The EU juggernaut

Forget bulldozing, the way the EU has been going these last few weeks since the 2009 elections has been light some juggernaut, smashing through democracy and accountability at every turn.

First of all we had the European Military poncing around like some farcical second rate Trooping of the Colour. Watching some soldiers with a huge flag, gazed at with lustful eyes so much so that it probably needed to be that big had it been kleenex, then hearing that the EU had some guarantees for the Irish reinforced my strongly held beliefs that these people will stop at nothing to get what they want.

It was much the same when it came to one of their most hated MEPs, Marta Andreasen. Unless you've been living in a box or only read the mainstream media, Marta Andreasen used to be the chief accountant of the European Commission but because it was as bent as a nine bobo note decided that she should say something about it. And so that ghastly fool Kinnock decided to sack her for 'failure to show loyalty and respect'..

Now she's a UKIP MEP in the South East Region - not that you'd know that from the newspapers because only Ambrose Evans-Prichard in the Telegraph bothered to mention the importance of it - the EU are shitting their lacy bloomers. Andreasen has been appointed to the Budgetary control committee of the European Parliament where Monday they were voting for the Chairman and Vice Chairman.

Mrs Andreasen was blocked by Christian Democrat and Socialist MEPs from becoming vice-chairman of the European Parliament's budgetary committee on Monday.

The centre-Right European People's Party and the Socialists broke parliamentary convention on the allocation of committee posts by demanding a vote by secret ballot to block Mrs Andreasen, who was elected as a Ukip MEP for South East England last month

I don't quite know how to go overboard with expressing the seriousness of this. I know that for many people the centre of politics is still Westminster and the EU is just some silly distraction. But it's a distraction which costs far more money than we can afford, takes away our civil liberties, ensures people in the developing world are kept in poverty and tramples over democracy as well as damaging our businesses and jeaoprdising our jobs.

They don't even try to pretend. A group of socialist MEPs realised that someone who actually knew the level of fraud and corruption in the EU was about to be appointed to a senior position (she was unopposed) and so took a decision to block her by secret ballot. They are so underhand and wicked that they don't even have courage in their convictions to be honest about how much they hate people trying to speak the truth.

I don't recall this ever being done before but they simply don't care. All they want is for irritating eurorealists and sceptics to fuck off and take their demands for democracy with them.

They represent you and you pay their and their staffs wages. These MEPs who voted against the only MEP in the room who had the experience of being the chief accountant - the budgetary control committee which is supposed to provide the check and balance on the EU's billions - because they had no interest in what she had to say. They didn't want her to also have the opportunity to voice her concerns to the Commission, to be in a position of authority. For that wouldn't do: those positions are only allowed to go to those who would swap the EU social model for their spouse or, if we're being continental, their lover.

Handbags at dawn in the chamber last week. Surrounded by EU flags, the EC President Barroso throws a childish fit over a small flag on the desk of Nigel Farage. They've been around since 2004 but now that Brian Crowley is not an MEP anymore, leaders of political groups sit near the front. Cue much hilarity except for Barroso who appears to be terrified of Farage.


And more evidence, should you need it, of how Britain simply doesn't fit in with the Continental way. Newly elected MEP for the South West, William, Earl of Dartmouth, was asked to show two pieces of ID when he arrived in Strasbourg.

Out came the passport showing his name as William, Earl of Dartmouth backed up by his credit card which said, er, Viscount Lewisham. Bemused looks on the faces of the staff continued when he then joked "and actually, my name's Legge!".

Er...