France and Italy propose revising Schengen Treaty following immigration row

From "Open Europe"

Nicolas Sarkozy and Silvio Berlusconi will meet today to discuss revising the Schengen Treaty in light of recent tensions over immigration. Italy's Foreign Minister, Franco Frattini, has said that Italy will accept a review of Schengen, in return for extra EU funds to help it deal with migrants, reports the Telegraph. The revised agreement is expected to propose that border controls can be reinstated between EU member states in exceptional circumstances when external EU borders have been breached. Italian daily La Stampa reports that the joint proposal could also call for a burden sharing agreement with a redistribution of migrants.  

French Europe Minister Laurent Wauquiez is quoted in the Journal du Dimanche saying, "Europe is not the free movement of illegal immigrants". The Italian authorities are reportedly accused of buying train tickets for migrants issued with temporary visit permits and encouraging them to travel to France, reports the Telegraph. On his BBC blog, Europe Editor Gavin Hewitt notes, “The real tension here is that EU principles are increasingly seen as at odds with economic reality and the wishes of a majority of the people. Appeals to solidarity do not sit well with the voters. The dilemma is similar to that of the bail-outs. In order to keep the euro together Brussels is supporting policies that alienate many voters”.

AV YES/NO? THE EU DIMENSION

Are you a bit confused with the Alternative Vote Referendum on May 5th?

There is an interesting conflict of increasing ferocity being worked up between the Cameroonies and the Cleggers over the AV Referendum.
Could it be nothing more than a bit of cynical play acting to con us lumpen public and divert the attention of the media away from two very significant aspects.

1. For over 60 years the Liberal Party has campaigned vigorously for Proportional Representation. The Political Elite and the media do not mention PR now - only Alternative Voting. The only alternative on offer as it is safest option for the coalition.
Proportional Representation has been quietly ruled out by the coalition and no longer mentioned. This is because under PR there is now the very real probability that UKIP would gain far more MPs than the Lib Dems, possibly of even more than the Labour Party. There is no way that the Political Elite will dare risk that.

2. This Referendum may well be pointless anyway. Brussels already makes 70-80% of British law that completely bypasses Westminster and besides the Lisbon Treaty came into force on 1st Jan 2009.
The ultimate aim of this treaty is for the EU to be a single nation of Europe ruled from Brussels. All the existing nations are to be completely absorbed into it and England will no longer exist. You will be European not English. (Indeed, as of now the legal and political status of England is very ambiguous and it is certainly being steadily degraded).

The Lisbon Treaty paves the way for the complete sidelining of Westminster and UK political parties sometime in the future.

INDEPENDENT AUSTRALIA! GILLARD'S LATEST WARNING TO IMMIGRANTS

Apparently, these are not the comments of Julia Gillard but, those of John Howard and others, and date back to the time of the Bali Bombings. 
Nonetheless, they are words with which most of us would strongly identify and a message that our spineless, apologist politicians should be sending loud and clear to those who wish to come and live amongst us...

"IMMIGRANTS,  NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT.. Take It Or Leave It. 
I  am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are  offending some individual or their culture. Since the  terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge  in patriotism by the majority of Australians. '  
  
'This culture has been developed over two  centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions  of men and women who have sought freedom'  
  
'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish,  Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any  other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of  our society . Learn the language!' 
  
'Most  Australians  believe in God. This is not some Christian,  right wing, political push, but a fact, because  Christian men and women, on Christian principles,  founded this nation, and this is clearly documented It  is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of  our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you  consider another part of the world as your new home,  because God is part of our culture.' 
  
'We  will accept your beliefs, and will not question why All  we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and  peaceful enjoyment with us.' 
  
'This is OUR  COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow  you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you  are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our  Way of Life, I highly encourage you take  advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE  RIGHT TO LEAVE'.' 
 'If you  aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to  come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted."

If only we had a PM with the courage to stand up to those who would rob us of our heritage and identity, instead of that spineless, acquiescent wimp, Cameron.
This week, Home Secretary Theresa Maynot was posturing about refusing to accept refugees from North Africa who had been given EU resident visas by the Italians. Given that our government bends to every whim of Emperor Barosso and his Evil Empire, these will prove to be yet more weasel words.

FOOD PRICES SET TO ROCKET BECAUSE OF RELIANCE ON FOOD IMPORTS

From "THE TELEGRAPH":

GOVERNMENT FAILING ON FOOD

The price of groceries will continue to rise, Government watchdogs have warned, because of the failure of Britain to grow its own food.

Food prices will continue to rise, warn Government watchdogs. Photo: ALAMY

By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent 7:00AM GMT 25 Mar 2011

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Food prices have already risen more than six per cent over the last year, forcing many households to cut down on luxuries.

