No to Federalism and why we need the Vote in 2017

The Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists parties will not field a candidate for the Commission Presidency as part of the 2014 European election, the AECR President Jan Zahradil MEP and Secretary General Daniel Hannan MEP told a press conference in Brussels today.

The AECR considers the process being followed by other pan-European parties as lacking in public support and legal authority. To participate would be to legitimise the idea that a European executive should be chosen by a federal legislature. Yet federalism has no treaty basis, nor any backing from the electorates.

A ComRes poll published to accompany the AECR’s announcement, conducted across the six largest member states, found that people believe that their countries have already ceded too much power to the EU (by 55 per cent to 25 per cent), that Brussels is out of touch (67 per cent to 19 per cent), and that that the EU is moving in the wrong direction (60 per cent to 24 per cent).

Zahradil and Hannan said that the main candidates remain stuck in a 1950s vision of Euro-federalism. Martin Schulz for the PES, Guy Verhofstadt for ALDE and – it seems likely – Jean-Claude Juncker for the EPP offer almost interchangeable platforms, based around deeper political integration. These three men, together with other potential candidates, also score very low in public recognition, according to our poll.

AECR President Jan Zahradil said: “The AECR rejects the federalism of the old parties. We aspire to speak for that large majority of Europeans who have never consented to be citizens of a federal union. We believe that the voice of this growing group of people should be heard in the debates, but we cannot subscribe to a scheme that will give the President of the Commission an artificial mandate from the people, even though most people have never even heard of him, let alone voted for him.

Lib Dems are loosing all over the Country

The latest result show that Voters are turning their back on the lib Dems big time.

The Liberal Democrats lost their deposit, as their share of the vote tumbled by 17% to below the crucial 5% level.

Positive UK backdrop to Europe elections

Positive UK backdrop to Europe elections

With the UK confirmed as the fastest growing economy in Western Europe, unemployment figures dropping to 7.1% and crime falling by 10% in England and Wales, conditions going into London’s May 22 European and local elections are very favourable for the Conservatives.

In addition, a 30% reduction in net immigration figures show that the government is committed to its pledge and to preventing EU benefit tourism abuses, while in finally returning radical cleric Abu Qatada, Home Secretary Theresa May has succeeded where many other home secretaries have failed in resisting the powers of the European Court of Human Rights.

Prime Minister David Cameron has made a solemn promise if returned to government in 2015 to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the EU and following this an In/Out referendum on EU membership in 2017.

The PM has also safeguarded the City of London by ensuring double majority voting in the European Banking Authority, and secured a commitment that would stop UK participation in any future Eurozone bailouts.

Helping making our Schools better

Michael Gove  says that state schools must set their standards so high that they are indistinguishable from the top fee paying schools.

Labour let standards fall in our schools. There was unprecedented grade inflation, employers lost confidence in our exams system and we slid down the league table for school performance.  This meant that our young people did not have the skills they needed to get on in life.

That is why, as part of our long-term economic plan to secure a better future for Britain, our ambition is that state schools in England should be the best in the world.  Standards in schools should be so high all round that you should not be able to tell whether it’s in the state sector or a fee paying independent.

There are already signs of improvement – more great schools, more great teachers and more pupils achieving great results. But this must go further. Our long-term economic plan will deliver the best schools and skills for all our young people, not just those who can afford to pay, so they have a more secure future.