1965    The EU publishes its first "Memo on Regionalisation" the "First Commission Communication on Regional Policy'.

1966    British politicians dutifully start to enforce this EU policy.

1971    The European Commission produced the map of England broken up into the 9 regions.

1973    EU "Common Regional Policy" established.

1987    Single European Act expanded Regional Policy

1992    Regionalisation was introduced in Article 198 of the Maastricht treaty, which re-stated much of the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Its 130 unreadable pages cross refer to other treaties by Article number, so without reading all the treaties at once, an impossible task, it conceals its true intent. Article 198 set up the Committees of the regions (24 representatives in UK).

1997 Amsterdam Treaty (Articles 263-5) Destroys England in all its forms and creates 9 regions responsible directly to Brussels, bypassing Westminster. Kent, Surrey and Sussex are to be ruled from Calais, effectively becoming part of France, except there won't be a France.

Cornwall will disappear into the SW Region, an EU "County" stretching from Lands End to Cheltenham, and be administered by the unelected authority in Exeter, who will get their orders direct from the Brussels government of unelected Commissioners.

The Committee of the Regions means 444 extra representatives to pay for in Europe, plus their staff, travel and other expenses

The creation of the new regional boundaries took place well over a decade ago, its used by a number of authorities (eg the RDA, FSB, and in the 1999 and 2004 EU elections to the powerless European Parliament. The map is in the foyer of the European Commission office in London, entitled: "Local Authorities in the United Kingdom".

1999    EUrostat NUTS maps published March also define the regions shape and size.

The SW Regional Assembly has already defined the boundaries for the Unitary authorities. SE Cornwall leaves what was Cornwall and joins Plymouth.

2002   John Prescott announced the plans to abolish the counties in Parliament April 2002 to the horror of his back benchers, who wanted it kept quiet.

2006?     The EU will abolish our counties after the EU Constitution is ratified, currently planned for next year; then we are imprisoned in Europe, at least for our lifetimes.

David Noakes. http://drjn.co.uk