Heath prepared to resign over EU referendum vote; Harvey to renege on promise to voters?
18 February 2008
The BBC reports that Lib Dem frontbencher David Heath MP might have to resign his front bench position because he intends to vote for a referendum on the EU Constitution. He acknowledged that his future was in the balance but was prepared to lose his job "if that is the consequence of voting for a referendum on the treaty. It has not yet been determined. The chief whip knows what my position is. We have been discussing it for some time." He attacked I Want a Referendum for holding a postal ballot in his constituency saying "they know perfectly well I am in favour of a referendum". The article reports that Lib Dem frontbencher Nick Harvey is now not going to support a referendum on the EU Constitution - despite telling his constituents that he would.
Cost to
The British Chambers of Commerce’s 2008 Burdens Barometer reports that the total cost of the major regulations to
Sunday Times Burdens Barometer 2008
EU holding back on controversial health directive until Lisbon Treaty ratified in UK
The News of the World reported that the EU is withholding controversial legislation until after ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in the
Patricia Hewitt has ambitions to be
Mandelson to reforge alliance with Blair in
Saturday’s Telegraph reported that Patricia Hewitt, the former UK Health Secretary, is on course to become
The Telegraph has established that Hewitt used a trip to
The
I Want a Referendum round up
The Southern Daily Echo reports that Chris Huhne has called on voters to "boycott" the referendum that I Want a Referendum is holding in his
Daily Echo Telegraph-Hannan Mirror
Kosovo declares independence
Kosovo's parliament on Sunday unanimously declared the independence of the province from
BBC BBC BBC Analysis EUobserver BBC Mardell Mail Telegraph EUobserver Sunday Telegraph Observer DW Independent-leader IHT Guardian Guardian
WSJ: “taxpayers are already contributing ‘huge sums’ just to fund the Prince's green grand-standing”
A leader in the WSJ comments on the Prince of Wales’ speech on the environment to the EU Parliament last week: “’Huge sums’ of money, Prince Charles told the European Parliament Thursday, are required to keep the developing world from killing off the rainforests and exacerbating global warming. The heir to the British throne laid out what amounts to a simple (and familiar) formula: Politicians will set some rules and the rest of us will foot the bill. But then, taxpayers are already contributing ‘huge sums’ just to fund the Prince's green grand-standing. Despite its inherited wealth,
France proposes EU-Ukraine 'association' pact
EU to ban firework displays?
The Mail on Sunday reported that MEPs have approved an EU directive that would impose new standards for fireworks on the
Cypriot President defeated in first round of elections
Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos has been defeated in the first round of the divided country's presidential elections in which a relaunch of the island's peace process was the dominant issue. In 2004, Mr Papadopoulos successfully encouraged the Greek Cypriot community to reject a peace plan devised by then UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, that had been overwhelmingly supported by the island's Turkish community.
In an interview with the WSJ, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson says that failure to conclude the Doha trade talks before the next US president takes office, would effectively kill off the round, leading to more protectionism and less multilateralism.
The front page of Saturday’s Times reported that, for the first time since they began arriving en masse four years ago, more UK-based Poles are returning to their homeland than are entering Britain.
In the Independent, Johann Hari questions the CBI’s claim that 250,000 jobs would be lost should the EU’s temporary agency workers directive be adopted.
Conservative MEP Caroline Jackson has a comment piece in the FT, arguing that “On the continent, the Conservatives now have a bad reputation (rapidly getting worse) for crass and offensive behaviour, often noticeably applauded by the party faithful at home. Conservatives are getting a reputation for bad manners towards their continental allies.”
£4.5 billion cut planned in
The Guardian reports on Treasury proposals to cut £4.5 billion from the defence budget over the next three years – the largest cut since the end of the Cold War. The proposed cuts have provoked anger from military chiefs who claim that the armed forces are overstretched on too many battle fronts and under-equipped under the current budget. Proposed cuts to halve the number of submarines in service would reduce this section of the British navy to the size of the Dutch, but proponents argue that
A You Gov poll puts the Tories on 41 per cent, Labour on 32 per cent and the Lib Dems on 16 per cent.