Edward McMillan-Scott

Edward McMillan-Scott goes for the Jugular

Labour Party

A fascinating piece of Tory anti-propaganda recently weaved its way to me.  Edward McMillan-Scott, expelled from the Conservative Party for standing as an independent candidate and winning one of the posts of Vice-President of the European Parliament, has sent a very angry letter to Westminster Tory MPs.  McMillan-Scott, who violently disagreed with the Tory hierarchy about their decision to leave the centre-right EPP (European Peoples’ Party, the largest political group in the European Parliament), is not letting the matter rest.  His grievances are set out in this letter written on European Parliament headed paper and signed in his unmistakable flamboyant signature.

8 February 2010

Dear Westminster parliamentary colleague,

MY EXPULSION FROM THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY

I am writing to many Conservative MPs (and I am sorry this is not personalised) about the Party’s treatment of a parliamentarian. Despite my restraint with the media, there is a risk of it becoming an issue in the General Election. The reputational damage to the Party is already considerable: Keira Knightley’s contemporary West End Misanthrope  opens with a speech about David Cameron’s ‘grubby fascist friend’. The Party is more important than any individual, but principles trump the Party and I will not let matters rest.

Whatever view you take about David Cameron’s pledge to leave the EPP it has been panned by every commentator, and the choice of EU allies has been controversial.  Putting the Polish MEP Michal Kaminski up for Vice-President was a disastrous choice and would have led to a furore, whether or not I stood against him.  Expelling me from the Party until after the next European Election has been a CCHQ own goal and it is time it was corrected – by politicians.
 
David Cameron may well be unaware of what has been taking place but my numerous attempts to achieve an amicable solution are being systematically blocked by CCHQ.
 
I now urge the parliamentary party to appoint an experienced MP – perhaps a member of the 1922 Executive – to conduct an inquiry and resolve this quickly. 10 Killer Points are below my signature and are expanded in Timeline and Kaminski Uncovered, attached.
The whip was withdrawn from me by Timothy Kirkhope to divert attention from political misjudgements.
However my expulsion from the Party is of another order and must not be
allowed to stand. 
You can take me out of the Conservative Party, but you cannot take the Conservative out of me.   Please let me know if you wish to help or want more information. My private email is xxxxxxxxxxx and my
mobile number is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. 
Yours, 

P.S. Correspondence and emails I have received are overwhelmingly supportive 

10 Killer Points: Edward McMillan-Scott MEP’s expulsion from the Conservative Party 

1.      I complied with the manifesto, leaving the EPP and joining the new ECR group. I said that I was ‘uncomfortable’ because of moral, constitutional and extremist issues.  I stood against a Polish MEP, Michal Kaminski, and was re-elected Vice-President of the European Parliament with strong cross-party support and NGO support (see http://www.edwardforvp.eu/) on 14 July – see attached Timeline.  This was done on a point of principle because Kaminski had recent and easily-discovered ‘anti-Semitic, homophobic and racist links’ – for some details see attached Kaminski Uncovered 

2.      Kaminski and his party represent the rise of disguised extremism in Europe.  My longstanding concern and action about extremism stems from a family secret since 1940, revealed on BBC Radio 4’s Mother was a
Blackshirt only in January by my aunt, Diana Bailey, that my maternal grandparents were interned by Churchill as senior Blackshirts (please ask for a transcript)
 
3.      Kaminski was not an official Conservative candidate. He was nominated by Timothy Kirkhope, Tory MEP leader, as part of a stitch-up to promote Kirkhope as leader of the new group without election. The Tory MEPs’ rules of procedure for nominations for EP parliamentary posts were ignored. I stood as an independent. Another Conservative stood independently the next day for another parliamentary post (‘Quaestor’ Ways & Means) but no action was taken. Only I lost the whip.
 
