Following on from my motorcycle post earlier in the week, another hot topic in the constituency mail inbox this week is ACTA.
More information on ACTA can be found here
The majority of these emails that I'm receiving are concerned about how the ACTA legislation could develop over time to potentially infringe privacy.
The following is an extract of my reply so people can know where I stand on this issue:
"SOPA, and PIPA that are currently being debated in the United States would effectively close down the free internet entirely, using the excuse of protecting Copyright. The EU soon will be debating the ACTA Treaty which like the SOPA and PIPA threatens the exchange of knowledge and information on the Internet; in any and all circles where the information could be deemed to be someone else's 'property'. We believe itself should not exist in any form. It is a catastrophic violation of individual private property, and so we will oppose ACTA when the final bill comes up for vote in the European Parliament.
No-one would disagree with the need to oppose and control infringement of IP/Copyright, but ACTA is not the way to go about this. ACTA like SOPA and PIPA criminalises the general population and strangles innovation and freedom of speech and expression"
I will keep my constituents informed on this important issue.
Other stories about ACTA today:
Anti-ACTA march in Poland http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16735219
European Parliament rapporteur quits in Acta protest http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16757142
Showing posts with label Danish presidency of the European Union Council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Danish presidency of the European Union Council. Show all posts
Friday, 27 January 2012
Friday archive: My first ever speech in Parliament
I've dug through the archives today, and have found a copy of my first ever speech in Parliament. Almost 3 years in and still fighting to get you out.
“Mr President, I do not accept the validity of this Parliament or any other EU institution to make laws for the United Kingdom.
My electors have sent me here to tell you that they do not want £45 million of their money every single day spent in the European Union. We want that money spent in the UK on our schools, on our hospitals and our infrastructure, not wasted on corruption with your accounts not being audited for 14 years.
Simply, I have this message from the people who elected me to the Commission: go back to your bureaucracy and prepare for the UK’s withdrawal from the corrupt and doomed mess that is the European Union”.
14 September 2009
“Mr President, I do not accept the validity of this Parliament or any other EU institution to make laws for the United Kingdom.
My electors have sent me here to tell you that they do not want £45 million of their money every single day spent in the European Union. We want that money spent in the UK on our schools, on our hospitals and our infrastructure, not wasted on corruption with your accounts not being audited for 14 years.
Simply, I have this message from the people who elected me to the Commission: go back to your bureaucracy and prepare for the UK’s withdrawal from the corrupt and doomed mess that is the European Union”.
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Speaking at the Employment committee
Yesterday I spoke at the Employment committee for the first time:
The text of my speech:
Your 18,000 "Europe at work" programme has sentiments that have been echoed a thousand times before it was probably build for from a blueprint from the Commission and Berlin
Last week in Strasbourg Commission President Barroso naively said if every small and medium enterprise created one position unemployment would be eliminated in Europe.
Does the presidency understand that over EU regulation is helping to destroy jobs? In the UK the Federation of Small Businesses manifesto plea at the last election was, "no more EU regulation please".
Minister, you said that "jobs are not created by employment and social policies only" but Minister the destruction of jobs and the creation of jobs are destroyed by such policies.
A series of EU-dictated cuts have degraded public services, reduced salaries and wreaked havoc on people's lives.
Whilst I share your opinion about creating training opportunities for our young people - it is all rhetoric isn't it with no solid proposals.
And again I agree with active ageing, how do you square the circle? Where are all these jobs going to come from? Maybe you want to create jobs by creating thousands and training schemes that bleed the taxpayer without providing any real substance.
Finally, I note that you extoll the virtues of the Euro as currency, from a country that like the UK does not have the Euro. Your people twice rejected the Euro, last time in 2000 in a Referendum. Your country, your population does not believe in the Euro - and quite rightly so. We had the scaremongering in the late 90s about the Euro and we were told we would lose jobs and that certain companies would move out. We've stayed outside of the Euro. Those companies such as Nissan did not move out, it is just scaremongering. Jobs are created outside of the Eurozone, not inside the Eurozone.
The text of my speech:
Your 18,000 "Europe at work" programme has sentiments that have been echoed a thousand times before it was probably build for from a blueprint from the Commission and Berlin
Last week in Strasbourg Commission President Barroso naively said if every small and medium enterprise created one position unemployment would be eliminated in Europe.
Does the presidency understand that over EU regulation is helping to destroy jobs? In the UK the Federation of Small Businesses manifesto plea at the last election was, "no more EU regulation please".
Minister, you said that "jobs are not created by employment and social policies only" but Minister the destruction of jobs and the creation of jobs are destroyed by such policies.
A series of EU-dictated cuts have degraded public services, reduced salaries and wreaked havoc on people's lives.
Whilst I share your opinion about creating training opportunities for our young people - it is all rhetoric isn't it with no solid proposals.
And again I agree with active ageing, how do you square the circle? Where are all these jobs going to come from? Maybe you want to create jobs by creating thousands and training schemes that bleed the taxpayer without providing any real substance.
Finally, I note that you extoll the virtues of the Euro as currency, from a country that like the UK does not have the Euro. Your people twice rejected the Euro, last time in 2000 in a Referendum. Your country, your population does not believe in the Euro - and quite rightly so. We had the scaremongering in the late 90s about the Euro and we were told we would lose jobs and that certain companies would move out. We've stayed outside of the Euro. Those companies such as Nissan did not move out, it is just scaremongering. Jobs are created outside of the Eurozone, not inside the Eurozone.
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Nikki's response to the programme of the Danish presidency of the council of the European Union 2012
The European Parliament today welcomed Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt (pictured) to the chamber this morning following the presentation of the programme of the Danish Presidency of the council of the European Union 2012. If you would like to read in full the 62 page document, it is available on the following link:
Although yesterday we saw the appointment of the new president of the Parliament in the shape of Martin Schulz, Denmark are now taking their turn in being the Chair of the European Council.
The Presidency of the Council
Taken from http://www.consilium.europa.eu/council?lang=en
The EU's 27 Member States take it in turn to chair the Council for a period of six months each. During this six-month period, the Presidency chairs meetings at every level, proposes guidelines and draws up the compromises needed for the Council to take decisions.
In the interests of continuity of Council business, the six-monthly presidencies work together closely in groups of three. These three-Presidency teams draw up a joint programme of Council work over an 18-month period.
Only one Council configuration is not chaired by the six-monthly presidency: the Foreign Affairs Council, which, since the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, has been chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Since 1 December 2009 this post has been held by Ms Catherine Ashton. Roughly twenty working parties in the foreign affairs field also have a permanent chairman appointed by the High Representative.
Further information on the Council's role within the European Union can be found on http://www.consilium.europa.eu/council?lang=en
Following the presentation of the programme for Danish Presidency, MEP's were invited to discuss what was in the programme.
text of my speech here
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