Professor Tim Lang, the Government’s top food tsar, said prices are likely to rise even further, up to ten per cent, as oil prices go up and demand for basic commodities like wheat increases.

He said the UK Government has failed to protect the country against these price shocks by encouraging farmers to grow our own fruit and vegetables or produce meat.

In the last 20 years the amount of food imported into the UK has grown to 40 per cent.

In a damning final report from the Sustainable Development Commission, food commissioner Prof Lang said the problem of obesity will also continue to get worse as government has failed to change the nation’s eating habits.

And the reliance on transporting food from abroad, often grown on deforested land using oil-intensive technology, is driving climate change.

Despite efforts to turn the situation around, Prof Lang said the Coalition Government has abandoned any policy on sustainable food.

The Professor of Food Policy at City University London said the 'big society' plans to let private companies drive the move to more environmentally friendly, healthy foods will not happen fast enough and the government should be intervening. He suggested training more young people to grow food, cookery classes at schools and "eco-nutrition" advice for consumers.

“The challenge of feeding growing populations healthily while minimising environmental damage – particularly as food and fuel prices continue to rise – should remind governments that this is not a time to step away from tackling our food system. Obesity and climate change are two huge market failures. Our review of the last decade shows that progress requires the hands-on participation of governments – not a ‘leave it to the market’ approach’,” he said.

Mary Creagh, Shadow Environment Secretary, urged the Government to take action to bring down food prices before household suffer further.

“Families are feeling the squeeze from food prices which are rising three times faster in the UK than in other major countries,” she said.“This final report from the Sustainable Development Commission is a damning indictment of the Tory-led Government’s inaction on food prices and security of supply.”

£400 per family demanded by EU

• DAILY MAIL:

  
  

  The last straw for British taxpayers: £400 per family demanded by EU

  By TIM SHIPMAN
  
  
  Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1378862/EUs-10bn-slap-face-Britain-4-9-budget-rise.html#ixzz1K9lC9izu
• 
  
• Hike fuels war of wills between Cameron and EU 

Downing Street reacted with fury last night after Eurocrats demanded an inflation-busting budget increase which would saddle British taxpayers with a £10billion EU bill - the equivalent of £400 per household - for the first time.

The European Commission ignored David Cameron’s demands for belt-tightening and demanded a 4.9 per cent budget bump.

While the Government is making cuts at home, British taxpayers will be told to pay an extra £682million to Brussels, where the annual cost of Eurocrats will soar by £5.5billion to £117billion a year.

Tensions: A battle of wills has erupted between David Cameron, left, and EU Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski

The budget request is a slap in the face for the Prime Minister, who last year fought to limit the EU spending increase for 2011 to 2.9 per cent – less than half what was originally demanded.

Mr Cameron joined forces with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to demand a real-terms freeze in the budget until 2020. 

But the Commission yesterday raised two fingers to Europe’s most influential leaders. Chancellor George Osborne was last night contacting key European allies in the hope of agreeing a united front to block the proposed budget rise.

Brussels has spent £350,000 on a project to improve the 'lifestyles' of Hungarian dogs

Mr Osborne said: ‘The European Commission need a reality check.

‘Their proposed budget rise is completely unacceptable, especially at a time when we are asking the British people to reduce the record budget deficit and pay off the national credit card.’

Mr Osborne blamed Labour for Britain’s huge Brussels bill, since the basic budget package was agreed by Tony Blair in 2005, when the former government handed back large chunks of the rebate negotiated for the UK by Margaret Thatcher.

 

More...

• Cameron's backtrack: Plan to slash number of immigrants 'is ambition, not coalition policy', PM says

EU Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski sought to justify the  budget demands, saying bills for regional projects across Europe are flooding in  to Brussels.

‘Some ask why we would increase the EU budget when member states face severe austerity measures at home; this is a legitimate question,’ he said. ‘We must pay the bills coming from projects from across Europe.’  

But the demand for more cash comes shortly after revelations about appalling waste at the heart of Brussels. 

European auditors have already told  the Commission to recover ‘at least’ £595million which should not have been paid to regional projects.

MEPs voted to double their budget  for champagne receptions, increased spending on their courtesy limousines and earlier this month voted to hang on to first-class travel perks. 

They have been handed an extra £32,000 a year to pay for new assistants or pay rises for existing researchers. 

Brussels has also pumped huge amounts of money into worthless projects, such as £350,000 for a project to improve the ‘lifestyles’ of Hungarian dogs.

Bill Cash, chairman of the Commons European Scrutiny Committee, said: ‘The wild extravagance demonstrated by the European Parliament and their attitudes towards budgets are just totally unacceptable.’ 

The budget has to be approved by the parliament and the member states.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1378862/EUs-10bn-slap-face-Britain-4-9-budget-rise.html#ixzz1K9l2rPfi

European human rights rulings are having a 'chilling effect' on public safety, warns peer.

