IT IS the right of every citizen to be able to live their lives in a way which best suits them; to have the chance to fulfil their ambitions unimpeded by red tape and petty officialdom.
That is why I fight in Europe against unnecessary regulations, and in Britain against the inevitable "gold plating" of regulations from Brussels by our own Labour Government and its local authorities.
There are now far too many people in Yorkshire telling us every day what we should think.
The Regional Development Agency, the Regional Chamber and the non-democratic Regional Assembly are just a start.
Add to these the power of the local authorities, the ever-tightening of executive control from Whitehall and the threat of another 'talking shop' in the form of a Yorkshire Parliament and freedom is under real threat.
Those very qualities which made Yorkshire a great county are now impossible to maintain.
The people of Yorkshire don't want more government - they want much less. The Conservatives will give them back their freedom to choose the lives they want. We will review all the structures of government and its quangos in our region and reduce the burden on Yorkshire.
We must set Yorkshire free again.
Timothy Kirkhope,
Conservative MEP for Yorkshire and Humberside,
Ash Street,
Poppleton, York.
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