Contributions
Articles from 2007
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If that’s how they treat a Europhile German… by Nemesis
Some good news came out of Brussels this week with the decision of the European Court of Human Rights to award in favour of Hans-Martin …
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Big questions for Brown and Cameron in 2008 by Nemesis
“The king is dead. Long live the King!” That phrase always used to baffle me as a kid. If the king is dead, why say …
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Scottish referendum on the EU by Bob Leitch
Much has been made in the press recently of the possiblity of Alex Salmond and the Scottish Government calling a referendum on the EU constitution. …
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Africa needs Europe like a blind man needs a torch… by Nemesis
Another month, another summit. Unlike potable water in Ethiopia or maize in the former net exporter of cereals that was the blockaded Southern Rhodesia, there …
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Fortress Britain? by John Purvis CBE
Bravo to Matthew Engel (“Control freaks”, FT Magazine, November 24/25 - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/28b3322c-9700-11dc-b2da-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 ) for daring to query the received wisdom in political circles that we …
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A political blancmange or a mere trifle? by Nemesis
A political blancmange or a mere trifle? For a long time now I’ve thought David Cameron as a rather insipid blancmange. Sitting there, light and …
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Brown's treachery? by Phil Gallie
Buried under a mountain of charges of sleaze and incompetence Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, is about to commit an even worse offence, that of treachery. …
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Give our universities freedom to follow the American way by Brian Monteith
IN The Scotsman last week, Andrew Cubie called for a root-and-branch review of higher education funding, but the First Minister, Alex Salmond, has already rejected …
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No sex, please, we’re British by Nemesis
As I listened to my car radio driving into Edinburgh this week I thought it must be August, the time of all those silly season …
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Security & terrorism by John Purvis CBE
It seems to me that the government’s plans for internal and border security will turn the U.K. into an internment camp with Orwellian levels of …
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How Scotland could stop the Euro constitution by Brian Monteith
Thank goodness for Allan Wilson. It has been a long time coming but at last a prominent Labour politician has spoken out and suggested that …
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EU Treaty - link to full text by ThinkScotland
Below are links to the text for the Draft Reform Treaty. The first one takes you straight to the document itself, and the second link …
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English-Speaking Union European Parliament Debate by RCMarrs
Dear All, Earlier this year, the English-Speaking Union was awarded European Parliament funding to run a number of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of …
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Highlands & Islands could be as important as 1000 years by NeilCraig
1) Increase the subsidy of the H&I airports from 2/3rds to all of operating costs, or reduce costs. This would allow landing charges of zero …
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SNP Hypocrisy over Scottish Banknotes by Struan Stevenson MEP
The SNP government is guilty of ‘hypocrisy’ over demands that Scottish banknotes should be given the same status as Bank of England notes. These demands …
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The Queen’s speech is a countdown to defeat by Nemesis
It is the day after the Queen’s speech and it’s the first given by the monarch on behalf of her Prime Minister and his cabinet. …
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Contradiction in terms. by Phil Gallie
Quotes from the Queen’s speech. “My Government will take forward policies to respond to the rising aspiration of the people of the United Kingdom; to …
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Immigration - whose choice is it anyway? by torybird
Italy is in the spotlight today for its attempts to round up and throw out Romanians who are perceived to be causing trouble within the …
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Another govt. apology needed! by Phil Gallie
Last week we had a number of Government apologies which demonstrated their ineptitude in dealing with major issues of national interest. During that week I …
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The show must go on... by Nemesis
The tears of a clown have inspired many writers of songs and prose, conjuring up, as they do, the emotional contrast of someone who is …
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Liar, Liar, pants on fire by Nemesis
Was it handbags at dawn or was Gordon Brown really swinging genuine, hard-hitting blows at David Cameron? Was it the clunking fist, or even a …
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Lisbon is a betrayal by Nemesis
The deed is done. The ink is now dry and the champagne glasses are empty. The remnants of the toast to what will in time …
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EU Empire Building Strains the Budget by Struan Stevenson MEP
An explosion of ‘decentralised agencies’ in the EU has put a massive strain on the budget. In the past 3 years there has been a …
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Only a referendum can save Brown’s reputation by Nemesis
Gordon Brown, all by himself, without any real pressure from what is widely accepted as a weak pair of opposition parties, has declared himself as …
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England and Scotland – Separate Ways After 300 Years? by Robert Kilgour
It was my great pleasure to host a ThinkScotland fringe event at this year’s Conservative conference. Entitled ‘England and Scotland – Separate Ways After 300 …
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Brown's only mandate by Phil Gallie
