Get involved Representatives from six of the 12 parties contesting West Midland seats in the European Parliamentary elections on June 4, gathered at The
Priory Rooms conference centre in Bull Street in the city centre, as part of the Birmingham Votes 09 event aimed at engaging and harnessing the views of ordinary citizens. Each MEP was allocated two one-minute slots to pitch their party’s manifesto both before and after the audience was split into groups and given the opportunity to interrogate them individually. Elected MEPs Neena Gill, from the Labour Party, and Mike Nattrass of UKIP, also took part in the conference which featured voting registration, a campaigns workshop and a question time session involving Birmingham MPs and city councillors. Dr Bennion said: “We need to make sure people within the region know how to use European funds and make sure that process is working properly. “We need to harness skills and create a team good enough to do it.” Former MP Mr Nellist slammed the EU as ‘toothless’ and vowed, should he gain election, to donate to charity and worthy campaigns the cash he would gain when MEPs tax deductions are slashed in June.
“The EU is a toothless organisation and a top down club of riches,” he said.