blog - Starting from scratch
mirrored from blogs.labour.org.uk/braindamage
tag usage
tag: Kaminski
tag: Kaminski
Kaminski: related links
http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/public-accounts/2009/08/desperate-lows-tory-stooping:
Tories and anti-Semitism: who do you believe?
The desperate lows to which Tory spinners are stooping
The fallout over my report last week on European Jewish concerns over the new Tory alliance with Michal Kaminski, has taken a very ugly turn. Something must have touched a nerve. The vast army of Tory cheerleaders, led by Conservative Home and Daniel Hannan , has jumped to the defence of Kaminski, the Polish former neo-Nazi and new leader of the Tories' group in Europe. It is one thing for them to defend the party they love, but quite another to go out of their way to defend a proven anti-Semite.
Tories and anti-Semitism: who do you believe?
The desperate lows to which Tory spinners are stooping
The fallout over my report last week on European Jewish concerns over the new Tory alliance with Michal Kaminski, has taken a very ugly turn. Something must have touched a nerve. The vast army of Tory cheerleaders, led by Conservative Home and Daniel Hannan , has jumped to the defence of Kaminski, the Polish former neo-Nazi and new leader of the Tories' group in Europe. It is one thing for them to defend the party they love, but quite another to go out of their way to defend a proven anti-Semite.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/gay-tory-daves-embarrassing-friends-1769707.html:
Gay Tory: Dave's embarrassing friends
"Conservative MEP's claim that homophobia does not exist lands his leader in trouble"
"Geoff Hoon, former chief whip and ex-Europe minister, said: "This is yet another sign that David Cameron has caved in to the views of the extreme elements in his party and removed the Conservatives from Europe's mainstream."
Gay Tory: Dave's embarrassing friends
"Conservative MEP's claim that homophobia does not exist lands his leader in trouble"
"Geoff Hoon, former chief whip and ex-Europe minister, said: "This is yet another sign that David Cameron has caved in to the views of the extreme elements in his party and removed the Conservatives from Europe's mainstream."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/sep/17/conservatives-europe:
Punished for challenging extremism (punished for telling the truth)
'warned the Conservatives about Michal Kaminski before I stood against him in Europe. They should not have expelled me'
'I was shocked to be expelled from the Conservative party on Tuesday without notice. I had already lost the whip in July for winning re-election as vice-president of the European parliament against Michal Kaminski MEP, the Pole with an extremist past who now leads David Cameron's new European Conservative and Reformists (ECR) group'
Punished for challenging extremism (punished for telling the truth)
'warned the Conservatives about Michal Kaminski before I stood against him in Europe. They should not have expelled me'
'I was shocked to be expelled from the Conservative party on Tuesday without notice. I had already lost the whip in July for winning re-election as vice-president of the European parliament against Michal Kaminski MEP, the Pole with an extremist past who now leads David Cameron's new European Conservative and Reformists (ECR) group'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/05/conservative-conference-cameron-kaminski:
'Michał Kamiński, the Polish MEP and leader of the European Conservative and Reformist grouping in the European parliament, has been invited to attend the Conservative party conference.
..Kamiński's previous visit to the United Kingdom was in 1999, when he led a delegation to comfort General Pinochet, pending his extradition to Spain. Kamiński gave the ailing general a replica of the Black Madonna icon. Both men were apparently deeply moved and Kamiński declared this to be the most uplifting moment of his entire life. One wonders if his meeting with David Cameron will have the same impact.'
'Michał Kamiński, the Polish MEP and leader of the European Conservative and Reformist grouping in the European parliament, has been invited to attend the Conservative party conference.
..Kamiński's previous visit to the United Kingdom was in 1999, when he led a delegation to comfort General Pinochet, pending his extradition to Spain. Kamiński gave the ailing general a replica of the Black Madonna icon. Both men were apparently deeply moved and Kamiński declared this to be the most uplifting moment of his entire life. One wonders if his meeting with David Cameron will have the same impact.'
http://www.thejc.com/news/world-news/20872/kaminski-admits-wearing-fascist-symbol:
Kaminski admits wearing 'fascist' symbol
'Michal KaminskI, the Polish MEP at the centre of the controversy over David Cameron's European alliances has admitted he wore the symbol of a totalitarion group, claims he had previously denied.
