Jokers

What a joke…

So the European Parliament is a check on the executive, is it? Well, correct me if I'm wrong but I can't see how the Commission and the group leaders in the EP, excluding IND/DEM can possibly believe in democracy if they think that MEPs have no right to question the guardians of the Treaties on their actions.

I'm sure you are all aware of the story now, but just in case…

Way back at the beginning of February Nigel Farage wrote to all the Commissioners requesting information about gifts and hospitality they had received since being in office. Well, perfectly acceptable question which would be answered in any proper democratic parliament throughout the world. But the European Union isn't democratic and so they decided to simply ignore the question for a month, and then a few weeks ago sent a letter saying that it wasn't anyone's business. Well excuse me for my impertinence, but I think it is!

So all channels trying to get answers from the Commission were ignored, and the only channel left to get Barrosso to explain himself was by a motion of censure. It's important to remember that the motion wasn't accusing anyone of wrongdoing: the purpose of it was to use what little power the Parliament has to hold the Commission to account. That is their role - the EP can't propose legislation, has a tricky time stopping any legislation which the Commission want passed but it can instruct that representatives of the European Union are honest and transparent in their dealings.

That is why this whole thing frustrates me so much. They had a genuine opportunity to try and make this place more open and transparent - which of course they all say they want to do - and all the group leaders could do was threaten MEPs with action if they signed the motion, fiddle speaking time so only the group leaders got to speak, and then spend half an hour slagging off the one man who is doing what he was elected to do. Their reason? They are afraid of anyone criticising their beloved fantasy with cruel accusations that the European Union is corrupt, undemocratic and is not the answer to all the questions. Anyone with the slightest criticism is jeered and booed from MEPs sitting at their desks in the hemicycle, delusions of grandeur clouding their judgement of the real world. And so close to the French referendum, which is looking increasingly like a NON - well it must be a mean piece of electioneering by monsieur Farage in his relentless campaign to burst the bubble of the EU wet dream.

One man who needs to be mentioned is Roger Helmer. A Tory MEP who is incredibly popular among party members and who has now been thrown out of the pro-EU EPP for doing what he was elected to do. By signing the motion requesting more transparency and he wasn't jumping sides to UKIP, he was making it clear that he wanted this institution to be more accountable and to try to winkle out the inbred corruption. His speech in the plenary session made it clear that he didn't want to be told how to represent his constituency members by someone from Germany who has different political views to him. I thought the Conservatives were elected on a eurosceptic manifesto, but forgive me if that was just a way of getting more votes….

Well Done Roger, and well done the others who disobeyed the whip and voted with their conscience.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/05/26/wtory26.xml

The greatness of Katy

The greatness of Katy (who incidentally wears size 10 shoes)

I'm not sure how many of you are aware of Katy Davies, but if you are not, then you should be. She is a lady of great wonder and beauty, with breasts so big they could solve the problem of the hole in the ozone layer.

Her professional attitude is one to marvel at: I have never known anyone play solitaire and minesweeper with such a degree of skill and talent as she (except maybe myself…). I gaze in wonder at her ability to master the most complex conversations on web messenger, and her telephone manner is a delight to listen to: like angels singing sweet music in ones ear.

In short, she is the bench mark towards which all women should aim.

Hmmmm...

Black boots today - am in casual mode.

Now, I'm not sure how up to date you guys are with the press, but you may have heard about Mandy and his boss Barroso and their luxury holidays. Well, a motion was put forward at the opening of the most recent plenary session in strasbourg to put this debate on the agenda. The result, for a debate discussing transparency and openness in an organisation controlling the lives and money of millions? Only 28 people voted in favour, including only two Tories: Heaton-Harris and Helmer. I'm almost willing to forgive CHH for purchasing his ties at Tescos....

Nevertheless, they had a chance to prove if they were prepared to stand up and act accord to how they were elected when a motion of censure was established for MEPs to sign. To their credit, despite being threatened by their German president of the dripping-wet European Peoples Party, 6 Tories signed the motion requesting that the President of the Commission be required to acknowledge details of gifts and huge lumps of tax payers cash going to his buddies. But what happened to the rest of them? There are more than 6 Tory MEPs in this concrete dump, surely they could represent their electorate and vote for finding out what is happening to their money? Or maybe they'd just rather keep quiet and make sure they get a nice position high on the list for next time round. I'm sure it's just a coincidence that after Barroso and his family went on a EUR20,000 cruise their hosts received a regional grant from the EU for EUR 10.3m...

