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		Speeches - 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 Venezuela - Delivered in Plenary, 11th February 2010 Press freedom and free democratic government are the foundations of the EU. For Hugo Chavez, the pseudo-dictator of Venezuela, they are simply obstacles on his path to absolute power. He is a demagogue, not a democrat, and has ruined the Venezuelan economy. Madagascar - Delivered in Plenary, 11th February 2010 If the African Union aspires to have anything like the authority and respect accorded to the EU in international affairs, then Madagascar is surely a case in which the AU should act decisively. Instead we have seen the usual vacillation and tepid diplomacy following the fall of President Marc Ravalomanana, which is sadly reminiscent of the situation in Zimbabwe. Burma - Delivered in Plenary, 11th February 2010 I have lost count of the number of times over the years in this House that we have debated the serious and worsening human rights situation in Burma, but, if we are ever tempted to soften our rhetoric against the brutal military junta, we only have to look around our own Parliament to remember why we need to maintain and increase the pressure on the generals. EU Enlargement - Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey - Delivered in Plenary, 10th February 2010 The ECR Group favours enlargement of the European Union. We see not only significant benefits in a larger single market, but we also look – unlike some Members of this House – for a dilution of the federalist ambition at the heart of the European Union. However, candidates must be subject to rigorous and exacting standards as laid out in the Copenhagen criteria. Body scanners - Delivered in Plenary, 10th February 2010 The recent announcement of compulsory back-scatter X-ray technology whole-body scanners at British airports by Prime Minister Gordon Brown is an outrage, in my view. Situation in Ukraine - Delivered in Plenary, 10th February 2010 On Sunday I had the privilege to be present in Kiev as an observer for the ECR Group. Everything I saw was peaceful, transparent and – in many ways, curiously – more robust than in my own country, the UK, with transparent ballot boxes and photo ID required in order to allow you to vote. Recent attacks on religious minorities in Egypt and in Malaysia - Delivered in Plenary, 21st January 2010 Sadly there has been a general climate in the Islamic world of increasing jihadi militancy aimed at non-Muslim communities in their midst – in particular, and more often than not, this means the Christians. Human Rights violations in China - Delivered in Plenary, 21st January 2010 The fact that yet again in this House we are debating human rights abuses in China indicates that the Communist authoritarian leadership of Beijing remains determined to suppress any political dissent. Philippines - Delivered in Plenary, 21st January 2010 This horrendous crime in Maguindanao is undoubtedly deserving of our strongest condemnation. It reveals the extent to which lawlessness has taken root in some parts of the Philippines. Democratisation in Turkey - Delivered in Plenary, 20th January 2010 Turkey’s political system is sufficiently mature now to be considered a pluralist democracy. Political debate is robust and voters have a genuine choice. Moreover, Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe, which of course binds its government to common standards of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Situation in Iran - Delivered in Plenary, 19th January 2010 President Ahmadinejad’s ruthless ambition to develop nuclear weapons represents, in my view, the gravest threat to world peace today. But we should recognise that Iran’s people and the Iranian regime are not the same thing. Uganda: anti-homosexual draft legislation - Delivered in Plenary, 17th January 2010 Uganda is a deeply Christian country where traditional values hold sway. Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda as it is in many African countries. We must of course be sensitive about forcing our more liberal and tolerant values on others, because it can sometimes be counterproductive.