David Martin's EU Tribune

Tomorrow, Saturday 1st of October sees two historic events. Firstly, the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) in partnership with a growing number of faith, equality, anti-poverty and campaign organisations will hold the People First march and rally. The march will go from Glasgow Green to Kelvingrove Park where thousands will assemble to hear speeches and [...]

France and Germany are piling more pressure on the European Union to approve a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) – the so-called Robin Hood Tax – a measure that has met with huge resistance by many governments, economists and the financial industry. At a time when billions of pounds are being slashed off public spending, the [...]

The geopolitics of the world is changing rapidly. Size of market is becoming more important. According to Brazilian government officials the BRICS nations, of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, will be meeting next week in Washington to coordinate a proposal to offer assistance to the European Union in overcoming its fiscal difficulties, Not [...]

I am proud to say that my biggest mail bag today is from people supporting the eight hour maximum campaign for transporting live animals. Proud because as Ghandi rightly said you can tell the humanity of any society by the way it treats other sentient creatures in its care. My constituents care deeply about how [...]

Unintended consequences have been much in my mind these days, and bees. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on 6 September that honey containing traces of genetically-modified (GM) products, even unintentionally, “must always be regarded as food produced from a GMO,” paving the way for compensation claims to farmers whose crops were contaminated. The [...]

Just arrived, after a flight from Glasgow and a car drive from Amsterdam, for what I reckon is my 325th Strasbourg session. Not the easiest place to get to from Scotland, or the cheapest to maintain. The destination for Europe’s peace bringing Parliament has by now lost its symbolic meaning for many young Europeans. Nonetheless [...]