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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  ] CAP reform: French win concessions again - Thursday, 26 June Agriculture Ministers from across Europe have caved in to pressure from the French allowing them major concessions over the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. Letter to the Editor - Glossop Chronicle - Tuesday, 17 June 2003 Tom Levitt MP (article, June 12th) must be living on another planet. He says "the euro has been a success...and enabled cohesion across twelve countries". "Let the people decide" - MEPs Support Referendum Ballot - Wednesday, 11 June 2003 East Midlands Euro-MPs Roger Helmer and Chris Heaton-Harris are supporting the Daily Mail's National Referendum tomorrow (12th June) on whether Britain should have a referendum on the proposed European Constitution. Letter to the Editor - Daily Telegraph - Tuesday, 10 June 2003 Adam Nicolson (Article 10/6) repeats the facile fallacy that the nation state is dead, and that democracy can somehow be transposed to the European level. Letter to the Editor - Lincolnshire Echo - Tuesday, 10 June 2003 Gordon Brown's Euro statement seems to suggest that it's Britain's fault that our economy has not "converged" enough to join the Euro. Letter to the Editor - Loughborough Echo - Tuesday, 10 June 2003 I commend Cllr Peter Lewis (Letters 5 June) on his call for a referendum in Charnwood and throughout the UK on the proposed European Constitution and, whilst he omitted to call upon his Conservative MEPs, offer my wholehearted support. Letter to the Editor - Derby Evening Telegraph - Wednesday, 28 May 2003 Everyone concerned about the economic progress of the East Midlands region will welcome the decision of Toyota at Burnaston to put on a third production shift. I had the privilege of attending the launch of Toyota's splendid new Avensis model a few weeks ago, and I am delighted by its success. Letter to the Editor - Nottingham Evening Post - Tuesday, 27 May 2003 Labour MEPs are getting into the habit of voting against their own government's line in the European parliament. Now Mel Read and Phillip Whitehead are arguing against their government's euro policy (letters, 20/5). EU constitution still a stinker, say MEPs - Monday, 26 May 2003 The latest draft of the proposed EU Constitution was published on Monday. According to East Midlands Euro-MPs Roger Helmer and Chris Heaton-Harris, the new draft is totally unacceptable - despite the Labour government's promise to defend vital UK interests. Letter to the Editor - Lincolnshire Echo - Thursday, 22 May 2003 We're used to this Labour government trying to blame their own failures on the previous Tory administration, even though they've been in power for six years. Letter to the Editor - Lincolnshire Echo - Friday, 16 May 2003 The East Midlands Regional Assembly (EMRA) is funded by the tax-payer, and publishes a magazine "England's East Midlands". The Spring edition contained an article by EMRA's Communications Manager Simon Brian (who is paid by the tax-payer). Labour MEPs pile annual costs of up to £1.8bn on British industry - Thursday, 15 May 2003 Local Conservative MEP Roger Helmer has attacked Labour MEPs after they supported a vote on the introduction of compulsory environmental liability insurance. The proposal supported yesterday in the European Parliament, will mean huge costs to British industry. MEP in protest against anti-semitism - Monday 12, May 2003 Conservative MEP Roger Helmer made a personal gesture of protest against anti-Semitism in the European Parliament when he took down an anti-Semitic banner displayed at a Palestinian exhibition in the European Parliament last week. Another faux pas from France - Thursday, 8 May 2003 The European Commission demanded today that France takes measures to reduce its excessive deficit by October 3rd. Government 'Must Come Clean' Over Road Charges says MEP - Tuesday, 6 May 2003 East Midlands Conservative MEP Roger Helmer has demanded that the Government come clean over its plans for further road charges in the UK. CAP mid-term review - Briefing with Lord Whitty of DEFRA - Wednesday, 30th April 2003 The vagaries of the Common Agricultural Policy still encourage farmers to produce what pays the biggest subsidy, rather than what the consumer wants. This has led to farmers becoming increasingly removed from their customers and the market place, whilst still failing adequately to support our rural communities. Visit to South Korea - April 2003 View photographs from Roger's recent trip to South Korea Letter to the Editor - Nottingham Evening Post - Tuesday, 22 April 2003 The Stevens Report on policing in Northern Ireland makes serious allegations of collusion between security forces and Protestant Para-militaries. If such collusion took place, no one