Gordon Brown acknowledged what he saw as a need for a personal mandate in his new role as Prime Minister. His means of obtaining was …
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Is voting UKIP the worst thing a Eurosceptic can do? by Nemesis
Thank goodness they’re over for this year; those trips to seaside political conferences - with bucket, spade, speeches and Alka Seltzer in hand. They have …
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England and Scotland – Separate Ways After 300 Years? by MalcolmRifkind
The following is a transcription of Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC MP speaking at a ThinkScotland fringe meeting at the UK Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool …
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What drug is Ming Campbell on? by Nemesis
I don’t know what drug Ming Campbell is on, but it is obviously highly dangerous and should be banned, if is not already. His adherence, …
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Gun crime by Phil Gallie
It is interesting to recall that one major argument used in favour of the retention of Capital Punishment some sixty years ago was that it …
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Liberal Conservative Party is way ahead by Brian Monteith
I HAPPENED to be thumbing through some old Spectator magazines recently and came across an interesting article by the Liberal Party leader Jo Grimond written …
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Make devolution deliver for Scotland by Brian Monteith
HOW quickly time has past since those heady days of the summer of 1997. It is hard to believe that it is all of ten …
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Europe-wide smoking ban by torybird
So MEPs have voted ‘overwhelmingly’ in favour of report calling for all EU countries to ban smoking in enclosed public places (see http://www.holyrood.com/content/view/1248/10552/) As a …
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Why we should accept Ming’s referendum challenge by Nemesis
There is a general rule of politics that should always be remembered when elected politicians call for a referendum – it is that it is …
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When is a Constitution not a Constitution? by Struan Stevenson MEP
We all know that a Snickers Bar is simply a Marathon with a new label! The Reform Treaty is simply the Constitution with a new …
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Security is the watchword by Struan Stevenson MEP
The watchword in Europe this Autumn must surely be ‘security’. Security of energy supply, security of food supply and security of the EU citizen. These …
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UK Supermarkets are anti-farmer by Struan Stevenson MEP
UK supermarkets are continuing to cut the prices they pay to dairy farmers for milk, despite the fact that they are facing massively increased costs. …
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Edinburgh South Suburban Railway by PatrickHutton
I’m writing to you as the Secretary of Capital Rail Action Group, in Edinburgh. We’ve had a petition running for Holyrood since April, and it …
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The EU Constitution (Treaty) by Phil Gallie
Gordon Brown wants desperately to break the Blair image of deceit and bare faced lying ignoring despite the fact that he was a major player …
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Scotland just as vulnerable as the City to EU meddling by Nemesis
There’s a threat of new EU regulations to financial services just over the horizon and it’s getting commentators in the City of London all rather …
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EU finances Euro lobbyists (to call for more spending) by Nemesis
It will probably come as little surprise to most opponents of big government to find that yet another scam has been uncovered whereby taxpayers money …
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How the EU helps the SNP break up Britain by Nemesis
It has often been said that the European Union has a vested interest in the break up of Britain – so that its most sceptical …
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Is Cameron defeated before the election comes? by Nemesis
Is the next general election already lost for David Cameron? That is the question now being whispered in the political salons of London. The answer …
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Shock Horror! A Conservative policy by Nemesis
It is with a sense of danger in the air that I must warn readers of a truly surprising development – the Conservative Party has …
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Buckfast now the target of Eurocreep by Nemesis
It has helped cause the embarrassment of the then Lord Provost Eric Milligan, it has been blamed for the binge culture in the deepest and …
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How EU separatist movements are ringing alarm bells in Scotland by Struan Stevenson MEP
This wide-ranging article published in the Herald (12th Oct) , Struan Stevenson MEP looks at many topics that are shaping the future of European integration. …
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Does the new EU president have a sinister hidden agenda? by Struan Stevenson MEP
A blizzard of Euro babble has clouded the true objectives of the new Portuguese presidency of Europe. Portugal has taken over the rotating EU presidency …
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Events, dear boy, events by Nemesis
“Events, dear boy, events” Harold Macmillan famously replied when asked by a reporter what can steer governments off course. This last week the attempted bombing …
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European Referendum vital if democracy means anything by Nemesis
As all the media focus moves from Tony Blair’s departure as prime minister and on to the accession of Gordon Brown in his place the …
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Trust the Scottish People by John McGlynn
some of you may have seen my recent article in Scotland on Sunday on a referendum on independence. there are two distinct schools of thought …
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Could Brown trump Blair with a referendum of his own? by Nemesis
Last month I raised the issue of the forthcoming European summit in Brussels and the likely behaviour of outgoing premier, Tony Blair, leaving a legacy …
