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It is only two and a half months since the European Elections but already Edward McMillan-Scott, one of the Tories we elected in Yorkshire and the Humber, has been expelled from the Conservative Party for standing up to a Polish member of the European Parliament with a history of homophobia.
How did we get to this position? The British Conservative Party had been in coalition with other traditional moderate right wing parties in the European Parliament. However to please the right wing of his party, David Cameron - on becoming leader - announced they would be leaving this alliance and seeking new partners in Europe.
The Conservatives have now gone into a bizarre coalition with East European political parties, some of which have a history of extreme homophobia.
One of these is the Law and Justice party in Poland. Their leader, who until recently had been Prime Minister, declared that homosexuals should not be teachers and that ‘the affirmation of homosexuality will lead to the downfall of civilization. We cannot agree with it.’
Whilst in power they announced an investigation of all gay groups for ‘illegal financing, criminal connections and paedophilia’. The Ministry of Justice also announced in 2006 an investigation into whether any crimes of a paedophile nature had been committed by homosexual persons. It is no wonder that many lesbians and gay men voted with their feet and moved to cities like Berlin and London. Other parties such as the National Independence Movement of Latvia have equally dubious credentials.
Following the European Elections in June this new coalition decided to nominate Michael Kaminski the Law and Justice leader in the European Parliament as a vice President. Kaminski is a right-wing, Polish version of Peter Mandleson.
He is also an individual with a strong history of homophobic utterances and is highly critical of civil partnerships and gay marriage.
This was all too much for Edward McMillan-Scott, who decided to stand against Kaminski. McMillan-Scott duly won and instead Kaminski became leader of the new coalition. Conservative anger against McMillan-Scott was considerable and he has been expelled from the Conservative Group.
It is not only lesbian and gay groups who are concerned. In his twenties Kaminski was a member of the National Revival of Poland, an even more right-wing group, with a history of hysterical anti-Semitism. Jewish groups are expressing similar concerns.
McMillan-Scott should be congratulated and not vilified as the Conservative party is seeking to do.
John Rossington
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