Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session March 11th - 14th 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session March 11th - 14th 2013

Tuesday Votes on greenhouse gas emissions, consumer protection, the economy, gender and women's rights (esp in North Africa)

Wednesday and the Multiannual framework vote, ie the size of the EU budget. You will have seen in the press that Parliament voted to reject the planned cuts, we voted to support them. In the course of that the motion to have a secret ballot on it was rejected. But beware, it is not over yet and, even if the cuts remain we will still end up paying more than at present. We are one of the biggest contributors and its the small countries who will benefit. How will Cameron cover that one?

That was followed by 4 different reports on the CAP with a total of 800+ amendments. We were there for over two and a half hours in spite of calls to spread it over two days. The vote to return it to committee to cut it down to size were rejected by MEP vote. Ask yourself, how reliable is the voting on an issue like the CAP, which absorbs the greatest share of EU funding, after over 2 hours of concentrated voting?

The CAP voting was all concluded but there were other votes to come, in the course of which the president of the day called a short recess, turned to leave the platform and collapsed. Several doctors rushed to his aid and the ambulance took 30 minutes to get there. Not sure of the reason but it was either a heart attack or, some say, a stroke. Business halted and remaining votes put off until Thursday.

Thursday Any day always starts with comments from the president of the day and, believe it or not, no mention was made of the president who had collapsed in the course of duty on Wednesday. No progress report, nothing!

One of the votes was on "Integration of migrants..... social security coordination". It passed by 334 - 247 votes, not that anyone took any notice of my 2 minute speech on the previous evening. Video on my web site, and, just to illustrate how difficult it can be here,-

You may notice that I got the gavel for running over time allocated, 2 mins! That was partly due to altering my speech just before delivery. I was in the house to hear the rapporteur start the debate. Her address included a phrase, " if an Indian cannot get a job here he can always go to the US". Wonderful, my original script said that the prior claim for Bulgarians and Romanians over non- EU workers would act against members of our Commonwealth, to whom we owe a debt. So I took that out, replaced by the bit you will find.

You see, I was due to speak at 8.0 pm, the normal time for our weekly "Gadfly" dinner. That timing allowed me to speak and get to the restaurant, except that it did not. Speakers always run over time and, these days, there is the possibility of a "Blue card" question from the floor of the House. So I kept an eye on the electronic list on my office computer and, as 8.00 pm approached, my start time slipped to 8.30pm, to 9.00pm and, when, at 8.00 pm, the computer showed my start time to be 9.30 pm I left for the restaurant, having ordered a car to bring me back from dinner at 9.15pm.

I got the first course in, we are always late starting, warned the friendly restaurateur, and the car got me to the House by 9.30, spoke at about 9.50, left for the restaurant again and finished my dinner. Indigestion again!

All that illustrates that we have to be flexible, especially with regards to time of speaking. My delay on Tuesday was not unusual. That it caused me to eat dinner in two parts an hour apart will not have bothered the powers that be.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg March 14th 2013

Brussels Commentary Employment Committee Feb 20th - 21st 2013 Wednesday Just to add to the shambles the President, not for the first time, altered the printed agenda, shuffling items round into different sequence. Got a warning about this the previous day but she altered it again as the meeting started. Very annoying when I had decided to speak to an early item and had to wait until the afternoon! However, the video will be on my web site but whether you will like me in a supportive role I don't know. Actually this can be for the good, might encourage them to listen when, as usual, I criticise. I did say, might! One of the items which took longer than you might think was on "European Statistics on Demography". They could not agree whose stats were the most reliable! I said nothing and let them get on with it, wondering how on earth they had several lots of statistics on the same issue. Don't worry, its only your money! Another item was on "Ground handling Services at Union Airports". Note the "Union" reference. It goes into all sorts of airport activity which is catered for by International agreements anyway. I wonder if this debate caused the strike here by the transport unions? Whether or not, will I be able to get home tomorrow? Thursday Massive voting session for hour and a half, most of it on the stuff debated yesterday. Plus, "Humanitarian Aid Corps" (never heard of the Red Cross apparently). "Social Housing" in the UK that's where people continuing to live on their family home after their flock have departed are now going to be hit with a 24% reduction in the housing benefit, unless they move to smaller house. Just like the Soviets moving several families into bigger houses and never mind the owners, all introduced by our own Government with no help from the EU. They also want to control Take Over Bids and to have a Competition Policy. All that plus votes on 8 "Discharges", that's approving the spending of millions of Euros, but only after they've spent your money. Then the vote on "Ground Handling Services" debated yesterday. Only one vote, because there's a dispute. Parliament sent it back to Committee to look at again. Just a matter of did we want to reject the Parliament decision and force the issue. The actual vote was one of those wretched double negative affairs. A "Yes" meant, send it to Parliament again so there were deliberately no amendments. I voted "No", of course, but it was 36 in favour and 7 against, thus rejecting Parliament's decision. Finally, 3 pieces to cheer you up. Late on Tuesday a Commission representative commented on the Euro crisis. It appears that Spain is becoming Euro-sceptic and that Germany is afraid of a Euro implosion! That's together with the news that a former Lib-Dem Mayor of Eastleigh has come out in support of UKIP and Diane James for the by-election. He's right. I have been down and met her, will be going again next week, wondering if the Lib-Dems will be as invisible as they were last Monday. And this website,- theyletyoudown.com will reveal how some of our UK MEPs vote on important issues as compared to their public statements. Derek Clark MEP Brussels 21st Feb 2013