Daily Telegraph:

ECHR Rulings are having a 'chilling effect' on public safety

Lord Carlile, a Liberal Democrat peer, said decisions under the European Convention on Human Rights had hampered the deportation of people who put the public at risk.

And he warned European judges have put themselves on a “collision course” with the UK parliament over prisoner votes row.

He hit out in a report by Dominic Raab, the Tory MP, who said unelected and inexperienced European judges risk triggering a constitutional crisis by attacking the will of politicians here.

Mr Raab said judges at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg were assuming a legislative function that was beyond their agreed powers.

The pair attacked the increasing influence of European human rights laws in a new report for the think tank Civitas, published today.

It comes as tensions intensify between Britain and Strasbourg after the ECHR ruled a blanket ban on prisoners voting was illegal.

The Coalition last week lost its final appeal to overturn the ruling despite MPs voting overwhelmingly against it in a parliamentary motion earlier this year.

In a foreword to the report, Strasbourg in the Dock, Lord Carlile said the European Convention is out of date with “reasonable public expectation” and should be modernised.

He echoed concerns that one knock on effect of European rulings has been to make it more difficult to deport potentially dangerous people.

He said: “A narrow interpretation of the Convention has had a chilling effect on deportation and thereby on public safety.

“This is an urgent matter.”

The concern follows a series of high profile cases where criminals have prevented their deportation under human rights laws.

They include Aso Mohammed Ibrahim, an asylum seeker who killed a 12-year-old girl in a hit and run incident.

Lord Carlile, who recently stepped down as the independent reviewer of terror legislation, also warned on the prisoner vote issue.

“By its approach to this issue, the court of human rights has set itself on a collision course with our own jurisdiction and with Parliament,” he said.

Mr Raab, the author of the report, said the court, in the prisoner vote case, had gone beyond its legitimate powers of interpretation on human rights and was effectively making law.

"This judicial coup represents a naked usurpation, by a judicial body, of the legislative power that properly belongs to democratically-elected law makers," the MP for Esher and Walton said.

The poor quality of the judges was also "undermining the credibility and value of the court", he added.

He said the Government could still refuse to implement the ECHR ruling "without sanction or significant repercussions", but added that the UK needed to "pursue broader reforms to address the fundamental threat posed by judicial legislation".

Last month the Government announced that the case for a British Bill of Rights will be considered by experts advising Ministers on ways to reform the ECHR.

In his report, Mr Raab also claimed that the court's human rights decisions were adding to the pressure on police and the security services.

"The massive expansion of human rights law threatens to frustrate Britain's ability to deport convicted criminals and terrorist suspects," he said.

"The goalposts keep shifting, because of unaccountable judicial legislation – especially the expansion of claims around the right to family life.

"Britain has lost a degree of control over its borders, which inevitably means we are importing more risk. This has contributed to the growing terrorist threat and pressure on MI5 and counter-terrorism police."

Mr Raab called for the ban on deportations that would disrupt family life to be scrapped and for the independence of the Supreme Court to be strengthened.

He added that the Human Rights Act should also be amended so that adverse ECHR rulings would be subject to a Commons debate and a political commitment from the main parties to permit free votes.

By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor 7:00AM BST 21 Apr 2011

MPs fear Channel 4 documentary on the cost of immigrants will fuel race hatred

From today's Daily Mail

"Channel 4 was at the centre of a row last night over a documentary containing new league tables showing which ethnic groups cost taxpayers the most in benefits and council housing.

Tomorrow night's Dispatches, presented by news anchorman Jon Snow, discloses which immigrant communities are a 'debit' and which a 'credit' on 'Britain's balance sheet'.

The documentary has come under fire from MPs who warn that ranking ethnic minorities according to their contribution to society could fuel ethnic divisions. But Channel 4 hit back, saying the show asked important questions about a 'major development of our time' and highlighted the huge contribution made by immigrants."

The 'immigration debate' that politicians so often speak of has never really happened in this country. It has been deliberately stifled by left-leaning politicians who have habitually labelled anyone daring to raise the issue as 'racist' or 'xenophobic'.

If MPs are really afraid that publication of the truth will fuel tension, then they are admitting their full realisation that they have something to hide.

Immigration has been used by the liberal-left as a social engineering tool with the intention of destroying the social cohesion of the UK and breaking down effective resistance to full EU integration. The two are inextricably linked. The Romans called it 'divide and rule'.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Nigel Farage addressing UKIP West London

Nigel Farage speaking in West London:

Diesel Prices Set to Rise

We already have the highest fuel prices in EUrope, thanks entirely to our greedy government's tax regime, which was bolstered by Britain-hating NuLiebour's sustained campaign against road users.
Now it is going to become even more expensive for the average family to travel around the UK. But, maybe that's what our political elite really want?