As for the rest of the Tories, they really are euroseptic rather than eurosceptic. The more I see of their behaviour in the Parliament, the more glad I am I left that backward organisation which only appears to be a home for spineless middle-managers and thick tubby blondes.

Not that I favour the sandal-wearing brigade or the champagne socialists any more than I do the Tories. It's just that at least they have the guts to stand up and say that they want to sell our country down the river.

ooh, I feel much better now I have that off my chest. I may even get on with something productive, like drinking a beer in the sunshine with my Swedish colleagues.

Back to the drawing board?

Election over, time to think?

After all that work, my party of choice managed to get no seats in the Westminster Parliament. There was a big increase in the number of votes achieved, but nothing compared to the huge success we had last year during the European Elections.

Am I despondant? Not really. Satisfied that my opinions of the general public are correct and also even more certain that universal sufferage is a bad idea, but there is simply too much to be getting on with.

The three old parties were very successful in keeping the big question of Europe away from the headlines (ironic, really) but in a few weeks time Tony Blair is going to have a wet dream when he becomes President of Europe. Sadly for him it's only for six months, but that's long enough for the twat-extraordinaire to make enough stupid mistakes (Prescott as Deputy Prime Minister, anyone? You know he's made many...) for questions to be asked about where the EU is going. Admittedly these questions have been asked and answered honestly in most other EU countries, but the British population will insist on keeping their heads in the sand.

So good luck France in your fight against the EU man-eating octopus (a title of a porn film, shurely?) and good luck you genuine eurosceptics in making Tony squirm and shit his pants.

Tell me on a sunday

todays shoes: pretty flip flops I thought I had left at the bastard ex's house

No bank holiday for me, am off to Kent again tomorrow for more fun canvassing. Yet was also out on a sunday in my local area where yet again I discovered how 'on side' people are about the European Question. Will they vote according to their beliefs, though?

If you frequently rely on the media for your news you would be forgiven for thinking that there were only three parties running in this election, possibly four if you are silly enough to watch the BBC (I'm thinking Green Party here). Today's subject for why people are so bored with the election is why the media are choosing to bore people even further with their coverage of the election.

2. Do News International get a big cheque from Tony?

All they seem to do is bicker and fight - but why when they are so similar. Because they are so similar, is my conclusion. Mike says Tony is a liar over the war. Okay, Tony might be but little me managed to come to that conclusion over the war without being involved in MI5 and reading the transcripts from the Security Council. Charlie looks even more like an alcoholic /AIDS victim and has the mistaken view that his party is voted for by sensible, informed people rather than liberal sandal-wearing lefties who haven't quite gotten to grips with economic policy and is slagging the other two off for, well, anything. Tony is slagging Mike off for wanting to make public services more efficient without understanding that this can mean that spending goes down without services slipping. (Can they get much worse - that's for another day).

Minor issues when 70% of our laws come from Brussels, though, chaps.

Yet the party with the most interesting and different policies is getting completely ignored. In this bogus election the one party offering for Britain to be run from Westminster without giving billions of pounds to inefficient and corrupt Brussels, far reaching economic policies (drawn up by some economists!) and realistic ways to improve public services and stop the 'free ride' Britain has become, came behind the SNP when it came to the launch of their manifesto. Whether it's the newspapers, the tv or the radio it's the 'big three' getting coverage and the parties with something new and different to say getting nothing but frustrated. It's a shame, because people out there want to know if something different is being proposed and want to know the truth. evens on turnout this year being lower than last year!

Are the media scared that people will actually realise the truth about Europe after they've been lied to for so many years? Even the other day the Sun was telling people not to vote Lib Dem because they want the EU Constitution. Hello editor! Labour is leading that campaign!

Things would be a lot different if I were in charge, that's for certain. More shoe sales, for one.