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Sunday 10 September 2017

European Research Group - Who’s In It

Tory back bencher Suella Fernandes has recently become better known as the current chair of the European Research Group. But what is the ERG, and who are its members? Ms Fernandes was loath to come clean on the membership question, but thanks to the people at Open Democracy, we know that many anti-EU Tories have used their expenses to channel money to it. But the rules say it cannot be a party. So what is it?
Do not underestimate the danger posed by this MP

One thing that must be immediately understood about the ERG is that its title is in the same vein as the Global Warming Policy Foundation, the Renewable Energy Foundation and the so-called Taxpayers’ Alliance - it is a title that pretends to be doing something it is not. The ERG is not concerned with research about Europe. Its members want nothing to do with Europe. They just want out, with no discussion - or research.
Nothing like having a disgraced former Defence Secretary on board ...

In other words, the ERG is a repository of hardline Europhobia. It also gives every appearance of being the home of those who have a more Atlanticist view, those whose belief is that the UK should ally more closely with the USA. So it is no surprise to see the likes of Liam Fox being mentioned in the same breath as the ERG, or indeed Murdoch’s placeman in the Commons, Michael “Oiky” Gove.
... and a Murdoch placeman who'll cosy up to Rupe's pals

Who else may be in what Tory pro-EU MP Anna Soubry has described as “A party within a party” (which would make channelling expense money to it improper)? Open Democracy mentions Andrea Leadsom, Sajid Javid, Chris Grayling and Jacob Rees Mogg. But a letter circulated by Michael Tomlinson, Tory MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, is yet more revealing, giving a long list of signatories and names of officers.
As well as Tomlinson, the ERG’s officers appear to include Craig MacKinlay, the under-fire MP for South Thanet, Ms Fernandes, Rees Mogg, John Penrose and David Nuttall. Those named in the letter include Andrew Bridgen, Bill Cash, Douglas Carswell (no longer an MP), Philip Davies, Michael Fabricant, Philip Hollobone, Tim Loughton, Owen Paterson, Dominic Raab, John Redwood, and Iain Duncan Cough.
One name has not thus far been mentioned, but he is listed as an officer of ERG and is also at the top of the list of signatories: Steve Baker, who represents Wycombe. Baker has previously been chair of the ERG. He is widely regarded as the enforcer standing behind David Davis. Baker is like Khrushchev at Stalingrad, ready to have soldier Davis shot if he even thinks about backing down from confrontation with the EU negotiators.
Look who's top of the Golden Dolphin pops

Steve Baker is not only a major figure in the ERG, but a dangerous man whose power base should not be underestimated. His anti-EU and pro-USA stance secured him one of the few Golden Dolphin awards from the now moribund Young Britons’ Foundation of Tory bullying infamy. The citation talks of him “being proud to stand as a a libertarian and a Christian when the prevailing winds might favour a weaker, less principled course”.

And now he, along with a motley convocation of Tory MPs, are overseeing the transfer of expense money - make that Taxpayers’ money - into a group which fully intends to hold Theresa May to delivering an “at any cost” Brexit - on pain of being removed as leader.

There can be no more declining to come clean on the ERG. It’s our money they’re spending, and our country they’re hell-bent on screwing over. Time to come clean.

9 comments:

Ed said...

If they do no research, what are they actually spending our money on?

Anonymous said...

How "strange" Brit and Yank mainstream media have avoided investigation of the BritYank establishment, its roots, its members, and what it's up to.

Especially as it was exposed years ago by Carroll Quigley.

Yes, very odd.

And whatever happened to the "Atlantic Bridge" crew......?

But maybe msm has more regard for that batty old hypocritical crank Snow, his stupid ties and socks and his bullshit "culture interviews"......Yes, that'll be it......

Anonymous said...

A lot of dirty money swirling around on both sides of the Atlantic. Its a clear attack on democracy but who will 'out' them?

Arnold said...

'The citation talks of him “being proud to stand as a a libertarian and a Christian when the prevailing winds might favour a weaker, less principled course”'
If Rees-Mogg is any guide, his Christian principles will only cover sex and abortion. Not helping the poor and throwing the moneychangers out of the Temple.

iMatt said...

Sounds a bit like the discredited Monday Club which naturally had Kneel Hamilton as a former member.

Anonymous said...

Arnold - Since 1979 it's the money changers who threw Jesus out of the temple.

Didn't you know the current Archbishop of Canterbury was/is a Canary Wharf type spiv and oil exec? Done a bang up job bringing morality to the fore hasn't he? He and Moggy make a cracking pair of religious loony meffs.

Which is one of the reasons the average church congregation in Britain hovers around the 100 mark, most of them grey heads shit scared of dying.

Still, the Capitalist Austerity God will rescue us all. Or something.

Well done, Welby and Company.

Anonymous said...

"And whatever happened to the "Atlantic Bridge" crew......?

According to friend of mine who spent some of his younger years working as a researcher at Westminster, looked into the "Affair"
He believes that if the three principal actors had lived at the time of Elizabeth 1 their heads would have ended up on spikes on London Bridge.
Currently, the whole après Brexit thing is starting to smell like a kind of coup. Paranoid?...Bloody right!


Malcolm Redfellow said...

Hold hard, a moment.

I'm intrigued by the listing of "Alderman Matthew Richardson JP" as a Golden Dolphin alumnus.

Is this any relation to :
the "Matthew Richardson, Ukip’s party secretary and a close ally of Nigel Farage",
who was "the party’s secretary and a member of its executive council",
who got his name in the frame for referring to transgender women as "she-males", and
was identified in that source (vis C-SPAN) as "Young Britons Foundation Executive Director"?

If so, I think we should be told.

Tim Fenton said...

@8

It is the same Matthew Richardson. An old friend of Donal Blaney, who was the YBF main man, and also of Mark Clarke and André Walker.