makin' my mind up time!

Friday May 16th 2008 will be an important day for me. Firstly it is my mother's birthday, so "Happy Birthday Mummy!" and secondly it is the closing date for applications to be on the UKIP MEP Lists for the 2009 Euro-elections. The UK is divided into twelve Euro Regions. Each region has between three and ten MEPs. Interestingly residents of Gibraltar vote in the UK South West region. In total there are 72 UK MEP's (reduced from 78 in 2004 since the number of MEP's is fixed so when new countries join the EU each existing country gives up some MEP seats).

So the question to ask myself is "Do I want to be an MEP?" If I had been asked 4 years ago tye answer would probably have been NO. However, circumstances change. Four years ago my children were at school and it was important to try and give them some stability. Now they are both older and could cope better with an absent father. Well apart from when Dad's Taxi was required of course! Also four years ago I was basically a political virgin. I had no idea how much influence the EU had over our daily lives and how rapidly that influence was growing. It is only while being a local councillor that i have seen the insidious way the EU is destroying our national identity and way of life.

I love Europe. After seeing how much happier (and healthier) my parents are no they spend several months a year in Spain I even harbour ambitions to retire to the sun myself one day. However, I loath the European Union and all it stands for. So maybe the answer to my question is YES I do want to be an MEP! The next question then of course is which Regional List do I go for? North East? Yorkshire? What about the East Midlands, they elected Kilroy after all and as a graduate of Loughborough University I do have educational links to the region, also I worked for 12 years for PERA which was based in Melton Mowbray, right in the middle of the Region. Think I might have to phone Derek Clark MEP!