Following David Cameron’s barn-storming visit to Ballymena last Thursday, William Hague this morning will be in Belfast, at the Waterfront Hall, to speak at the launch of the Conservatives and Unionists Manifesto for the European Elections.
Having quickly read the document, the following are the "stand-outs" for me
1. Jim Nicholson MEP (if elected obviously!) will be a full member of the Conservative Grouping in the next European Parliament.
2. It is part of a UK-wide platform for change with Conservative colleagues nationally, in Scotland and in Wales and so "offers the opportunity for Northern Ireland to play a full part in mainstream UK politics".
3. Transparency and ethics
All office costs, details of all travel, names of all staff, contractors and ‘paying agents’ and expenses claims will be online and updated them on a quarterly basis.
4.Support for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty
The only mainstream UK party to do so, they also "support the right of the British people to have their say – through a referendum – on any proposed future transfer of competences, as powers are called in EU jargon."
5. Opposition to any further moves to involve Britain in deeper political integration in the EU.
6. Pledge to keep Britain out of the euro.
7. Support for the return of social and employment legislation to national control.
8. Opposition to wasteful spending throughout the EU, including calling for an end to European Parliament meetings in Strasbourg.
9. Support for the further enlargement of the EU, including to the Ukraine, Belarus, Turkey, Georgia and the countries of the Balkans, if they wish to achieve EU membership, "however distant that prospect may be in some cases".
(This is the most interesting and positive one for me)
10. The formation, along with the Czech Civic Democrats, of a new centre-
right, non-federalist group in the European Parliament.
The full document may be read here.
9 comments:
Wonder if Cameron cares about comments from new force representatives regarding the death of a Catholic father killed by a Protestant mob?
At least when the mask slips we get honesty now and then.
What representatives and which mask
in particular are you talking about?
This was from Empey and McClarty:
http://tinyurl.com/plrhes
I thought the Tory link was supposed to bring some expertise to UCUNF events. Add to the poor organisation of the Cameron visit now the second Tory name to come and they organise it for a bank holiday!?!
Mere teething problems!
They're getting the fine-tuning ready for the main event...
Poor organisation?!
Methinks the DUP doth protest too much. Cameron visit got plenty of coverage - and continues to do so it this weeks Ballymena papers!
Hague visit on Bank Holiday seems to have worked well with good coverage on TV, radio and in all three regional dailies
FD
I didn't see the bit about Cameron's visit- the only thing that went wrong I thought was that the Q and An session wasn't live because of the lack of internet connection (which I put down to a cunning DUP plot!)
Oneill
"the only thing that went wrong I thought was that the Q and An session wasn't live"
He came on a Thursday not a Friday.
He was wasted on a factory visit and the new HQ instead of pressing flesh of general public.
As you mentioned no wireless/internet so couldn't be done online (and according to TTVoL no mobile coverage either.)
Anon
"Methinks the DUP doth protest too much"
Yawn.
"Cameron visit got plenty of coverage"
Should have been front page friday, it wasn't.
"good coverage on TV, radio and in all three regional dailies"
Coverage on a day when people are paying even less attention than usual is not good media planning.
>>Ulster Unionist assembly member David McClarty said it was too early to say who was involved.
"We are in a situation here where we have to moderate our language and not go throwing blame where no proof has been given as to who was responsible for this incident.
"There is an element of sectarianism in the area but the vast majority of people in the Killowen/Heights area of Coleraine want to live in peace and harmony with their next door neighbours," he said.<<
Yep, sounds like he doesn't want to upset the people who would potentially vote for him. You know the types, those who would put Mr McDaids name on a tricolour for the bonfire.
Weasel words from the UUP man here considering that umpteen witnesses have pointed out just who those involved were, but hey you defend away.
Tony,
I've attempted to answer your comment in the post directly relating to Coleraine.
FD
The Friday of last week was the Friday before a bank-holiday, I was in wind-down (pub) mode juts past midday and I guess the majority of journos would have been the same...Thursday makes more sense for me.
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