In an interview with the JC, Mr Kaminski was asked if he had ever said he was proud to wear the Chrobry Sword, the symbol of the National Radical Camp (ONR).'
 |
| The Chrobry Sword |
'Michal KaminskI, the Polish MEP at the centre of the controversy over David Cameron's European alliances has admitted he wore the symbol of a totalitarion group, claims he had previously denied.
In an interview with the JC, Mr Kaminski was asked if he had ever said he was proud to wear the Chrobry Sword, the symbol of the National Radical Camp (ONR).'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/oct/18/conservatives-hid-past-european-ally:
House of Commons computer used to hide past of Tory ally Kaminski
'Far-right history of man leading Conservatives in Europe deleted using Parliament internet connection'
House of Commons computer used to hide past of Tory ally Kaminski
'Far-right history of man leading Conservatives in Europe deleted using Parliament internet connection'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/20/holocaust-michal-kaminski:
Holocaust survivor asks Tories to reconsider links with Michal Kaminski
'One of Britain's most prominent Holocaust survivors has called on the Conservative party to reconsider its alliance with Michal Kaminski, the Polish MEP who leads the Conservatives in the European parliament, citing his "unacceptable" views.
Ben Helfgott, 78, said Kaminski's attempts to compare the massacre of 1,600 Jews in Jedwabne in 1941 with individual acts of collaboration by Jews with the Soviet army were "not acceptable".
These views would be anathema to any Jew or any decent person who knows about the Holocaust," he said. "This is not a direct denial of Holocaust but in a sense it is accusing the victims of being no different from the perpetrators" he said. "There is a line here which must not be crossed."'
Holocaust survivor asks Tories to reconsider links with Michal Kaminski
'One of Britain's most prominent Holocaust survivors has called on the Conservative party to reconsider its alliance with Michal Kaminski, the Polish MEP who leads the Conservatives in the European parliament, citing his "unacceptable" views.
Ben Helfgott, 78, said Kaminski's attempts to compare the massacre of 1,600 Jews in Jedwabne in 1941 with individual acts of collaboration by Jews with the Soviet army were "not acceptable".
These views would be anathema to any Jew or any decent person who knows about the Holocaust," he said. "This is not a direct denial of Holocaust but in a sense it is accusing the victims of being no different from the perpetrators" he said. "There is a line here which must not be crossed."'
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/tory-mep-defiant-after-losing-expulsion-appeal-1868230.html:
Tory MEP defiant after losing expulsion appeal
'A veteran Tory MEP declared war on his party this afternoon after losing an appeal against his expulsion.
Edward McMillan-Scott said he was preparing a High Court challenge for reinstatement - and mounting a pro-European campaign to counter Conservative anti-EU rhetoric ahead of the general election.
Mr McMillan-Scott, an MEP for 25 years, lost the Tory whip six months ago after breaking ranks to challenge a Polish MEP for the post of European Parliament vice-president.
Mr McMillan-Scott won, and his defeat of the controversial Pole, Michal Kaminski, infuriated Tory high command because Mr Kaminksi's Law and Justice Party had just joined forces with the Conservatives in Strasbourg to form a new Eurosceptic political bloc.
Mr McMillan-Scott says he acted in protest at Mr Kaminski's "'anti-Semitic, homophobic and racist"' links.
Mr McMillan-Scott said his expulsion had been unfair, adding: "There is no shame in losing the whip on a point of principle - to be expelled for the same thing was disproportionate and against natural justice."
...
He said the only recent expulsions had been Jeffrey Archer in 2001, following imprisonment for perjury, and Den Dover, a former MP and MEP, last year for allegedly misusing £600,000 of euro-expenses.
Mr McMillan-Scott went on: "In the context of the Westminster expenses scandal, for which no Conservative was expelled, or the serial disloyalty of Europhobes like (Tory MEP) Daniel Hannan, this will be seen by many as a serious case of double standards."