Wednesday Just to add to the shambles the President, not for the first time, altered the printed agenda, shuffling items round into different sequence. Got a warning about this the previous day but she altered it again as the meeting started. Very annoying when I had decided to speak to an early item and had to wait until the afternoon! However, the video will be on my web site but whether you will like me in a supportive role I don't know. Actually this can be for the good, might encourage them to listen when, as usual, I criticise. I did say, might!

One of the items which took longer than you might think was on "European Statistics on Demography". They could not agree whose stats were the most reliable! I said nothing and let them get on with it, wondering how on earth they had several lots of statistics on the same issue. Don't worry, its only your money!

Another item was on "Ground handling Services at Union Airports". Note the "Union" reference. It goes into all sorts of airport activity which is catered for by International agreements anyway. I wonder if this debate caused the strike here by the transport unions? Whether or not, will I be able to get home tomorrow?

Thursday Massive voting session for hour and a half, most of it on the stuff debated yesterday. Plus, "Humanitarian Aid Corps" (never heard of the Red Cross apparently). "Social Housing" in the UK that's where people continuing to live on their family home after their flock have departed are now going to be hit with a 24% reduction in the housing benefit, unless they move to smaller house. Just like the Soviets moving several families into bigger houses and never mind the owners, all introduced by our own Government with no help from the EU.

They also want to control Take Over Bids and to have a Competition Policy.

All that plus votes on 8 "Discharges", that's approving the spending of millions of Euros, but only after they've spent your money.

Then the vote on "Ground Handling Services" debated yesterday. Only one vote, because there's a dispute. Parliament sent it back to Committee to look at again. Just a matter of did we want to reject the Parliament decision and force the issue. The actual vote was one of those wretched double negative affairs. A "Yes" meant, send it to Parliament again so there were deliberately no amendments. I voted "No", of course, but it was 36 in favour and 7 against, thus rejecting Parliament's decision.

Finally, 3 pieces to cheer you up. Late on Tuesday a Commission representative commented on the Euro crisis. It appears that Spain is becoming Euro-sceptic and that Germany is afraid of a Euro implosion!

That's together with the news that a former Lib-Dem Mayor of Eastleigh has come out in support of UKIP and Diane James for the by-election. He's right. I have been down and met her, will be going again next week, wondering if the Lib-Dems will be as invisible as they were last Monday.

And this website,- theyletyoudown.com will reveal how some of our UK MEPs vote on important issues as compared to their public statements.

Derek Clark MEP Brussels 21st Feb 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary session Feb 4th - 7th 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary session Feb 4th - 7th 2013

Tuesday The famous reform of the Common Fisheries Policy was up for vote. Did not lack for advice, must have received over 1000 emails asking for support. Counter productive of course, can't reply to them all even when they are all the same. At the end of 15 pages of over 300 amendments I abstained in the final vote. This was because, while I deplore the CFP, especially discards, Am 63 was passed because that includes the Sea Bed in the definition of EU waters. Think about the range of minerals therein.

Also Tuesday the vote on "Corporate and Social responsibility" with my short notice speech on the website already, to go with that on "Employment Policy" of earlier in the day.

