Conservative Association Annual Dinner

Rochdale and Heywood and Middleton Conservative Associations Annual Dinner - Susan Pawson presnets Sajjid Karim with a framed picture of Rochdale Town Hall

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Sajjad Karim MEP was the guest speaker at the Rochdale and Heywood and Middleton Conservative Associations Annual Dinner held at Rochdale Masonic Hall last night (Saturday 12 September).

Mr Karim was the first English Muslim to be elected to the European Parliament when he won his seat in 2004. Elected as a Liberal democrat, Mr Karim defected to the Conservatives in 2007 was re-elected as a Conservative MEP this year.

Guests also included Susan Pawson, Chairman of Heywood and Middleton Conservative Association, Linda Butler, Chairman of Rochdale Conservative Association, Councillor Ann Metcalfe, Councillor Michael Holly and Mudasir Dean, Campaign Team Leader of Rochdale Constituency.

Dinner was vegetable soup followed by roast lamb or poached salmon with vegetables, roast and new potatoes, fruit pavlova or bread and butter pudding, cheese and biscuits and coffee.

Mr Karim spoke of his job as a whip in the European Parliament and warned of the danger of electing extremists to the Parliament. He said: "It is a matter of great shame that in the North West there have been two members of the BNP elected. We need only see what happened in Birmingham this week and Harrow yesterday to see the dangers of extremists."

He went on to explain that the Conservative position on Europe was anti-federal, not anti-Europe. He said: "I am a committed member of the European Union but I am also committed to reform."

He talked of the need to save money by scrapping the Strasbourg Parliament and having just Brussels. He also called for Turkey to be welcomed into an expanded EU saying: "If we are a Europe of principles and values rather than Geography then there should be no bar to Turkey becoming a member.

He finished by looking forward to the next General Election; he was confident the Conservatives would from the next government. He said: "The North West is a key battle ground and we need to be able to say to David Cameron when we win the election that the North West has played its part."