He described Mr Hannan as "Dog-whistle Dan, the deniable Ukip voice of the Tory Party" and added: "Dan is more interested in UK independence than in the Conservative Party - he should be expelled, not me."
Meanwhile, Mr McMillan-Scott admitted he was still fuming about an "abusive, humiliating" letter from Foreign Secretary William Hague, ordering the MEP to apologise to Mr Kaminski and to Tory group leader Timothy Kirkhope. '
Tory MEP defiant after losing expulsion appeal
'A veteran Tory MEP declared war on his party this afternoon after losing an appeal against his expulsion.
Edward McMillan-Scott said he was preparing a High Court challenge for reinstatement - and mounting a pro-European campaign to counter Conservative anti-EU rhetoric ahead of the general election.
Mr McMillan-Scott, an MEP for 25 years, lost the Tory whip six months ago after breaking ranks to challenge a Polish MEP for the post of European Parliament vice-president.
Mr McMillan-Scott won, and his defeat of the controversial Pole, Michal Kaminski, infuriated Tory high command because Mr Kaminksi's Law and Justice Party had just joined forces with the Conservatives in Strasbourg to form a new Eurosceptic political bloc.
Mr McMillan-Scott says he acted in protest at Mr Kaminski's "'anti-Semitic, homophobic and racist"' links.
Mr McMillan-Scott said his expulsion had been unfair, adding: "There is no shame in losing the whip on a point of principle - to be expelled for the same thing was disproportionate and against natural justice."
...
He said the only recent expulsions had been Jeffrey Archer in 2001, following imprisonment for perjury, and Den Dover, a former MP and MEP, last year for allegedly misusing £600,000 of euro-expenses.
Mr McMillan-Scott went on: "In the context of the Westminster expenses scandal, for which no Conservative was expelled, or the serial disloyalty of Europhobes like (Tory MEP) Daniel Hannan, this will be seen by many as a serious case of double standards."
He described Mr Hannan as "Dog-whistle Dan, the deniable Ukip voice of the Tory Party" and added: "Dan is more interested in UK independence than in the Conservative Party - he should be expelled, not me."
Meanwhile, Mr McMillan-Scott admitted he was still fuming about an "abusive, humiliating" letter from Foreign Secretary William Hague, ordering the MEP to apologise to Mr Kaminski and to Tory group leader Timothy Kirkhope. '
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/16/conservative-values-europe-extremism:
What happened to Conservative values? by Edward McMillan-Scott
[re: the title: if I ever see any evidence of any I'll be well and truly shocked]
'Since I was expelled from the party for standing up to extremism, my former party's MEPs have lost their way in Europe
David Cameron's controversial new European parliament group, which includes extremist Poles and other ill-assorted individuals, was the brainchild and creation of two British conservative nationalists: Daniel Hannan MEP and his ally Mark Francois, a rightwing former Essex councillor. On Monday the MEPs' Bureau - on which I sit - may approve a taxpayer-funded £1.6m cross-frontier political movement - based on the politically-incoherent group. This will be run by Hannan, whom Francois imposed against the wishes of at least 10 other, increasingly resentful, Tory MEPs.
Hannan gave up his MEP spokesmanship to campaign full-time for a British referendum on the EU only days after this phoney idea was rejected by Cameron. Hannan reveres Enoch Powell, decries the NHS on American TV, loathes the BBC, calls Obama "exotic", is sceptical about climate change and apes Sarah Palin's dangerous populism, but the Conservative party embraces him. Any party seeking the middle ground should instead favour my brand of conservative internationalism: Britain should lead in Europe not leave it.
After I stood and won re-election as European parliament vice-president with cross-party support against the controversial Polish MEP Michal Kaminski, breaking the Brussels consensus, the Conservative whip was withdrawn from me. Kaminski's antisemitic words and deeds have been widely reported, most recently by the BBC's Newsnight special report.
