Dr Richard North
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The failure to develop a fully Eurosceptic policy and the missed
opportunity of making "Europe", in just a small way, a part of the
Conservatives Party's election campaign has handicapped them and allowed
Labour to retain a sizeable majority. Clearly, the Conservatives cannot afford
to ignore neither "Europe" nor UKIP at the next election, if they
are to stand a chance of winning and forming a government
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The choice of a European supplier for British Army trucks may be a
politically driven decision that will put the whole of the US special
relationship at risk, with untold political consequences
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EU propaganda predominantly relies on vacuous general statements. These
assertions will be used to try and make Britain warm to the EU prior to a
referendum on the EU Constitution. Here we shatter those myths
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Billions are being spent in the EU's battle for the hearts and minds of
Europe's citizens.
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The Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon, is committing Britain to a potentially
disastrous military system. However, no procurement contracts have yet to be
awarded so, before we are finally committed to spending huge amounts of money
and going down a road from which there is no return, we should have that
debate. If we go ahead it could mean the surrender of the independence of our
armed forces and the nation, so we owe ourselves that
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The EU has ambitions to harness the key military technology of our age -
the ability to use satellite-positioning technology, which has revolutionised
military operations, making possible the development of high-accuracy
all-weather weapons targeting and enhanced command and control systems. This
will give the EU a greater role on the world stage but at what price to the
Trans-Atlantic Alliance? Furthermore, the EU’s courting of business partners,
in particular the People’s Republic of China could also threaten world
peace
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Summit briefing: Analysis of the agenda items discussed at the IGC Summit
in Brussels concluding the negotiations to the EU Constitution
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Analysis of a European Commission document setting out the EU's agenda
over the next 20 years. It argues that the European Union is in crisis and can
be saved only by turning it into a fully fledged "political union",
with a European tax, minimum wage and pan-European political parties. Here the
report admits that the constitution is only a first stage of building a
political Europe. "Real but limited progress" is the round
table's verdict on that Constitution, undeniably an important step
forward. But it is not the end of the process. It is the beginning.
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The EU faces the possibility of the embarrassing failure, especially just
after its biggest ever enlargement, of not being able to agree the EU
Constitution at the supposedly final IGC summit on 17th-18th June. More and
more, it is looking like the baton will have to be passed to the Dutch
Presidency, which starts on 1st July, with a final summit rescheduled for
mid-December.
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Tony Blair has little choice but to call a referendum on the EU
Constitution – a referendum he cannot win – the political implications for him
are immense and to not call a referendum will bankrupt the whole legitimacy of
European integration. A referendum on the EU Constitution in Britain, along
with those taking part on the Continent, will clearly show that many EU member
states manifest destiny is not to be part of a centralised EU.
In essence, the government - and the nation - needs to make plans for the
contingency of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, not as a result
of a 'big bang' occasioned by a conscious decision to leave, but as
part of a gradual process of realignment. We need credible and realistic
alternative structures and arrangements to replace the EU, ready to put into
action as the need arises.
Tony Blair, bring on the referendum.
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An assessment of the latest development in the EU's Great Game. In
conjunction with some unsavoury business partners with appalling human rights
records, most notably China, the European Union is pushing ahead with the
Galileo satellite navigation system. Allowing other states to have control of
this technology will be a major blow to America’s pre-eminence and will boost
the military capabilities of potential enemies of the United States and its
allies.
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Reform of the CAP is simply not an option, it must be recognised that the
real choice for farming is between a limited, inadequate, tardy and wholly
unsatisfactory sham ‘reform’ which solves nothing and creates still more
problems, or a ‘clean sheet of paper’ exercise that could only be implemented
on our withdrawal from the EU.
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