Thursday was notable for Ms Lope Fontagne throwing a wobbler and, after a prolonged intervention in the voting session withdrawing her name from her own report on, "Economic Policy Coordination, employment and social aspects." , because of interference in her work and lack of support.

Highlight of the Week The speech by Francois Hollande, French Premier. 48 minutes of the most boring address yet. Basically he wants to "Harmonise "everything as an answer to the "people's" wishlist of peace, security, prosperity..... and how to revive the European Budget problem, not sure what his answer was. But young people need qualifications, expenditure must match income, the budget must promote innovation and support the poorest, must manage our resources.

The EU is not just a market economy, nor must it be an accumulation of European nations each fighting their own corner, then had the nerve to defend the CAP, saying that French farmers were greatly in need of it!

For the EFD Phillppe de Villiers responded as our prime speaker, remember that he had delivered the first real blow to the EU; the French "Non" to the European Constitution in 2007. He remarked that everything Hollande said has had the opposite effect, which is why the people of Europe had been melting away in support for the EU. Hollande has only just begun!

Nigel's response in the second round of lead speakers is on the party web.

Swaboda, the socialist leader, actually said that the EU had been a political construct from the word "Go", it never was just a Common Market. Now that's a nice line for your letters to the papers. He went on to say that under privileged youngsters in Nottingham (he'd just been there) were being helped with EU money!

Verhofstadt even compared the EU to the Soviet Union which had 5 year plans, we have 7 year plans!

Odd isn't it. As they get further and further into the mire, and as people all over the EU begin to question it, they start to admit the true origins and purpose of the EU: they are beginning to abandon pretence. Desperation or arrogance?!!

One fact picked up in the debate. The EU deficit now stands at 60 Billion Euros.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg Feb 7th 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session 14th- 17th 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session 14th- 17th 2013

Once again the week started for me with an Employment Committee meeting on Monday evening at 7.00pm. This was short notice, we are never given very much time to prepare properly for anything. No wonder the EU is a mess.

This meeting was to vote on two issues, "Corporate Social Responsibility", which will add to the regulatory burden. Then, "Better Governance of the Single Market", in which the president remarked that, "the Single Market was not an end in itself but a means for Social Progress". So there you have it, nothing to do with easier trade and everything to do with an enlarged and more expensive welfare system. Our trade is pretty healthy, on the whole, so it is pretty clear whose Social Progress is improved by the much lauded "Free Movement of workers", and whose economy is to pay for it.

Incidentally, the President indicated at one point that there were too many people voting, as shown by the electronic voting machine. This has happened before, when usually the president says that there were too many of a certain party voting. So the machine corrects this, but most votes are taken by show of hands, without counting, so how many of those are legitimate?

Plenary session.

Tuesday. One measure here was the "Horn of Africa" which concentrated on the Ethiopian Piracy. Did not mention that this has arisen because of the EU awarding fishing licences for European fleets to raid the waters of the third world, in this case that part of the Indian Ocean. These fleets destroy stocks of fish there, leaving the locals destitute. In this case that drove some Ethiopians back into their old ways of piracy. Now they are trying to resolve the issue but that does not include assisting Ethiopians to resume their traditional fishing rights.

Wednesday Was dominated by Enda Kenny the Irish premier addressing the house at the start of the Irish Presidency. He went on for a considerable length of time. Nigle's response is on the web. Among the issues voted on was fishing again. Baltic stocks and Conserving resources. They are going to eliminate discards (at last) but in stages. That's some progress but they will not adopt the best approach, reverting to national waters of 200 miles from the coast with the countries being responsible for what happens there. In vain do we point out that this works for Norway and Iceleand. By the way, did you know that your fish'n chips probably came from Iceleand, well, the fishy bit anyway? Europe imports more than half the fish it consumes.

More importantly today saw the attempt by the EU to arrange its own Credit Ratings Agency through the Domenici report. Godfrey had something to say about this so see his intervention via this link,-

http://www.tinyurl.com/bhlzvzv

Suffice it to say that we have another disaster on the horizon.

