Bill to referendum with a comfortable margin.
Interesting that both Gisela Stuart (whips love her, Birmingham Edgbaston) and Lynne Jones (whips hate her, Birmingham Selly Oak) both joined up on this one.  Roger Godsiff [...]

Filed under: Conservative Party, Europe, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats | 10 Comments »

Flicking through the channels over a late lunch, I caught Ken Clarke on BBC parliament summing up (I thought quite nicely) why he thought each party had an unjustifiable position on having an EU referendum.
His points were:

 The Tories had failed to explain how this needed a referendum when none of the ones they had signed did;

 Labour had [...]

Filed under: Brigid Jones's Diary, Europe | Tagged: EU referendum | 2 Comments »

Frank Field MP doesn’t come up with truly eye-catching schemes that often, but lets give him credit for his imagination when he came up with this. 
Mr. Field is rumoured to be in lots of trouble with the Whips office for his part in the EU referendum campaign, which Gisela Stuart quit having been threatened to [...]

Filed under: Europe, Labour Party, Uncategorized | No Comments »

This isn’t new but it is quite amusing.

Filed under: Europe | 4 Comments »

I’m not advocating this, just speculating on what will probably become a media obsession for the next few months.
According to the Guardian the former PM has consulted his old Downing Street allies on whether or not this is viable. This story isn’t new.
Sarkozy will naturally support a Blair candidacy but it is hard to see [...]

Filed under: Europe | Tagged: EU President, Tony Blair | No Comments »

Having recently consulted a lawyer over a practical issue closely related to the hot-topic of Freedom of Speech, I was extremely relieved to find that I am covered by a number of fundamental protections under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR - pictured in all its splendour) and the Human Rights Act.  Under Article [...]

Filed under: Conservative Party, Constitutional Reform, Europe | 1 Comment »

I was reading on Ceefax that the EU has finally given up on the UK’s funny little ways- it’s going to allow us to keep our imperial measurements. It might be rather quaint, but the scientist in me is not amused.
Since they’re going to be sticking around, I feel I probably ought to find out [...]

Filed under: Brigid Jones's Diary, Europe | 2 Comments »

Filed under: Europe | No Comments »

The opinion polls since late 2005 must have rocked most Labour Party members – we wondered whether the public were really being sucked in by Cameron. Surely not? I knew – we knew – Cameron’s rhetoric was meaningless. The rebranding of the Conservative Party was precisely that; it carried no real directional change to the [...]

Filed under: Europe, Labour Party, National Politics | No Comments »

A common experience for readers of right-wing middle class rags is the withering clangour of invective that accompanies seemingly every European Union directive.  Xenophobic, near racist statements, are badges of honour amongst the narrow-minded bigots of Torydom, and none more so than those directed at the “foes” of the continent.  So much for the Little [...]

Filed under: Europe, National Politics | 7 Comments »