I am an Independent Member of the European Parliament Representing the South East of England
Recent news, blogs and articles
The EU Renewable Energy Policy is a Total Ecological Disaster
From Speech in the European Parliament in Strasbourg 12th November 2018 Oxfam Germany last week…
‘Tear it up’ MEP launches tirade against EU law which may bring Formula 1 to GRINDING HALT
FORMULA 1 could come to a grinding halt if the European Union fails to amend…
Border Rumpus: Britain’s beef with Brussels Brexit bullying
By Diane James. New Europe. October 22nd 2018 A mounting backlash to the EU’s blatant…
Can the European Court Torpedo the Negotiations?
Seems everywhere you look at the minute, it's all about finding ever more creative and outlandish ways to try and thwart Brexit. Today, of course, it's Labour pumping up their Conference with threats to vote down any deal that amounts to more than just Brexit in name only. The SNP obviously just want to delay, delay and delay the negotiations -- that way they can delay, delay, delay their decision on another Scottish independence referendum.…
The Battle for Brexit is now truly Underway
The ritual humiliation of the UK and its Brexit negotiations continued last week with the Salzburg meeting. Well over two years have passed since the UK Government was given a clear mandate to extricate the UK from the European Union, two years wasted since all we have to show for UK efforts is stalemate. The political ping-pong between London and Brussels have so far achieved absolutely nothing at all. The EU simply rejects every offer…
EU Copyright Directive – The Wrong Decision!
The overriding issue regarding this EU Parliament decision is its threat to free speech.The root of the threat is that it makes Internet platforms liable for their users' content Making Internet companies the copyright enforcers and effectively content policemen makes no sense given the likelihood that they will err on the side of caution and overblock to avoid any potential penalty. Content usage oversight and control should be the responsibility of the rights holders. Only they…
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.…