Thursday Most important was the debate and vote on EU - Mercosur trade relations. Mercosur is an anagram for the participating countries of South and Central America, the abbreviations used being of the Latin names. William Dartmouth spoke to this in the morning and his statistics are very useful in the current context of the Cameron speech. One of the EU supporter's commonest ploys is to say that we need to be in the EU to trade with its countries. Nonsense and I have my own personal response, but William has provided a better one. Of the Mercosur countries Brazil is the strongest economically, with a GDP of around 2.48 trillion dollars, while the UK is about 2.49 trillion $. Of Brazil's exports some 37 % goes to the other Mercosur countries while the UK figure is about 40% of our exports to the rest of the EU.

But no one anywhere is suggesting that the Mercosur countries should form a political association, to foster trade, or anything else.

If you think about it where else in the world is there a EU-style political union starting? Australia merging with New Zealand. India and Pakistan, sorry, forgot, they separated in blood shed years ago. Libya, Algeria and Egypt all one country? Since the US President, and his associates, has said we should be in the EU why do we not ask him the same question. Why is the USA not a real United States of America and go into political union with Canada, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the rest of central America. You then point out that, like the EU before it, you make it work by introducing, and forcing, a common currency on all the countries involved. Try that on the corporate boys in Wall Street!

Happy New Year!

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg, 17th Jan 2013.

Northampton Commentary

Northampton Commentary                                                                         31^st Dec 2012

As you know I try to send a Commentary after every Brussels or Strasbourg sitting but that became impossible after that of Dec 2^nd. I did attend Employment Committee, Dec 6^th and again on Dec 18^th but had to miss the Strasbourg week of Dec 10^th to 13^th . This was due to a family funeral in Devon, which had to come first, with several visits there over that period.

Those two Brussels Employment committee sittings were just a half day each and I cannot write a commentary while in committee. With appointments to see other people time ran short, leaving me no chance to write a commentary while still in Brussels.

Dec 6^th was dominated by a long voting session where I opposed, they adopted, 3 reports. First, “European Mutual Societies”, which is intended to apply to all Mortgage providers. So watch out if you have a mortgage, be even more watchful if you intend to take that particular plunge. Remember, this is the EU which cannot even audit their accounts properly.

Second, votes on “Active and Healthy Ageing” (tell me about it!), then 18 pages with over 230 amendments on Electro-Magnetic Fields (which they persist in calling the “Physical Agents Directive”; there are many more Physical Agents than E-M Fields).

Dec 18^th  Nine items for debate, plus a” Public Hearing on ‘Social Housing’, a Way Out of the Crisis”, and a voting session too, all in a half day, 3.00pm to 6.30pm. The 9 debates included one on Asbestos and on my web site you will find video of my contribution. Note that the President gives me the hurry up. I ploughed on because of a farcical situation which had arisen.

There is a timetable of debates in Committee and, unlike plenary, members just indicate if they wish to speak as each one comes up. They are taken in sequence of asking, with no formal time limit. However, on Dec18th the debate previous to Asbestos went at least 15 minutes over time due to a protracted legal argument. In the end what should have been done in the first place was decided, get the lawyers to sort it out. The President then tried to limit each speaker to 2 minutes, I was not happy with that, hence her attitude when I spoke.

Suffice it to say that I was alone in my assertion that white asbestos is harmless. I hope to speak to this in plenary when it arises there, where speaking is by prior arrangement.

For Plenary sittings a time table listing the speakers, showing precise speaking times, is produced. But early speakers often extend their allocated time which ruins the schedule. To get back on track, following speakers are asked to keep to their time, even though earlier speakers generally have a greater time allowance! The President then often threatens to cut a speaker off, which has happened. That is why a video of any of us can show us glancing up as we speak. This might make us look a bit “swivel eyed” , but we are looking at the count-up clock over the presidential desk to keep within the time allowed.

No prizes for guessing which MEPs are most likely to be cut off when straying over time.

Sorry to miss wishing you all a Merry Christmas, so have a Happy New year,- and make sure you see Nigel’s New Year Message on the Party web site.

Derek Clark   MEP                                           Northampton  Dec 31^st 2012

Election success

Northampton Commentary                                   2^nd  Dec 2012

Following Margot’s terrific performance in Corby two weeks ago we now add  three more,-

Croyden North,- Winston McKenzie, 6%, third place.

Middlesborough, - Richard Elvin, 11.8%, second place.

Rotherham, - Jane Collins, 22%, second place.

All three beat the Lib-Dems, two of whom lost their deposit; with Corby that’s three Lib-Dem lost deposits recently. No surprise that Labour won all these by-elections in their traditional areas. But remember, we also beat the Lib-Dems in 7 of the PCC elections.

