30/09/2024 | 16:39:10 Mister President, this report is good as far as it goes. I mean, I should declare an interest, having served myself on the board of a bank in the past, for nine years – not presently. And I know from my own experience that a bank has to focus on its core mission. And I'm pleased that we can read in paragraph 8, that in 2023, the Bank approved 4.1 billion Pounds in new loans and dispersed 3.7 billion Pounds while generating a profit of 1.19 million Pounds. What is the core mission? We see that... 24/01/2024 | 16:14:15 Dear President, Of course this report is adequate in itself and the language is worthy, but I don't think it's really tough enough, given the challenges that the West faces, faced with despotic countries such as Russia, China, Iran, North Korea. I think there is a unique challenge to our values in the West of human rights and democracy and safety. And the world has become even more dangerous following the hideous terrorist attacks by Hamas in October. Frankly, the West has been almost asleep... 23/01/2024 | 20:30:43 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) This report and its draft resolution are a farcical attempt to undermine democracy in Europe The assumptions which undergird it are an insult to the European voter Even the summary of the report can at best be regarded as mendacious It concedes that migration and asylum have become more prominent in the debates in election campaigns in recent years But the summary claims that “often partial and partisan treatment by the media and political... 23/01/2024 | 20:16:33 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) The Middle East is once again witnessing an unfolding tragedy Hamas’s attacks on 7 October of last year were cold-blooded, horrendous, and worthy of our complete contempt 695 Israeli civilians – including 36 children – were murdered, as well as 71 foreigners and 373 members of the Israeli security forces 250 civilians were taken hostage, including 30 children 110 of these have now been freed, some of them in exchange for Palestinian prisoners... 10/10/2023 | 18:58:24 There's no need for an Englishman to defend France, because France is a bastion and a beacon of human rights and always has been. Of course, France's relationships with Europe, and in particular with the United Kingdom, have been complicated over the centuries. Most recently in the First and Second World Wars and since, France has been a bastion of freedom in alliance with her family of free nations. We in the United Kingdom have immense respect for our closest neighbours, our partners, and... 19/06/2023 | 17:38:46 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Turkey is a complicated society and is a bridge between Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. These three different directions have either pulled or attracted Turkey for centuries. Since Ataturk and the foundation of the Turkish republic, the tendency has been for Turkey to become more and more European. As a democratic country it has been a keystone in the NATO alliance and joined the Council of Europe within a year of our foundation... 26/04/2023 | 19:17:12 Well Lord George FOULKES is a lovely man but I seldom agree with much of what he says. Of course, he is a fanatical pro-European – there is nothing wrong with that, he is entitled to his views – but he is constantly lecturing us about how the British people made a terrible mistake in leaving the European Union. Although, dare I say it, he is an unelected member of the unelected House of Lords, whereas I am elected by 75 000 people, 60% of my constituency voted to leave and 17 million people... 25/04/2023 | 17:27:41 Madam President. It is an honour to speak in this debate and as a United Kingdom Brexiteer, I never thought that I would speak in this vast chamber of the European Parliament, at least five times bigger than our more intimate chamber in the House of Commons, and summing up in its vast space-ness, the remoteness that many of us think characterises the European Union. But the Council of Europe, of course, and its Parliamentary Assembly is supposed to be very different, it is an inter... 26/01/2023 | 10:36:21 President, it is an honour to open this debate on behalf of my group and it is even more of an honour to follow the last speech. which was truly inspiring. It almost bought a tear to our eyes when we heard of that poor farmer. To the world, he may have been a farmer but to his family, he was the universe. And this explains the appalling, emotional and cruel impact of this war. And the other phrase that we heard in that inspiring speech was that Putin, in reality, is not afraid of NATO. That... 24/01/2023 | 19:14:51 The Council of Europe has got to concentrate on the important things and the most important thing at the moment, of course, is to resist Russian aggression, and to its credit, the Council of Europe very quickly after this appalling invasion kicked Russia out of this Assembly. Although our record before then was mixed and we all know that because we wanted the Russian subscription after the invasion and annexation of Crimea we did not move fast enough and we allowed them to stay in this...