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		What's Old - Archived stories from the "What's New" section [  July - December 2009  |  January - June 2009  |  July - December 2008  |  January - June 2008  ] [  July - December 2007  |  January - June 2007  |  July - December 2006  |  January - June 2006  ] [  July - December 2005  |  January - June 2005  |  July - December 2004  |  January - June 2004  ] [  July - December 2003  |  January - June 2003  |  July - December 2002  |  April - June 2002  ] E-borders plans should be dropped - Tuesday, 30th June 2009 Plans to collect the records of everyone who enters and leaves the UK - under the so-called 'E-borders' scheme - are impractical, intrusive and could lead to chaos at our ports and international rail stations, Roger Helmer MEP, for the East Midlands, warned today. Cu-cumbersome laws on fruit and veg to be scrapped - Tuesday, 30th June 2009 A decades old political hot potato for the European Commission will finally be repealed tomorrow when the EU lifts its ban on wonky fruit and veg, Roger Helmer, East Midlands Conservative MEP, said today. Cameron delivers in Brussels - Wednesday, 24th June 2009 Fulfilling a promise made in his leadership campaign three years ago, David Cameron has pulled his Conservative MEPs out of the federalist European People's Party Group in the European Parliament, and formed an entirely new grouping, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). MEP blown away by wind week celebration - Monday, 15th June 2009 East Midlands Conservative MEP Roger Helmer has today spoken out about the British Wind Energy Association’s "UK Wind Week 2009". The event which has been established to coincide with "Global Wind Day" on June 15th, has been extended to a week of activities for wind farms and supporters to celebrate wind energy. Sharp exchanges at East Midlands euro-count - Monday, 8th June 2009 The East Midlands European election count, at the Aylestone Leisure Centre in Leicester on Sunday, was marked by a sharp exchange between two of the re-elected MEPs, Conservative Roger Helmer and Lib-Dem Bill Newton Dunn. Best Value MEPs - Wednesday, 3rd June 2009 A new Taxpayers' Alliance study designed to analyse all UK MEPs for transparency, and for participation in the parliament's work, shows both of the Conservative East Midlands MEPs -- myself and Chris Heaton-Harris -- in the top 5 out of 78. Kilroy-Silk bows out - Thursday, 7th May 2009 Today, nominations closed for euro-candidates in the East Midlands euro election (taking place on June 4th), and as widely expected Robert Kilroy-Silk MEP was not on the list. Kilroy-Silk, TV personality, former talk-show host and former Labour MP, made a big impact, taking UKIP's share of the vote in the region to an exceptional 25%. Working Time Directive opt-out safe - for now - Tuesday, 28th April 2009 Local Labour MEP Glenis Willmott has lost her latest bid to limit the amount of overtime British workers can put in after talks aimed at finding a deal on the Working Time Directive collapsed early this morning in Brussels, Roger Helmer, local Conservative MEP, said today. Conservatives launch campaign for a referendum - Monday, 27th April 2009 The government must grant the British people a referendum on the EU Constitution, East Midlands Conservative MEP, Roger Helmer, said today after David Cameron launched a new campaign demanding the government honours its manifesto commitment. Electronic money on the rise thanks to European Parliament vote - Friday, 24th April 2009 Electronic money products such as the Oyster card for London Underground could soon be used for making far more payments in the East Midlands thanks to a new directive adopted by the parliament today, driven by Conservative MEPs, local Conservative MEP Roger Helmer said today. Local MEP highlights 100,000 extra pages of EU rules under Labour - Thursday, 16th April 2009 The true scale of the 100,000 extra pages added to the Acquis Communautaire - the EU's rulebook - since Labour came to power has been illustrated by East Midlands Conservative MEP Roger Helmer in Brussels. Working Time Directive: Opt-Out saved! - Friday, 3rd April 2009 Attempts to reach a deal between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers on the UK’s opt-out of the Working Time Directive have failed, committee member and Conservative East Midlands MEP, Roger Helmer who was in discussions has branded negotiations as a “sham discussion going round in endless circles.” EU's Political Correctness Attacked - Tuesday, 31st March 2009 Four weeks ago the European parliament introduced a guide to gender-neutral language, arguing that gender-specific language was "discriminatory". No reference can be made to a woman's marital status. Terms like "Mr. and Mrs", Monsieur and Madame, Signor and Signorita are out. MEPs must say "flight attendant", not stewardess; "fire-fighter", not fireman; business executive, not businessman. Victory for Valencian land grab victims - Thursday, 26th March 2009 The European Parliament's adoption of a highly critical report into so-called 'Valencian land grabs' will send a powerful signal to the Spanish authorities to end this scandal, East Midlands Conservative MEP and member of the petitions committee, Roger Helmer said today. Open letter to Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the Parliament - Thursday, 26th March 2009 You are quoted by EU Observer as saying, with