Actually, this should have been a Brussels commentary but when I heard about the foster children scandal I decided to abandon the two day Employment Committee and spend some time in Rotherham instead, on election eve. That we were helped by this outrage is irrelevant; the Labour Council did not have to take the children away just before the election. That’s arrogance. This action was condemned on all sides, not least by those who called at the UKIP stand in the market place, where I spent the day. People who stopped to talk all said the Council action was disgraceful and most said they were Labour voters, but never again.

For me, it is more than that. That Council acted as a totalitarian regime,- suppression of  dissidents is what they do best. They could not stop this couple from voting as they wished so they took the children away. How nasty can you get? It reminded me of Stalin sending thousands of dissidents to the Gulags, of the Gestapo in Nazi Germany and of the East German Stasi.

I see a lot of this undemocratic attitude in Brussels and Strasbourg but  in Rotherham I met a lady UKIP member from Sheffield where she was a magistrate. Or, rather, a former Magistrate. She was finding that, increasingly, she was not conducting her Court, passing judgements, or dispensing justice according to our own legal system, forged over generations, but forced to follow EU systems instead. The EU has thus penetrated right down to local magistrate level, so she quit. Good for her, and we now have a fine member.

I try to present a flavour of EU control madness in these commentaries and I offer another here. You will have seen the videos of Nigel and of responses from people like the demented Guy Verhofstadt, Belgian leader of the Lib-Dems. He remarked that the EU budget was only140 billion Euros, a lot less than most national budgets. His conclusion,- “Don’t waste money on national Budgets, increase the EU budget”! He was not alone in leading MEPs in calling for increased EU spending.

Another MEP, Ms Zimmer (Socialist) said that Nigel was wrong to speak like that, “Why do you always have to speak against us?” Clearly, she has not understood the meaning of democracy. For her, and lots of them, democracy is no more than putting an “X” on a ballot paper every now and then. She, they, do not understand that in a Parliamentary Democracy principled opposition is of the essence.

That’s the way the EU is going, and its coming here, make no mistake. So we start by a mass attack in the Council elections next May. Please back up the outstanding results of Margot and the others recently by getting the Party name and logo on every ballot paper next spring. Make it the launch pad for the Euro elections a year later and the Westminster elections a year after that, 2015.

A final comment. The by-election results are the best we have recorded and they were in labour areas. We did well not just by taking Tory and Lib-Dem votes, but Labour also. I am a member of CAEF, the Campaign Against Euro Federalism which is rooted in the Trade Union movement. Every single one of their sixth monthly magazines carries articles condemning our EU membership. One of their leading lights is Bob Crow and if you have heard him speak on the subject he absolutely shreds the EU. Former Labour Minister Lord Peter Shore, now sadly deceased, was a founder member of CAEF and I had the privilege of hearing him speak in Cardiff years ago. In a restrained, controlled way, he too left us in no doubt that the EU was an evil, secretive organisation to be avoided at all costs.

Old Labour is on our side, but they need persuading that we are the right vehicle and we won’t do that by just popping up at General Elections.   

Derek Clark   MEP                                          Northampton 2^nd Dec 2012.

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary session 19th - 22nd Nov 2012

Strasbourg Commentary                Plenary session           19th - 22nd  Nov 2012

You will know that the ceiling of the Brussels debating chamber has started to fall in. This is a dome-like structure and, for reference, St Paul's Cathedral was completed in 1710, with no JCB insight, nor tower cranes.  Nor reinforced concrete, only Wren's primitive starter for 10, or rather for 302 years. And still there in spite of Hitler. It seems that it will be out of action until well into next year, so business due for Brussels is transferred to Strasbourg.

Tuesday.  Voting included the ridiculous intrusions into motor bikes. They want to prohibit owners from making modifications and adding parts; all will have to go to registered bike repair shop. In vain do I tell them that these bikers are responsible people and it's their necks at risk. No use, regs are regs. As a non-biker I have done my best to support them, attending rallies and their evening meeting in Buxton. The report on this issue was carried by 636 -16. The Tories, Labour & Lib-Dems all voted in favour, the 16 against were ourselves and some of the EFD group.

