Dear Dr Gabb

Aware of my recent addition to the candidates list, a friend informed me of your site and I took a look today.

I have to say that I am troubled by the 'Europhile bashing' appearance (purpose?) of your site.

Though the public branding may provide a useful service for some (though all Associations I have come across are more than capable of extracting satisfactory answers to important questions), it is unfortunate that there are those in our party who would attack colleagues for the sake of a belief held on one subject.

I assume that all joined the same party for shared beliefs held on a wide range of issues. I accept that Europe and our relationship with it holds long-term consequences for our country, but for me health, education and the constitution (for example) remain up there as crucial issues facing this nation and those who wish to govern it.

Surely the great degree of consensus on this range of matters deserves equal, if not greater prominence than internal debate on one topic ?

Having said all that - and for the sake of completeness and the avoidance of doubt - I would be content for my name to appear on your list.

To answer your third question first - I support strongly William Hague's line on the Single Currency. Further to that, I remain deeply unconvinced about the benefits of UK membership of the Eurozone, whatever the prevailing conditions.

However, your first test implies a radical (unforeseeable ?) shake-up in party policy and economic circumstances and I am cautious about saying never-ever without foresight of those changes.

On your second question, I have no doubt about the essential supremacy of the British Parliament; European federalism in all its forms must be fought against. Whatever our continental 'partners' believed, our nation signed up to a collection of trading states and it is high time that the government rolled back those interfering, burdensome EU laws that strangle the growth and progress of the British people.

I regard myself as sceptical. You, of course, will draw your own conclusions.

Yours ever

John Cotton

Dear Mr Cotton,

Many thanks for your e-mail dated the 2nd March 2000.

I have given some thought to your answers, and am not entirely content with them.  The purpose of the Candidlist questions is to tie candidates to yes or no answers on matters that really do admit of such answers.  Your careful phrasing and lack of straight answers forces me to calssify you as a don't know.

Of course, I may have done you an injustice.  Be assured, however, that our correspondence is being published in full on the Candidlist page, so that if I have been unjust, it will be seen by any observer.  I also promise to reclassify you as a sceptic in case you are able to clarify your previous letter.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Sean Gabb
Candidlist Webmaster

1) If elected or re-elected to Parliament, would you oppose our joining the Eurozone even if joining were to be recommended by the Party leadership?

2) If elected or re-elected to Parliament and required to choose between accepting the supremacy of European Union law in this country and leaving the European Union, would you vote for British withdrawal?

If you cannot answer both of the above in the affirmative, do you accept the line currently taken by William Hague, which is to oppose our joining the Eurozone for this and for the next Parliament and to resist any further British integration into the European Union?