regard to possible delays in Czech ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, that "I cannot imagine that the Czech people, these 10 million people ... are going at the end of the day to stand against the 490 other million citizens of the European Union ... We have a historic responsibility to see this through". EU Commission "to rig Irish referendum" - Thursday, 19th March 2009 According to reports in the Irish press, the EU Commission is planning an "information" campaign designed to influence the outcome of the second Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, expected this autumn. A meeting took place in Brussels on March 18th to plan the campaign, which is expected to involve expenditure of around €2 million. NHS boilers could be shut down by EU pollution control law - Thursday, 12th March 2009 Around 70 NHS hospitals could face draconian costs for their boilers under proposals to bring them into an EU directive on industrial pollution, Roger Helmer Conservative MEP for the East Midlands, has warned. Lib-Dems -- good for a laugh? - Wednesday, 11th March 2009 It seems that the East Midlands' sole Lib-Dem MEP, Bill Newton Dunn, is short of things to occupy his time. This may come as a surprise, because there's a euro-election coming on June 4th. He should be busy. But he's just sent a spam e-mail to all MEPs and assistants in the European parliament asking for jokes from their home countries. EU costs every family £4,700, says new study - Tuesday, 10th March 2009 £4,700 a year: that's the cost of Britain's membership of the European Union to the average household, according to new research by the Taxpayers' Alliance. That's £2,000 for every man, woman and child in the country. Britain's public debt out of control, European Commission confirms - Thursday, 19th February 2009 Britain needs a 'more ambitious' effort to reduce its record levels of public debt in the medium term, the European Commission has said today in its assessment of how countries shape up against the EU's Stability and Growth Pact. Last ditch attempt to stop sheep tagging - Tuesday, 17th February 2009 West Country MEP Neil Parish has delivered to the European Commission a resolution signed by over 40 MEPs, including East Midlands MEP Roger Helmer, calling for the proposed rules to Electronically Identify all sheep in the EU to be brought in on a voluntary basis. MEPs back Valencian land grab victims - Wednesday, 11th February 2009 Victims of so-called 'Valencian land-grabs' were given a boost today when the European Parliament's Petitions Committee adopted a highly critical report by Margrete Auken, a Danish Green MEP, calling for Spanish authorities to stop these outrages against innocent citizens. MEP raises concerns over EU sheep tagging plans - Wednesday, 28th January 2009 Current plans state that from 2010, all sheep born in the EU will have to be electronically tagged to help prevent the spread of disease. The tags come at a cost of £1.50 each which is only slightly less than the market value of the animal. Spanish Property scandal attacked in Brussels - Tuesday, 20th January 2009 Today in Brussels an East Midlands MEP called the Valencia land laws, which have resulted in the confiscation and demolition of hundreds of properties (some owned by East Midlands people), “not unlike Robert Mugabe's land re-distribution policies”. Recreational fishing to fall within the Common Fisheries Policy? - Monday, 19th January 2009 A proposed EU regulation that would bring recreational fishermen under the direct control of the Common Fisheries Policy will be fought tooth and nail by East Midlands Conservative MEP, Roger Helmer. >The commission has proposed a regulation that would require recreational fishermen to register their boats, and whatever they catch would be counted against the fisheries quota for that country. British Defence Sector now enmeshed in EU single market regime - Thursday, 15th January 2009 Following a vote yesterday in the European Parliament, the EU single market will now be expanded to include defence equipment. The new directive on 'Public contracts in the field of defence and security' will require member states to open up their defence procurement process to tendering across the EU. Greek MEPs show "financial illiteracy" - Wednesday, 14th January 2009 A spat has opened up in the European parliament in Strasbourg following Tuesday's debate celebrating the tenth birthday of the euro currency. East Midlands Conservative MEP Roger Helmer, and others, pointed to the serious imbalances in the euro-zone, which have resulted in high unemployment fuelling unrest in Greece, and an unprecedented spread between government bonds in Greece and Germany. Eurozone "A slow-motion train crash" - Tuesday, 13th January 2009 The European parliament will vote this week in Strasbourg on a proposal which would ban a wide range of substances which have been in use widely, and safely, in agriculture for many decades. The highly respected UK Pesticides Safety Directorate, in a recent report, claimed that this new directive could have a dramatic negative impact on food production in the UK. EU threat to food prices, food supplies and farmers - Monday, 12th January 2009 On Tuesday Jan 13th, the European parliament in Strasbourg will conduct a formal, set-piece debate to celebrate ten years of the euro currency. Roger Helmer will be the only British Conservative to speak in the debate.