Children, children

This little correspondence needs a wider audience.
The protagonists are
1 Roger Helmer, East Midlands Tory MEP, rebel, Chairman of the Freedom Association.
2 Bill Newton-Dunn, East Midlands Lib Dem MEP. Arch federast.

It must first be noted that Bill was first elected as a Tory and defected to the Lib Dems after the 1999 election. Roger felt that as he was elected on a list system that Bill should have resigned. Bill unsurprisingly did not agree. I will annotate the correspondence for clarity.

It starts with one of the regular briefings sent out by the UK Government to all British MEPs.

From: Jones Simon (Mr SA) REG
Sent: 28 August 2007 16:30
Subject: EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS: EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVAL OF THE UK'S NATIONAL STRATEGIC REFERENCE FRAMEWORK FOR 2007-13
All
I am pleased to inform you that the European Commission has adopted the UK's National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF). This paves the way for approval of the 22 individual Operating Programmes for the 2007-13 Structural Funds period. At the time of writing both the Welsh Convergence Programmes, their ERDF Competitiveness Objective Programme and the England and Gibraltar ESF Programme have been adopted by the Commission with the remainder at various stages of negotiation. The relevant Managing Authorities are aiming to have them all approved before the end of 2007.

I attach below a link to the Commission's press release:
And a link to the UK NSRF itself:
Please let me know whether you would like a hard copy of this document.
Best Regards
Simon Jones
Policy Adviser
REG NEP - Structural Funds Policy Unit
V 1124
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7215 2686
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7215 5579

Roger in his normal way responds, with tongue attached to the inside of cheek, hitting, as is his wont the reply all button.

________________________________________
From: HELMER Roger
Sent: 29 August 2007 08:01
Subject: RE: EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS: EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVAL OF THE UK'S NATIONAL STRATEGIC REFERENCE FRAMEWORK FOR 2007-13
It makes me proud to think that we have to go cap-in-hand to the EU Commission for permission to spend our own money.

ROGER HELMER

Leading to this response from Bill, also reply all

________________________________________

From: NEWTON DUNN Bill
Sent: 29 August 2007 11:19
Subject: RE: EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS: EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVAL OF THE UK'S NATIONAL STRATEGIC REFERENCE FRAMEWORK FOR 2007-13
But, as even Rogfer knows but is unwilling to admit, it is not UK money. Years ago the UK parliament made over part of its VAT revenues to the EU to be the EU's own resources.
Bill Newton Dunn

Which is splitting hairs, those VAT receipts may be described in Brussels as own resources, but to the rest of us they certainly feel like our money.

________________________________________
From: HELMER Roger
Sent: 29 August 2007 11:31
Subject: RE: EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS: EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVAL OF THE UK'S NATIONAL STRATEGIC REFERENCE FRAMEWORK FOR 2007-13
Yet another reason why we should be Better Off Out R.

Better Off Out beingthe cross party campaign run by the Freedom Association.

________________________________________
From: NEWTON DUNN Bill
Sent: 29 August 2007 11:40
Subject: RE: EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS: EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVAL OF THE UK'S NATIONAL STRATEGIC REFERENCE FRAMEWORK FOR 2007-13
Which is not your party's policy. Why not be honest, just for once, and join UKIP ?

To be fair, Roger's position and UKIP's position on the EU, and a host pf other things ae so minimal as to be meaningless. Roger, it must be remembered is in glorious isolation as the only Tory MEP who is where the boy Dave said they all should be, that is outside of the EPP from where he was summarily ejected after co-operating with Nigel Farage of UKIP on revealing the extent of Barosso's involvement with Greek shipping (etc) billionaire Latsis. It is rumopured that he had his Tory whip returned last year after threatening to defect to UKIP.

________________________________________
From: HELMER Roger
Sent: 29 August 2007 11:55
To: NEWTON DUNN Bill
Subject: RE: EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS: EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVAL OF THE UK'S NATIONAL STRATEGIC REFERENCE FRAMEWORK FOR 2007-13
Dangerous ground, here, Bill. You may accuse me of many things, but dishonesty is not one of them. I have been absolutely clear and direct about my views on Europe -- which is what gets up your nose. R.

This of course ties in with the earlier point about Bill standing for one party list and defecting, which Roger believes to be intrinsically dishonest
________________________________________

From: NEWTON DUNN Bill
Sent: 29 August 2007 11:57
To: HELMER Roger
Subject: RE: EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS: EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVAL OF THE UK'S NATIONAL STRATEGIC REFERENCE FRAMEWORK FOR 2007-13
Not at all. You twist, distort, sail close to the wind implying things...you are deeply dishonest - not least with yourself, since everybody knows you should be in UKIP:

As above

________________________________________
From: HELMER Roger
Sent: 29 August 2007 11:59
To: NEWTON DUNN Bill
Subject: RE: EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS: EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVAL OF THE UK'S NATIONAL STRATEGIC REFERENCE FRAMEWORK FOR 2007-13
As I have frequently obeserved, Bill, you need a dictionary, as you seem to have a poor grasp of the plain meaning of words.

R.

This is not the first of these online spats, and I am sure it will ot be the last

________________________________________
From: NEWTON DUNN Bill
Sent: Wed 8/29/2007 12:10 PM
To: HELMER Roger
Subject: RE: EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS: EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVAL OF THE UK'S NATIONAL STRATEGIC REFERENCE FRAMEWORK FOR 2007-13
Your self-delusion is that you are honest - like fundamentalist religious preachers who preach one thing but are really something very different. Ring any bells ?

This is a snide response, alluding to the fact that Roger was brought up in the Plymouth Bretheren, an experience that has left him on the staunch side of atheism ever since.


Whether the conversation continued off line, or off list I do not know but this is illustrative of the way in which our future is debated in Brussels.