What happened to Conservative values? by Edward McMillan-Scott
[re: the title: if I ever see any evidence of any I'll be well and truly shocked]
'Since I was expelled from the party for standing up to extremism, my former party's MEPs have lost their way in Europe
David Cameron's controversial new European parliament group, which includes extremist Poles and other ill-assorted individuals, was the brainchild and creation of two British conservative nationalists: Daniel Hannan MEP and his ally Mark Francois, a rightwing former Essex councillor. On Monday the MEPs' Bureau - on which I sit - may approve a taxpayer-funded £1.6m cross-frontier political movement - based on the politically-incoherent group. This will be run by Hannan, whom Francois imposed against the wishes of at least 10 other, increasingly resentful, Tory MEPs.
Hannan gave up his MEP spokesmanship to campaign full-time for a British referendum on the EU only days after this phoney idea was rejected by Cameron. Hannan reveres Enoch Powell, decries the NHS on American TV, loathes the BBC, calls Obama "exotic", is sceptical about climate change and apes Sarah Palin's dangerous populism, but the Conservative party embraces him. Any party seeking the middle ground should instead favour my brand of conservative internationalism: Britain should lead in Europe not leave it.
After I stood and won re-election as European parliament vice-president with cross-party support against the controversial Polish MEP Michal Kaminski, breaking the Brussels consensus, the Conservative whip was withdrawn from me. Kaminski's antisemitic words and deeds have been widely reported, most recently by the BBC's Newsnight special report.
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/02/isolated-cameron-defends-kaminski-again-as-european-leaders-rally-round-brown/:
Isolated Cameron defends Kaminski (again) as European leaders rally round Brown
'The controversy over David Cameron's alliance with Michal Kaminski re-ignited today following an interview in which the Tory leader once again defended the Polish extremist and centre-Right European leaders pledged their support to Gordon Brown.
Michal-Kaminski-angryIn an interview with Johann Hari in the Independent, Cameron deployed his usual tactics of denial, evasiveness and anger when questioned about Kaminski, as he's done every time he's been confronted with the evidence of Kaminski and his party's extremism.
Just like his response to Left Foot Forward when asked the same question last month, it appears political expediency trumps conviction, that pacifying the Eurosceptics in his party by signing up to Kaminski's vision of Europe is all that matters - even at the expense of his own self-styled "liberal, nice, new Tory" credentials.'
Isolated Cameron defends Kaminski (again) as European leaders rally round Brown
Michal-Kaminski-angryIn an interview with Johann Hari in the Independent, Cameron deployed his usual tactics of denial, evasiveness and anger when questioned about Kaminski, as he's done every time he's been confronted with the evidence of Kaminski and his party's extremism.
Just like his response to Left Foot Forward when asked the same question last month, it appears political expediency trumps conviction, that pacifying the Eurosceptics in his party by signing up to Kaminski's vision of Europe is all that matters - even at the expense of his own self-styled "liberal, nice, new Tory" credentials.'
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/04/exposed-kaminskis-links-to-neo-nazi-skinhead-movement/:
Exposed: Kaminski's links to "neo-Nazi skinhead movement"
Skinhead: Leader of David Cameron's MEPs Michal Kaminski
'Today's New Statesman carries shocking new revelations about the leader of David Cameron's MEPs Michal Kaminski - that he was "active in a 1500 strong neo-Nazi skinhead movement". The latest claims are unearthed by Polish professor Rafal Pankowski, an adviser to Labour MEP Richard Howitt, who is campaigning against Holocaust denial.
Also this morning, The Economist, itself opposed to the Lisbon treaty, puts the boot into the Tories, saying "it is not hard to see why many continental Europeans and some Britons worry that a Tory government would be a platoon of little Englanders".'
Exposed: Kaminski's links to "neo-Nazi skinhead movement"
Skinhead: Leader of David Cameron's MEPs Michal Kaminski
Also this morning, The Economist, itself opposed to the Lisbon treaty, puts the boot into the Tories, saying "it is not hard to see why many continental Europeans and some Britons worry that a Tory government would be a platoon of little Englanders".'
