I am an Independent Member of the European Parliament Representing the South East of England
Recent news, blogs and articles
Can the European Court Torpedo the Negotiations?
Seems everywhere you look at the minute, it's all about finding ever more creative and…
The Battle for Brexit is now truly Underway
The ritual humiliation of the UK and its Brexit negotiations continued last week with the…
EU Copyright Directive – The Wrong Decision!
The overriding issue regarding this EU Parliament decision is its threat to free speech.The root…
Increasing the Number of EU Coast Guards will not eradicate People Trafficking Mr Juncker!
This week saw President Juncker present his State of the EU Union plan for what remains of his presidential term and also forms the platform for his replacement after the 2019 EU elections. One of his more eye-catching statements concerned the planned 10,000 increase of EU Frontex agency border and coast guards. Justifying his announcement by as a toughening approach to migration, he paid scant regard to the origins of the problem or indeed to…
EU Civil Servant asks Elected Representative to Withdraw Twitter Comment… Shocking!
First day in the European Parliament in Strasbourg after the Summer Break The session opened last night with a contentious statement from an MEP colleague. He explained that he had been subjected to pressure from an EU Bureau civil servant to withdraw a Twitter comment. Rightly so he criticised this pressure which brought into question supposedly EU Freedom of Expression and that specifically of MEPs regarding EU matters. This was a perfectly timed example of…
Diane – Facebook Live – 11th July 2018
Diane was LIVE from Brussels to answer your questions on Chequers Deal: bad deal or good deal?
The EU Pan European Pension – a £2.1 trillion Power Grab?
Diane was interviewed by FACTS4EU.ORG about preparation for a Pan European Pension Plan (PEPP). “The issue here from my point of view is that this is a financial power grab by the European Union. .... Its impact on the UK will be huge.... Edinburgh is effectively the pivot around which the pension market in the UK operates. All the big key players are based up there..... This is not only a financial power grab by the EU, but it’s one…
Bullying Barnier and the unelected elite
Ever since the United Kingdom joined the EEC in 1973, we have been pushed around by an arrogant unelected elite based in Brussels. Year after year they have taken control away from the British people. To all intents and purposes we have become a colony of the EU. In 2016 in what was a remarkable act of democracy and also defiance, UK voters decided that enough was enough. We had tired of the EU bullying…
City AM Article – The 3 ‘B’s’ in EU land – Budget post Brexit, Bolster EU Support, Bash Eurosceptism
This week the EU will set the next seven year budget plans, running from 2021 to 2027. Against a backdrop of new states waiting in the wings to join – all requiring pre accession funding, the EU must counteract the deficit caused by Brexit and respond forcefully to increasing eurosceptism. There should be no surprise therefore at the noises being made at the highest level to make the distribution of funds dependent upon acceptable governance…
Emmanuel Macron in the European Parliament
In his speech this morning Emmanuel Macron stated that he wanted democracy and sovereignty at an EU level, which seems impossible if not contradictory. If you remember a year ago, Emmanuelle Macron’s promise during his campaign was that the priority would be given to Europe. Well he kept his promise. On the day of his election , it was not the Marseillaise but The European Union’s anthem, Ode to Joy by Beethoven which was played.…
Remainers seem to think the EU can be reformed if we stay in—here’s why we should be sceptical
On balance, I find it highly unlikely that the EU is capable of serious reform. So let's lead the way on leaving it.... The link to the full article in Prospect Magazine is below: Prospect magasine article by Diane
EU Army On Manoeuvres
BRITISH MEP DIANE JAMES COMMENTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BREXIT FACTS4EU.ORG We asked seasoned observer of the EU's military ambitions, Diane James MEP, for her thoughts on these latest developments: The full text of the article is here on: facts4eu.org
From data rules to EU ‘click taxes’, Britain needs a plan to protect the digital economy
This article was originally published on the City AM website. The UK has developed an enviable digital economy, worth £160bn a year according to Tech Nation. The Harvard Business Review has estimated that the sector accounts for 16 per cent of domestic output, 10 per cent of employment, and 24 per cent of exports. Yet, despite its size and value, the digital economy was somewhat absent from the Brexit debate. Much more was heard about financial…