Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
..Ashworth MEP.
Richard is one of our South East MEPs and a good friend to Dover and was very supportive of me when I was Association chairman.
He was elected Leader of the Conservative MEPs this week.
A good man and a good MEP.
An interesting aside. Back in 2004/2005 I went to stay in Richard's flat in Brussels for a weekend (he has since moved). This flat was sandwiched between the US and Russian embassies.... can you imagine who might have lived in that flat and what could have been happening back in the Cold War?.... You would be lucky not to be fried by microwaves flying between the two.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Ive borrowed that picture from the Conservative website but Im sure they wont mind. Good luck to him in the role. Always good to know we have someone making our voice heard in the EU so hopefully he is doing that well.
Jeez not a good spot for a flat..right next to those two. Your bits would drop off with all those microwaves.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
But think of all the honey traps......
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Peter.........!!
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
have to say not heard of him
supopose like cameron and against party wishes
he supports staying in the E.U.?
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
He is very Euro-sceptical - I like him and you cannot get more anti-EU than me! Perhaps not as sceptical as Dan but nevertheless a good bloke and a sharp mind.
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
I wonder what he makes of Roger Helmer's defection to UKIP. Now there is a real eurosceptic par excellence.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
I have always had a lot of time for him Philip but he really has gone off in the wrong direction now.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
richard who,.
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
What is it exactly that has turned you off Mr. Helmer Barry? He's a committed, old fashioned Tory but completely disillusioned with the current leadership. What's not to like?
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
Brian, Richard Ashworth MEP is one of the 526 Members of the european parliament who voted for a ban on the use of patio heaters in the gardens of public houses once the smoking ban came into effect. You remember don't you? The law which has effectively helped to bring forward the demise of the British pub.
Yes, so worried was Mr. Ashworth about rising sea levels and carbon dioxide leading to obesity and dying polar bears and all that sort of stuff that hippies believe in that he thought that patio heaters would actually change the temperature of the world and voted for a ban.
So yes it's quite fitting that this, erm, eurosceptic MEP should be considered the best choice to head the conservatives in Brussels.
Still don't know what the problem is with Roger Helmer though.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
thanks for that philip hypocrites need to be exposed to people like me that haven't a clue what our euro mp's get up to.
the worst ones are the sceptics that are quite happy to luxuriate in the pay and considerable perks then snipe.
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
No problem Howard. I do disagree with you in terms of sceptics taking pay and perks but sniping. On the contrary I think it's essential that there are eurosceptics among the ranks of the gravy trainers. In fact there needs to be more of them. In double fact it would be wonderful if they were all eurosceptic so they could vote for the end of the whole thing.
The trouble is that the tories pretend to be eurosceptic but are in general nothing of the sort. It's so rare that tory high command refuse to sign on the dotted line when it comes to eu law that it's virtually non-existent.
This is precisely why Roger Helmer jumped ship to join UKIP. Whatever you think of UKIP at least they are consistent in their opposition to eu law. The tories, however, talk a good game but are in effect all for it. You only have to see their voting record to realise that no matter what any other tory supporter tells you.
Still don't know what the problem is with Roger Helmer though. Might get an answer sometime this year hopefully.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Roger Helmer, who, as Philip notes, recently crossed over to UKIP, seems to have taken a consistent phalanx of Tory supporters with him. As a MEP in Brussels, his passage did not go unobserved among the Europeans.
Nigel Farage has just stated in an email that UKIP is on the rise again numerically in terms of support, and an important by-election "somewhere in England" in two weeks time is expected to see the final countdown between UKIP and the Libdems for third place.
My guess is that many Westminster MPs are looking at Roger Helmer's move, and may soon be planning a spectacular pass across the field to UKIP.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
Philip - I said he has gone off in the wrong direction - namely joining that bunch of no-hopers, UKIP. A Party that does more to boost the pro-European cause than even the LibDems.
You do get very excited Alexander. No, UKIP will fade away in time.