4.      My Brussels assistants and I were ‘sent to Coventry’ (this was ignored by Tory MEPs and staff); my UK staff were told to stop working for me by Party officials (they refused); all material carrying my name was to be expunged from constituency offices, invitations to Party functions withdrawn; my conference pass was revoked, a fringe meeting cancelled, among other petty actions. Throughout all this, CCHQ has flagrantly ignored the Party’s constitution, its principles – and its reputation
 
5.      A smear campaign was launched against me, starting with a specious letter which William Hague sent to key Conservatives in my constituency and also issued to the media although he knew that, for legal reasons, I could not reply. Six Conservative Press Officers vilified me to constituency media and the nationals while defending Kaminski. This perverse CCHQ strategy has created an issue on which, I am told, Gordon Brown has achieved electoral ‘cut-through’ on our weakest topic – Europe
 
6.      On September 15, without notice or reason, I was expelled from the Party after an email exchange between Board members. They did not meet. This decision is subject to a prolonged internal CCHQ appeal
procedure in which my lawyers and I have little faith (I was on the Board for three years) and, as a result, may lead to court action.
 
7.      My UK lawyers, the best in their field, say that my expulsion was against natural justice, disproportionate and unconstitutional: they look forward to the High Court
 
8.      The ‘blind pledge’ (signed by all Tory Euro-candidates that they would join whatever EU grouping Cameron devised) is illegal under EU law and my treatment by the Party is contrary to the EU’s ‘Race Directive’
(and the Race Relations Act) 
9.      The Party appears to seek to terminate my parliamentary career (I am 60) – as well as my livelihood –  despite 25 years as an MEP, 4 years as leader of the MEPs, 3 years on the Board and 43 years as a Party member.  I have a reputation for tenacity 

10.  The only other parliamentarians to have been expelled from the Party were Den Dover for two years, after allegedly misusing his MEP expenses; and Lord Archer for five years, after imprisonment for perjury
in the High Court. Who is CCHQ kidding? http://www.emcmillanscott.com/   

Edward McMillan-Scott’s timeline can be found here, and the dossier on Michael Kaminski can be found here.  Both make very interesting and revealing reading and I highly recommended them.

 

Daniel Hannan MEP decides to break the law

Labour Party

Last year I highlighted London UKIP MEP Gerard Batten was not paying his television licence. In UKIP, obeying the law is selective, and I will not repeat the list again. The Conservative Party now seems to be moving ever closer to UKIP’s morality with the news that Daniel Hannan MEP has also decided to not pay for his television licence.  Here’s his position on BBC radio’s Any Questions:

“Asked by host Jonathan Dimbleby whether he hoped to threaten the survival of the state broadcaster, he added:

“I think it is anomolous in this day and age to have a state broadcaster, funded out of general taxation.”

As the studio audience responded with heckles and boos, Mr Hannan was quick to emphasise that his personal views did not reflect the policies of the Conservative party.

A spokesperson for the TV Licensing Authority said: “Television licensing law still applies to you no matter what you use to watch TV.

“Whether it’s a laptop, PC or any other device that receives television, you need to be covered by a TV Licence. It’s the law.

If a Labour representative decided they were only going to obey the laws that suited them I think there would be media coverage, but there seems to have been very little notice taken of Daniel Hannan’s law breaking. Conservative Leader in Europe Timothy Kirkhope has taken no action, prefering to take disciplinary action against Edward McMillan-Scott for objecting to the Conservative’s European group leader Michael Kaminski’s extremist views. David Cameron seems quite happy with this state of affairs too. Shouldn’t they be asking Daniel Hannan to do what every Labour representative does and pay their taxes? The television licence is in effect a tax. Perhaps there are other Conservative representatives who take the same view? Conservative supporter Charles Moore has also decided not to pay his licence too.

