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British acceptance of EU legislative powers - Comment - Times Online: “From Mr Mark Wallace
Sir, Mr David Stephen (letter, September 24) is in my view dangerously optimistic in his assertion that the European arrest warrant is an unmitigated triumph for “trust” between EU member states over “civil liberties”.
Contrary to the beliefs of the European Movement, [...]

I did not hear this speech at the Labour party conference, and have only read bits of it, but those are enough to chill the bones of any democratically minded person. Mr Blair told the conference the criminal justice system was two centuries out of date. ”We are trying to fight 21st century crime [...]

Dear All,
Apologies for the short notice.
NO2ID will be holding a photo opportunity tomorrow, on the Home Affairs day
of Labour party conference. Supporters are asked to assemble on the lawn of
Pavilion Gardens (behind Brighton Pavilion, beside Brighton Museum & Art
Gallery) at 11:30 on Wednesday 28th for an 11:45 - 12:15 photo opportunity,
to be held with the [...]

European arrest warrant
From the Director of the European Movement
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,59-1794378,00.html
Sir, The swift extradition from Rome of the London bomb suspect, Hussain Osman (report, September 23), is a salient illustration of the viability of the new European arrest warrant (EAW).
By invoking the EAW British authorities were able to bypass Italy’s supposed byzantine judicial system months, if not [...]

In an Opinion piece the Telegraph argues that British Judges are standing in the way of justice.
When judges stand in the way of justice
Telegraph
Snip
Indeed, our judges seem to see it as their business always and everywhere to oppose repatriation orders - not just of illegal immigrants, but of known villains. The nine Afghan hijackers [...]

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Wednesday as he reaffirmed that improving regulation is a core policy. “Regulating for the pleasure of regulating does not make sense,”
No it does not make sense, but that is not what is happening, what the EU regulation are about is moving power from the member state to [...]

EU security Chief Franco Frattini is seeking to kick off a Europe-wide debate on the roots of terrorism and radicalisation.
Or so he says, but apparently he also wants to use laws introduced to deal with Islamic terrorism to control the general population; he says The commission believes that there is no such thing as Islamic [...]

EUPolitix
Member states are running scared from discussions on the future of Europe, European Commission chief José Manuel Barroso said on Wednesday.
Speaking ahead of an informal summit on the EU’s future, Barroso attacked national governments for failing to spark frank debate after rejection of the constitutional treaty.
“The EU council called for a period of reflection. [...]

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Member states must freeze the funds of all individuals named on UN lists of suspected terrorists without judicial review, according to a verdict from the European court of first instance in Luxembourg on Wednesday (21 September).
It is the first of the so-called “terrorist cases” to be tested, and the Court in [...]

Addressing the annual conference of the Police Superintendents’ Association the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said “modernisation” of the force should be carried forward by introducing “an escalator of powers” for the dispensing of instant justice.
“One idea is to have some police officers - paid more and with more powers - to impose an [...]

EU Websites User Survey 2005
EU Websites User Survey 2005
A few words about this survey
This survey is part of my PHD thesis regarding the EU’s public diplomacy strategy online and its use of the Internet to promote a European public sphere.
In particular, I am [...]

Christopher Booker’s Notebook
Sunday Telegraph
18th September 2005
Ministers are said to be so alarmed by the latest twist in the row over the legality of automatic penalties - the billions of pounds raised each year by parking fines, penalties for late tax returns and so forth - that they are considering emergency legislation.
This extraordinary story began with [...]

Today in the Telegraph the ex minister for the EU and leading Europhile, Denis MacShane, who last year gained the name MacShame, after he famously portrayed opposition to the EU as xenophobia, is now backtracking as he attacks Marc Glendening for saying the same. This is a welcome move even if he is only doing [...]

Bill of Rights Circular sent to all Local Authorities
We have just been forwarded a circular sent (August 05) by NPAS (National Parking Adjudication Service) to all participating Local Authorities. It refers to the case of Higgins v Sefton Borough Council (case no. SF 272)
NPAS CIRCULAR 05/05
ISSUED AUGUST 2005
Higgins v Sefton Borough Council (Case NO SF [...]

From Anne Palmer
EU judges implement the rejected EU Constitution
The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg has implemented a very important part of the draft and rejected EU Constitution by allowing the European Commission to decide on penal code questions.
Until now the questions of the Court case penal code could only be regulated by intergovernmental cooperation [...]

Europe wins the power to jail British citizens The Times
Criminal sanctions to enforce EU law http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/09/14/weulaw14.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/09/14/ixnewstop.html”>The Telegraph
These are the headlines that announce the ECJ decision yesterday that the EU commision will have the power to enforce regulations in environmentallaw. The Times makes the point in its leader “Legal trespass
The European Court has gravely undermined the [...]

Reform of European Union - Comment - Times Online: “Reform of European Union
From Professor A. A. Dashwood
Sir, A rule that the Council of the EU must meet in public when discussing and voting on draft legislation was one of several things in the treaty establishing a constitution for Europe which would have helped to address [...]

EU Referendum: “Following the dismal attempts of Tory leadership candidates to offer anything resembling a sensible idea of what they would do if elected, much less - heavens forbid - form a government, we thought we would have a go. The following, therefore, is something like what we would wish to see from a Tory [...]