European Parliament gets heavy with your candidate

So long, farewell, auf weidersein, goodbyeee. Ladies and gentlemen, I am sad to announce that from henceforth England Expects shall be consigned to the dustbins of history. I say this with a heavy heart, but it is the case. And this is why.

Yesterday I was summoned by my Secretary General and informed that a formal complaint had been made about my posting on this blog. My activities were found to be in contravention of the Staff Code of Conduct

In particular I was in breech of Article 12 and 17. That is

"Article 12
An official shall refrain from any action or behaviour which might reflect adversely upon his position.

1. Subject to Article 15, an official wishing to engage in an outside activity, whether paid or unpaid, or to carry out any assignment outside the Communities, shall first obtain the permission of the Appointing Authority. Permission shall be refused only if the activity or assignment in question is such as to interfere with the performance
of the official's duties or is incompatible with the interests of the institution.

Article 17
1. An official shall refrain from any unauthorised disclosure of information received in the line of duty, unless that information has already been made public or is accessible to the public.
2. An official shall continue to be bound by this obligation after leaving the
service.

The problem was at the beginning of the month I had posted a piece about some gender language absurdity (please note that the staff regulations talk about his. I had included the name of the author and she had requested that I remove the name. This I did, as she pointed out that she had been phoned by a couple of journalists and was, as an official unable to talk to them.

Notwithstanding me removing her name, somebody made an official complaint about this blog to the powers that be. The Secretary General of the Parliament, Harald Rømer then wrote to my group pointing out my clear breech of the staff rules. I had, it said posted article upon England expects, a website that is ""ironique et eurosceptique". (One wonders which was the worse transgression, the scepticism or the fact that I laugh at them?).

The upshot is that I have a formal warning and, if I continue to blog then 'sanctions' may be applied. Given that the sanctions amount to upwards of a four month docking of wages, I really cannot afford to continue.

Now I do not say that I am not in breech of the staff regulations, I am. But it is odd when one considers that I employed to be the Press officer of the UK delegation to the Ind/Dem Group, which is the UK Independence Party. My job is to bring the institutions into disrepute, which I am doing, well if I am any good I should be doing.

The rules come with guidelines

The above provision establishes the general obligation as regards circumspection
whereby officials and other servants, while remaining free to express their opinions as the fundamental principles of human rights and citizens' rights allow them to do, must observe a degree of moderation and conduct themselves at all times with a due sense of proportion and propriety.

3. Any failure to observe the obligation as regards circumspection is assessed according to the nature and level of the duties performed and the circumstances, for it is more incumbent on the most senior officials and other servants to show self-control in what they say and write, as well as in their attitudes.

The point being that there interpretation as to my lack of circumspection is key.

Now think about the report that is going through the Parliament and is discussed by Bruno Waterfield here and you will see a very scary picture emerging.

Tories have an Affinity with Ecotricity

Gawain Towler, the UKIP PPC for North Dorset today lambasted Robert Walters, the sitting Conservative MP for hypocrisy.

"Bob Walters has to answer some pretty searching questions now that it has been revealed that the Tory Party is doing deals with Ecotricity".

Ecotricity is the firm that is planning to build a wind farm at Silton near Gillingham which is opposed by the vast majority of local inhabitants. Robert Walters has been prominent in opposing the farm. However the Conservative Party has set up a sponsorship program with the firm, part of its Afinity scheme that can be found on its website,
http://www.conservatives.com/Get_involved/Affinity.aspx

According to the firms's website Conservatives can,
"WIN a year's supply of electricity from Ecotricity - worth £400 - simply by watching our stunning new time-lapse video of the construction of 3 wind turbines at Bristol Port and then answering the question below".
http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/competition/conservatives/

"So backing this firm is fine for fundraising for their elections, but local people will feel let down and abused by such naked double dealing", said Towler.

Gawain Towler first got involved in the campaign against the windfarm in early February
http://ukipnorthdorset.blogspot.com/2008/02/bourton-wind-farm-meeting.html

Dorset is not part of France

The news reported in today's Telegraph that the EU has continued with its desire to scrub England off the map must be met with some weariness. The story is not news, whatever the Tories say (just in time for St George's of course). For the last few years the Transmanche Region or Arc Manche has been in existence. This does of course not make it any better.

The whole silly thing is just redolent of how the EU works against, rather than with the grain of history.

Back in AD 43 the Roman General Vespasian, later to become Emperor took both Hod and Hambledon Hills before moving on to Maiden Castle and beyond. This quashing of the last serious opposition to the Roman Imperium resulted in England becoming part of the Roman Empire. But even the Romans were not stupid enough to try and administer different sides of the channel as a single entity.

All this is is a bureaucratic attempt to rub out national boundaries. Why? Because the powers that be in Brussels and Whitehall know that the only institution that retains sufficient emotional loyalty against there centralising plans is the Nation State. And thus they hate it.