should seek to justify it. But there is a stench of hypocrisy about the reaction of the Republican camp. French fined by Europe over beef - Thursday, 3 April 2003 The future of Lincolnshire sheep farming is under threat from new proposals by the European Commission which could cost up to £100 million per year, across the UK, according to a leaked DEFRA estimate. Lincolnshire sheep industry under threat - Tuesday, 1 April 2003 The future of Lincolnshire sheep farming is under threat from new proposals by the European Commission which could cost up to £100 million per year, across the UK, according to a leaked DEFRA estimate. Chaos in Europe over Iraq crisis - Thursday, 27 March 2003 The European Parliament has failed today to reach any kind of agreement on the Iraq crisis. Fortunately, a resolution condemning the military action in Iraq was rejected, following opposition led by British Conservatives. Dolphin free guarantee - Thursday, 27 March 2003 Consumers will soon have a guarantee that the tuna they buy is dolphin friendly, thanks to a new tracking and verification system ensuring the correct labelling of all tuna caught in the future. The law was passed by the European Parliament today. Letter to the Editor - Leicester Mercury - Wednesday, 26 March 2003 Pat Dargue makes an important point on the EU's proposals for Horse Passports (letter, 21/3). They will add to the cost of ownership. This will create a special problem for horse charities and donkey sanctuaries, and may even see some forced to close. Local MEP condemns European TUC call for strikes against Iraq War - Wednesday, 26 March 2003 The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Steering Committee has called on all its affiliated organisations, including the TUC in the UK, "to react to the outbreak of war by all means within their possibilities including work stoppages and strikes" with immediate effect. World TB day - Tuesday, 25 March 2003 Yesterday (Monday 24 March) was World Tuberculosis (TB) Day. Tuberculosis causes about 2 million deaths a year, about 98% in developing countries. There is also concern about the rising cases of TB here in the UK, which has led to the reinstatement of the national vaccination programme. Lib-Dem in space alien search call - Thursday, 20 March 2003 At a meeting of the European parliament's Industry & Research committee on Wednesday, East Midlands Lib-Dem MEP Bill Newton Dunn called for new EU-funded research on space aliens. After fridge mountains, cow mountains could be next! - Tuesday, 18 March 2003 The East Mids landscape could again be blighted by the sight of dead cattle unless the Government introduces plans to implement new EU laws on the disposal of animal carcasses which come into force in April. Reform of EU funding useless if money is not spent - Thursday, 6 March 2003 The Chancellor, Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, has proposed that EU regional and structural funds should be repatriated. At present, thanks to overly bureaucratic procedures and a lack of Government initiative, hundreds of millions of pounds of UK regional funding have been left unspent. East Midlands decisively rejects regional assemblies - Thursday, 20 February 2003 An official government study of opinion about elected regional assemblies shows overwhelming opposition to the idea in the East Midlands. Opposers outnumbered supporters by nearly four to one, with 78.8% of all Yes/No respondents opposing the government's plans. Even including a large number of indeterminate responses, a majority of all submissions opposed elected assemblies. MEPs join MPs call on public to back our cricketers - Thursday, 30 January 2003 East Midlands Euro-MPs Chris Heaton-Harris and Roger Helmer have joined cross party MPs in calling on the public to back England's cricketers in their stand on Zimbabwe. East Midlands Tories choose Euro Team - Monday, 27 January 2003 East Midlands Conservatives have selected 5 Candidates to represent them at the 2004 Elections for the European Parliament. Euro-Parliament spends £1 million on comic books - Wednesday, 15 January 2003 The European parliament is launching a comic-strip book designed to "target young people" and promote the European project. Over a million copies will be published in a total of 22 languages, at an estimated cost of well over £1 million. Cosmetics animal testing to be abolished in the EU - Wednesday, 15 January 2003 The European Parliament has achieved its aim of giving the go-ahead to plans to end the testing of cosmetics on animals in the European Union. MEP attacks restrictive rules for drivers - Tuesday, 14 January 2003 East Midlands MEP Roger Helmer has attacked proposals today supported by the European Parliament that will place new restrictions on the amount of time that hauliers and coach drivers can spend on the road.