The BBC has taken no action, which seems to show partisan bias. There’s an election coming and if Conservatives are going to ignore the law, and UKIP too, then the BBC should be enforcing the law and not turning a blind eye. It’s inaction is starting to bring into question its impartiality, which is especially important in a pre-election period. Let’s not forget that Daniel Hannan is one of the most popular Conservative representatives amongst ordinary Conservative members and activists.

As someone who makes laws how can Daniel Hannan expect anybody to obey any law that he votes for when he has no respect for the law? An honourable representative would either pay up and apologise or resign. Remember Daniel Hannan’s pompous youtube video hit? Look at this interview where he says he was doing what his constituents want. Daniel Hannan has millions of decent constituents who pay for their television licence. They expect him to pay his share and not to take a free ride on their backs.

Welcome to G-Block Edward McMillan-Scott

Labour Party
EDMC

Edward McMillan-Scott arguing his case

I see Edward McMillan-Scott has been expelled from the Conservative Party. The Independent headlines this HERE as “Tories expel MEP who criticised ‘fascist links’. That sounds like a badge of honour to me.

Edward has moved offices following his election as Vice-President of the European Parliament.  His standing for this prestigious position was, in turn, brought about by McMillan-Scott’s profound disagreenet with the Tories in the European Parliament over their anti-EU stance.   As regular readers will know, McMillan-Scott successfully opposed Michal Kaminski, a Polish MEP with fascist connections who is now leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, the Group recently founded by the British Conservatives.

In Brussels MEPs are housed in blocks of offices from A-H and are grouped broadly according to their political group membership. I am on the 13th floor of block G along with the other Labour MEPs and members of the  Socialists and Democrats Group.  I am pleased to welcome Edward McMillan-Scott to “13 G.”  I think he will feel much more at home here able to have chats in the lift without needing to check whether there is a friend of dictators like Pinochet round the corner.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS TORIES’ EXTREMIST CANDIDATE

Labour Party

The shenanigins within the new Tory inspired Group of Conservatives and Reformists (the group set up by the Tories to get away from the more moderate centre-right European People’s Party) appears to have reached new heights.  The only candidate they put forward for one of the 14 positions of European Parliament Vice-President was defeated in a vote late yesterday evening.  Once Michal Tomasz Kaminski of the ultra right homophobic Law and Justice Party (who are one of the members of the Group of Conservatives and Reformists) went down, the way was clear for the 14 successful candidates – five EPP, five Socialists and Democrats (S&D), two ALDE, one Green plus the unexpected election of Edward McMillan-Scott as an independent.           

McMillan-Scott is, of course, a British Conservative and a Vice-President of the European Parliament during the last Parliament.  He either didn’t get support from the Conservative and Reformists (C&R) Group to stand as Vice-President or he can’t bear the new Group and decided to do his own thing.  In any event he was successful, consigning the candidate from the Law and Justice Party, the same Party that banned gay rights marches while in power in Poland, to the scrapheap of European Parliament history.

Protests against the banning of gay rights marches under the Polish Law and Democrarcy Party

Protests against the banning of gay rights marches under the Polish Law and Democracy Party

The woeful showing by the C&R Group in these elections demonstrates what will be a recurring  problem for them.  The new Group is entirely driven by the British Conservatives who form the overwhelming majority of the C&R Group.  Howver, in order to form a political group under European Parliament rules there needs to be at least 25 MEPs from seven member states.  It’s this latter ruling which causes the Tories difficulty.  There are, in fact, only political parties from seven member states in the C&R Group – the absolute minimum.  This effectively means any one of the smaller parties can call the tune by threatening to walk out and destroy the C&R  if their demands are not met.  Considering the Tories are allied with some unseemly bedfellows, including the Belgian Lijst Dedeker with its links to the Vlams Belang (the Belgian equivalent of the BNP) it would appear that the Tories have put themselves in a whole heap of the proverbial.   

And finally, the good news.  45% of the new European Parliament are women and six out of the 14 Vice-Presidents are women.  I’m sure I’m not alone in wishing the figures for the House of Commons were as positive.