Gavin’s Gaily Gigest

Because few appropriate words begin with the letter “G”. The personal blog of Gavin Whenman

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Entries Tagged as 'Europe'

Anti-EU Idiocy

April 23rd, 2008 · 1 Comment

This Daily Telegraph anti-EU story caught my eye earlier today:
England has been wiped off a map of Europe drawn up by Brussels bureaucrats as part of a scheme that the Tories claim threatens to undermine the country’s national identity.
The new European plan splits England into three zones that are joined with areas in other countries.
The […]

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Tags: Europe · press

Three Definitely

March 5th, 2008 · 3 Comments

A major reshuffle is now on the cards for Nick Clegg, after the resignation tonight of at least THREE Shadow Cabinet colleagues: Tim Farron (Countryside), David Heath (Justice) and Alistair Carmichael (Northern Ireland and Scotland). Who will be up and who will be down, and will Nick Clegg survive?

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Tags: Europe · Liberal Democrats

First Lib Dem Shadow Cabinet Resignation of the Clegg Era

March 5th, 2008 · 2 Comments

At least, according to Michael Crick. No name yet, but as it’s over the issue of holding a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, odds-on it’s David Heath, Shadow Secretary for Constitutional Affairs.

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Tags: Europe · Liberal Democrats

Clegg’s Vulcanised EU Position

March 5th, 2008 · 4 Comments

As a fellow Lib Dem blogger has observed, last night’s Newsnight interview of Nick Clegg was not good for the Liberal Democrats. At several points he sounded more like a Vulcan than a party leader, constantly falling back on the refrain that to support a Lisbon Treaty referendum now would be “just not logical”. However, […]

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Tags: Europe · Liberal Democrats

Conservatives Vote Against EU Referendum

March 4th, 2008 · 5 Comments

Today in the Commons, the Tory Party voted with Labour to reject a debate on whether there should be a referendum on the EU. So much for the Conservatives expressing the public will. My favourite quote comes from Labour MP Andrew MacKinley (who voted with the Lib Dems) on why there should be a full […]

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Tags: Conservatives · Europe · Labour · Liberal Democrats

Euro Polling Shenanigans

March 3rd, 2008 · 1 Comment

Following I Want A Referendum’s um… interesting poll results, the Liberal Democrats have done some polling of their own* which shows voters would prefer, by 2:1, to have a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, rather than on the narrower issue of the Lisbon Treaty. Or at least, that’s the way Cowley Street is […]

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Tags: Europe · Liberal Democrats

No Shit Sherlock No. 519: Polls say 88% want EU Referendum

March 2nd, 2008 · 3 Comments

Or at least according to um… pro-referendum campaigning group I Want a Referendum. The words "no surprise there then" leap to mind, which is why I’m wondering why BBC News thought it worth a write up. Look out for future BBC News stories revealing that Iraq as the least favourite holiday destination and Gary Glitter […]

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Tags: Europe · No Shit Sherlock

Ed Davey Ordered out of Commons

February 26th, 2008 · 3 Comments

Tomorrow’s going to be interesting - along with a few other bloggers (and organised by the very kind Millennium Elephant), I’m going to meet Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat’s Shadow Foreign Secretary for an hour-long interview.
What’s made tomorrow’s meeting all the more exciting is that he’s just been ordered out of the House of […]

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Tags: Europe · Liberal Democrats

Nick Clegg should embrace our differences on Europe

February 16th, 2008 · No Comments

David Heath’s threat to vote for a referendum on the EU Reform Treaty, risking expulsion from the frontbench team has certainly caused a stir on Lib Dem Blogs. Some have called for him to go, arguing that such a move would undermine Nick Clegg’s leadership, others defend his position, particularly in light of the precarious […]

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Tags: Europe · Liberal Democrats

David Heath MP: Stay or go poll

February 15th, 2008 · 2 Comments

Following up on earlier ruminations about whether the young and handsome one will discover a matching pair of testicles in his undergarments and sack beardy David Heath MP, Shadow Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, Nich Starling of Norfolk Blogger fame is running a poll on his website:
"David Heath has defied Nick Clegg by keeping to the […]

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Tags: Europe · Liberal Democrats