When will it be over?

Anyone who is an avid follower of my blog (Emma) will know that I have been strangely absent recently. My reason? The General Election.

Now, I am all for democracy: People should use the opportunity they have to decide how their country is run, but I have noticed in this election how monumentally bored people have become in it.

We've been doing very well down in the constituency I am working in, trying to get our candidate elected but so often when I call on someone, they just don't want to know. So from now untilI run out of things to write about I shall focus on why people are less and less interested in voting. Today, we have:

The three main parties are all the same

What's so different about the Lib-Lab-Con? Nothing, really. When 70% of our laws come from Brussels and they decide so many issues, such as immigration and the price of food products what's the difference between voting for any of them? Yes, the Tories may say they are anti-EU but then why are some of their MEPs using their secretarial allowance money to finance the pro-Constitution propaganda? Labour have gone along way from their withdrawalist manifesto of 1983 and the Lib Dems are not of this earth, wanting further integration. I therefore conclude that it's a three horse race between the 'want ins', the 'want outs' and the 'I don't want to knows'.

I hope the 'want outs' win but I think the 'I don't want to knows' may do so...

Something to make you giggle

shoes: black pointed kitten heels with an irritating squeak in the heel

http://stablesound.co.uk/mp3/camillaqueen.mp3

Any sense in Strasbourg?

todays shoes: brown furry boots

Yesterday I went into town with Mr B, since we were getting cabin fever. Not surprising in this place, where you can arrive at 8am and not leave for 12 hours, by which time it is dark and all one wishes to do is consume vast G&Ts. Yesterday, however, I realised what a beautiful city Strasbourg was: the atmosphere, architecture, restaurants and bars. It really is infinitely superior to Brussels which is drab at best and has a quirky nickname for the dog shit which smothers the pavements.

Last session MEPs voted on whether we should be in Strasbourg at all or stay in the centre of bureaucracy the whole time. Only 15 MEPs disagreed with this suggestion and considering my comments above you may wonder why. Let me tell you. The travelling circus use the Strasbourg Parliament for four days per month - which works out to forty days per year after holidays. On top of the expense of heating, maintainence, lighting, guarding, cleaning and staffing a massive unnecessary building there is an additional cost of £100m just to cart equipment and bits of paper to and from Brussels. Then, of course, you have to pay for the MEPs and their staff to get there, and to stay in hotels. And who pays for this? The good old tax payer, of course.

As generous as I am with my credit card when it comes to lovely little boutiques, I am severely against this huge waste of money which could be spend in Member States doing something useful - maybe some research into currently incurable diseases? I'm even more against it when the overwhelming decision taken by MEPs (a surprise in itself that they did anything sensible, when you see some of them) was vetoed by the French. Why? Je ne sais pas. Puisqu'ils sont français?

Just call me Imelda

Todays shoes: Pea green heeled ballet style

Right. I'm sitting here in my office in Strasbourg now work is over wondering why I have started this blog. I think mainly it's going to be a good way for me to work off my frustrations about the European Union, whilst being informative at the same time.

Why shoes? Because I love them. In a world full of pain and misery they make me happy.