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Cut Scots MEPs so they represent the people, not themselves by Nemesis
Cut the Scottish representation at the European Parliament says the Electoral Commission. Why, no, say the MEPs from all parties, rather predictably. What should the …
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EU referendum - Blair's broken promises by Struan Stevenson MEP
In February 1997 Tony Blair said: “If there are further steps to European integration, the people should have their say at a general election in …
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Never mind the immigrants, what about the trucks? by Nemesis
If you drive around Europe it doesn’t take long to work out that the state of Scotland’s roads is, by comparison, an embarrassment. The lumpy …
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The rape of Dava Moor by Struan Stevenson MEP
There are plans afoot to build five giant wind farms on the remote Dava Moor at the Northern edge of the Cairngorms National Park near …
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Brown will have Europe to contend with by Nemesis
The relentless campaign to move European nations closer towards political integration continues its interminable onslaught on our desensitized minds. We will be bored into submission …
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Mr Brown Goes to Brussels by AlexSalmond
With Tony Blair announcing he will step down as the UK prime minister on 27 June, his attendance at his last EU summit in Brussels, …
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The SNP in power: cabinet or parliamentary government? by PaulRiddell
Of all the complaints I hear about the Scottish Parliament, the poor quality of its members always comes top of the list. In this regard …
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Balkanization of Great Britain by Zga
England with London in its very heart resembles giant spider. It exhausts its non-English regions like Scotland, Wales and Ireland making raw materials-producing appendages of …
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A warning to Britain and Europe? by Nemesis
So reliably unreliable is the weather in Scotland that I can remember snow in June in the 90s, so, being May and with summer approaching …
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Scottish Minority Government by AlexSalmond
As we prepare to enter uncharted territory in Scotland with an SNP minority government, this concept is something our continental neighbours, as well as the …
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SNP Victory Fuels EU Disintegration by Struan Stevenson MEP
Alex Salmond’s spectacular triumph in the Scottish elections has inspired nationalist movements the length and breadth of Europe. If Scotland is on the road to …
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No hiding place for Labour by Nemesis
When it comes to crystal ball gazing political campaigns and their outcomes are especially difficult, such is the unreliability of polling to capture late swings …
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More of a political tremor than an earthquake by Nemesis
There has been some wild talk in the papers recently of the scale of the coming Labour defeat in the Holyrood elections, including The Scotsman …
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Facing up to bleak Midwinter by Brian Monteith
The pool of advisers in the Tory Princes Street HQ must have been salivating at the prospect of the headlines in Monday’s Scotsman. Arthur Midwinter, …
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There is no winner in the Holyrood election by Nemesis
Alex Salmond has had a makeover. He has been told to lose some weight, wipe that smug smile off his face and try to be …
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Let the market work by Nemesis
What is it about politicians that they can’t resist doing good things for us on our behalf? I don’t just mean elected politicians in the …
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Preserving the Union by DavidMundell
This year is not only significant for the Scottish Parliamentary and local council elections in May, it also marks the 300th anniversary of the Act …
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Why are Welsh Tories set to do better? by Brian Monteith
We have now had two weeks of a five week election campaign for Scotland’s Holyrood parliament and little much appears to have changed. So far …
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Our own worst enemy? by Nemesis
As the merry band of MSPs that wish to submit themselves to another four years at Holyrood traipse back their constituencies its maybe worth looking …
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My Berlin declaration by Struan Stevenson MEP
This is the communiqué I would like to see emerging from the summit meeting in Berlin to mark the EU’s 50th anniversary: “The 27 Member …
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The Drive for Common Sense Energy by AriVatanen
Advocating common sense in energy matters is even more difficult than beating my friend Colin McRae in Drummond Hill! The challenges emerging from the overdue …
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German ambassador to the UK visits the Scottish Parliament by Struan Stevenson MEP
In light of the German Ambassador’s visit to the Scottish Parliament next week, I pose the following questions to the ThinkScotland community for discussion: Why …
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Request for responses to EU Maritime Policy Consultation by Struan Stevenson MEP
Public Consultation: Request for responses to EU Maritime Policy Green Paper Consultation As rapporteuer to the EU Fisheries Committee on the European Commission’s Maritime Policy …
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EU flight subsidies by Professor Gavin Don
Today brings an announcement that the highly successful Route Development Fund created by the Scottish Executive is to become illegal by Diktat from Brussels. In …
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Scotland's EU membership - Roger Helmer MEP by RogerHelmer
A recent report in The Scotsman newspaper says that a representative of the EU Commission of the European Communities has challenged the prevailing assumption that …