UKIP Defence Policy launched tonight

The press launch of UKIP's Defence Policy, "In the National Interest" is taking place tonight at the East India Club. Here is a brief summary of the paper,

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

UKIP's Defence Vision - Executive Summary

Our recommendations:

1. To defend our national interests, maintain the NATO alliance, support our traditional partners. To disentangle our forces from the EU To keep our independence by retaining – always – ultimate command and control over our national forces.

2. To stop trying to buy defence on the cheap. UKIP will spend an extra 1% GDP year on defence – an increase of 40% on current budgets. UKIP believes in establishing a defence budget which will properly sustain Britain's defence commitments. To keep defence costs down by smarter defence procurement, and with more involvement of British industry wherever possible.

3. To increase the Army to at least 125,000 personnel (trained requirement) in order to enable it to cope with its existing deployment and roles. To double the Territorial Army in size from 37,000 to 75,000 soldiers.

4. To restore the Navy to its 2001 strength, with 3 new aircraft carriers (one extra), 4 assault ships, 30 destroyers and frigates, 12 Fleet Submarines, 25 coastal vessels and 50 Merlin helicopters, with around 7,000 extra personnel to 42,000 (2003–41,550). UKIP would guarantee the futures of Plymouth, Portsmouth and Rosyth and not close any of these ports.

5. To increase the Air Force's capabilities by enlarging the tanker fleet, modernising the transport fleet, buying more helicopters and 50 extra JSF aircraft, and increasing RAF personnel to 50,000.

6. To restore many traditional regiments, such as the Black Watch and Staffords, subsumed as battalions of EU-inspired 'super-regional' regiments such as the Royal Welsh, Royal Mercian and Royal Regiment of Scotland, in order to serve in EU battle groups.

7. To renew the Covenant between the Country and those who are asked to risk their lives on its behalf: through better pay, generous compensation for injury, restoration of Crown immunity, private medical and dental care, reinstatement of military hospitals, decent accommodation, an offence of treason for those UK citizens who seriously attack serving personnel, and above all, respect and support.

8. To withdraw our forces from Iraq, in good order, at an early date. To reappraise our operations in Afghanistan to a single mission.

9. To maintain Britain's independent nuclear deterrent with existing Trident submarines, and to replace them with four British built US missile armed
submarines.

10. To retain and increase Army and Territorial Army personnel by pay, free medical and dental care for them and their families, retention 'warrants', school recruitment and other incentives.

I will write a review of it when I have seen the whole thing.

Support the ban

Every publican in Dorset should support the ban on Alistair Darling.



He and his boss, Gordon Brown are doing so much damage to the licenced trade that only by making it clear to them that we are unhappy can anything be done.

Of course, it is unlikely that someone like Mr Darling would every sully himself by ever entering a pub, but that is not the point. A message needs to go out loud and clear. By increasing taxes, by supporting the smoking ban, by increasing rules and regulations, whether dreamt up in Whitehall or Brussels is not the point. They and their like (and I include you Mr Cameron in this, despite you mentioning this campaign in PMQs this week) are crushing the life out of an industry and a way of being that is close to all our hearts.

People like him bang on about communities and how important they are, but when they see something that cannot control, when the see men and women enjoying t hemselves out of free choice, they move heaven and earth to undermine, tax and regulate it.

A pox on them and all their (non public) houses.

Fitna

Having been refused by the MSM, and having had his own website taken down by the hosting company, Geert Wilders last night published 'Fitna: The Movie' on LiveLeak.

I would encourage you to watch it, but I cannot pretend that it is nice, or easy viewing. At the very least it should make you think.

The BBC report about it is interesting in what it says and what it does not say. It majors on his paranoia,

"the most stubborn man I've ever met"...
"The presenter remembers walking with Mr Wilders surrounded by six bodyguards to the MP's room, which he likened to a furnished cell at a suburban bank.

Opponents say he is fuelling hate against Muslims From that perspective, he could understand that the politician's mind was focused on the death threats against him".

"He's a little bit crazy because he's giving the impression to some people that he's going to combat Islam," says Mr Rabbae.

"He's a kind of Don Quixote, fighting against things and presenting goals which will never happen."

Like Mr Spruyt, Mohamed Rabbae believes Mr Wilders may have become isolated by the limitations imposed by living with bodyguards".

But it fails to point out that his name was on the piece of paper, stuck on the knife that pierced Theo Van Gough's heart.

it was in November 2004 that Mr Wilders' career dramatically changed with the murder of film-maker Theo van Gogh by a radical Islamist, Mohammed Bouyeri.

Together with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Van Gogh had produced the short film Submission, which featured an actress in see-through clothing with Koranic script on her body.

Although he had no involvement in the film, Mr Wilders was now to have a permanent bodyguard, in common with Ms Hirsi Ali, because of their outspoken views on Islam.

An odd omission, as is the failure of the BBC to link to the film, despite writing an article about it.

No Remote Control

A new film from UKIP

Part 2