Britain in EUrope- The view from the FCO

Britain in the EU - Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Where do we stand on Europe?Read on to find out about the British coalition Government's approach to the European Union.

'Active and activist' from the beginning
The British coalition Government will be a positive participant in the European Union. Foreign Secretary William Hague summed this up by saying that the British government would be ‘active and activist, positive and energetic’ from the beginning’

So what does this mean in practice?It means that we’ll play a strong and positive role with our EU partners, with the goal of ensuring that all the nations of Europe are equipped to face the challenges of the 21st century, in particular, global competitiveness, global warming and global poverty.

Accountable to British peopleIt also means that the British Government wants to be accountable to British people for what it does on their behalf in the EU.

As William Hague mentioned when summing up his remarks during the European Affairs Debate "We will play our role [in Europe]with enthusiasm while vigorously advancing our country’s interests."

This means we'll be firm in the defence of British interests. However, we don't believe there is a contradiction between championing the interests of the UK in the EU, and seeking to play a constructive role in making the EU work better.

So, we’ll be working together with the EU on trade, on the single market, on economic growth, delivering real benefits for Britain and British people.

More detail on our prioritiesOur top priority will be to boost economic growth. Working with European partners we want to equip the EU to compete globally in the 21st century keeping people in employment and creating new employment.  First and foremost, that means promoting the single market and developing our trade links.

Another important priority for us is helping Europe make the transition to a Low Carbon Economy. We seek to work with partners to speed up efforts to ensure a low carbon energy and transport infrastructure, and low carbon trade, thus establishing the EU as a global leader.   

You can read the Minister for Europe’s strategic overview on UK priorities during the Hungarian EU Presidency here.

The EU BillOn the 25 April 2010 Her Majesty the Queen announced 22 new pieces of legislation, put forward by the new British coalition Government. Amongst these is the EU Bill. This piece of legislation will ensure, that in future, Parliament and British people will have their say on any proposed transfer of powers from the UK to the European Union. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is leading on the preparation of this legislation. On Monday 13 September, Minister for Europe, David Lidington published a Written Ministerial Statement(WMS) which provided an update on preparation of the legislation.

Red Tape Challenge - Hoodwinking the British People

 What is Red Tape Challenge  about?

"It’s about harnessing the experience and ideas of those who deal with regulation day-
in, day-out to help us cut red tape. Through this site we’re gathering your thoughts on
which regulations should stay, which can be merged, which can be scrapped and so on.
Ministers and government officials will then use this information to help them cut the
right regulations in the right way."

Well, that's what the ConDems would have us believe.
In reality it is a complete waste of government time and public money. The UK government has no power to overturn or abolish EU regulations, and Cleggeron does not have the backbone to stand up to and ignore them.
They even admit as much themsleves

Will you scrap EU regulations?"The UK government cannot scrap EU regulations, but we do recognise the burden they impose. That is why we are giving the public an opportunity to comment on how EU legislation has been implemented in the UK on this website. We will then review any instances of ‘gold-plating’ – where the UK has gone beyond the minimum required by the EU legislation."

It is quite inescapable that, the more our government tries to convince us that they can control and regulate our involvement with  the EU, the more it becomes clear that we cannot be masters of our own destiny or protect our own interests whilst we remain members of this anti-democratic, socialist monstrosity.
They are, unwittingly, making the case for leaving.

Belfast: Yet another attempted murder of Police Officers

From BBC News:

Belfast bomb 'clear attempt to murder police officers'

Click to play

Continue reading the main story

Police said a bomb in south Belfast had the potential to kill police officers and members of the public.

Army technical officers were called to Annadale Embankment at about 0130 BST on Tuesday and the police helicopter was also launched.

Officers were lured towards the device by a phone call claiming a woman was in distress in the area.

Superintendent Chris Noble said it was a "clear attempt to murder officers".

The device was attached to a stile at the top of a path leading to the Lagan River.

Police said a significant number of officers responded to a call apparently from a woman in distress in a wood.

Police said the bomb was small but could have killed. Supt Noble described those responsible as "callous".

The area remains cordoned off whilst the police carry out searches for any additional devices.

Continue reading the main storyNo homes were evacuated in the overnight security alert. The road closure from Mornington Place to Wellington Square remains in place.

Two weeks ago, Catholic police officer, Ronan Kerr, 25, was killed when a bomb exploded under his car in Omagh.

Dissidents republicans have been blamed for his murder.

Despite widespread condemnation of Mr Kerr's murder, the police have said they fear dissident republicans may have already identified their next target, and will continue their efforts to kill more officers.

UKIP Wales Election Broadcast

At last, I've jumped on the blogging bandwagon and could think of no better way to start than by sharing this video; A party political broadcast by the only credible UK political party targeted at my favourite part of the Britain.


UKIP Wales Election Broadcast