Then parliament voted for the right of EU citizens to vote and stand in Euro elections in other than their own country. How do you like that? Well, the Tories did, and the Lib-dems, and Labour, 618 altogether for, 23 against, including UKIP, of course.

Then, by 482 to 160 they voted against democracy on economic & Monetary affairs. National sovereignty, democratic legitimacy, were all voted down but they supported collective action, disclosure of commercially sensitive information and a Federal Europe.

Wednesday  More money voted away but at least they supported the exploration for shale gas, with reservations, which is transforming the US economy.

Thursday  We agreed on the need to stop the obscene business of cutting off shark fins before throwing the shark back into the sea to die in agony. You would have thought this was illegal everywhere but the Commission has, in its wisdom, previously ruled that governments who wished to allow their fishermen to do this would be allowed to continue. Hopefully 506 votes to 47 will put a stop to that but the UK government banned this years ago and we have replied accordingly to the dozens of emails in protest we have all received. It just goes to show the kind of people we are sharing the EU with.

You may have seen the extraordinary outburst of Guy Verhofstadt, the Lib-Dems leader; it’s on You Tube and the UKIP MEP's website.  He ranted at Nigel for not having appeared in the Fishing Committee, where he is a member, at all this year. If you have seen the video you will know that we are up against a madman. I can give you an up-date. Verhofstadt is a member of the Constitutional Committee which has met 12 times this year so far. Verhofstadt  appeared in the January & February meetings, but never since on any occasion. Moreover, unlike a lot of MEPs he is not a full member of any other committee. I leave you to ponder.

Never mind Strasbourg for now, I come to the main point. In Corby last Thursday Margot Parker recorded the biggest vote ever for UKIP in any by-election. That's a staggering achievement on its own but to have forced the Lib-dem candidate into 4th place, and a lost deposit, is wonderful. Remember, the Lib-dems are past masters at by-elections, flooding in bus loads of canvassers from all over. This time no, not many to be seen. They are temporarily out of it, demoralised by their abject performance at Westminster.     

Margot's performance in Corby was a lesson in endurance: she just did not stop. Helpers from many places played their part. Do you remember David Lott? Once of Hexham he was the Party's national Organiser for the 1997 (I think) elections but retired to live in France a while back. With his wife, Cathy, he was there in Corby the week prior to election!! London came up with 5 or 6 helpers.

No less impressive was our performance in the two PCC Elections we contested.  In Derbyshire, David Gale worked hard to get 16.2%, which is the fourth best UKIP result of 24 contests.  He was not helped by Derby University whose Student body ran a Hustings but banned him from appearing.  The Students Union have a ‘no floor’ policy and they reckon that ‘David/UKIP’ are extremists, not to say worse.  At least the Derby Telegraph printed an account of that, including David’s protest.

Meanwhile in Northamptonshire, Jim Macarthur worked equally hard with his campaign partly doubling up with the Corby By-election.  He was so effective that his 18.75% was the best result of all UKIP Candidates (the percentages quoted here are of the first preference votes cast, counting the second preference votes became very messy and to my mind undemocratic). 

To both of those, Congratulations for their efforts, they are part of our national result which saw us beat the Lib Dems in many other PCC elections.

Last Saturday I lent a hand with Lee Water's stall in Gedling. By the time I got there at 11.00 they had got rid of 100 videos and most of the literature. I stood out in the road with our plastic bags, not much in them due to the earlier rush, but still had people taking them from the hand without being approached.

All of which means that we are really on the up, but you knew that from the increased press/ TV coverage.  Now, the Lib-dems, and the Scots Nats, came to prominence partly via local elections,- and we have local elections next May.

Please make sure we have the Party name and logo on all the ballot papers. People will vote for us in elections where it really matters, Westminster and Euro, when we have become familiar on earlier ballot papers, so get your name down.  Don will send you the candidate guide but all you really have to do is to get 12 people to sign your nomination form and get it in by close of nominations. There is no cost to you.

If you do a leaflet that does need money but you do not have to do that, paper candidates will do. I know that a lot of members do not like that idea but it gets the name and logo on the ballot paper. Which message would you like to hear? -

 "I wanted to vote UKIP but could not find your candidate on the ballot paper".

                                                 or,

"Didn't know much about him/ her, but at least I saw UKIP on the ballot paper".

NEXT MAY WILL COME ALL TOO SOON.

Derek Clark    MEP                                   Strasbourg   22nd Nov   2012