Welcome to the mad world of the EU!

..working towards the divorce of the UK and the EU...

Thursday 21 February 2013

Brussels Commentary Employment Committee Feb 20th - 21st 2013 Wednesday Just to add to the shambles the President, not for the first time, altered the printed agenda, shuffling items round into different sequence. Got a warning about this the previous day but she altered it again as the meeting started. Very annoying when I had decided to speak to an early item and had to wait until the afternoon! However, the video will be on my web site but whether you will like me in a supportive role I don't know. Actually this can be for the good, might encourage them to listen when, as usual, I criticise. I did say, might! One of the items which took longer than you might think was on "European Statistics on Demography". They could not agree whose stats were the most reliable! I said nothing and let them get on with it, wondering how on earth they had several lots of statistics on the same issue. Don't worry, its only your money! Another item was on "Ground handling Services at Union Airports". Note the "Union" reference. It goes into all sorts of airport activity which is catered for by International agreements anyway. I wonder if this debate caused the strike here by the transport unions? Whether or not, will I be able to get home tomorrow? Thursday Massive voting session for hour and a half, most of it on the stuff debated yesterday. Plus, "Humanitarian Aid Corps" (never heard of the Red Cross apparently). "Social Housing" in the UK that's where people continuing to live on their family home after their flock have departed are now going to be hit with a 24% reduction in the housing benefit, unless they move to smaller house. Just like the Soviets moving several families into bigger houses and never mind the owners, all introduced by our own Government with no help from the EU. They also want to control Take Over Bids and to have a Competition Policy. All that plus votes on 8 "Discharges", that's approving the spending of millions of Euros, but only after they've spent your money. Then the vote on "Ground Handling Services" debated yesterday. Only one vote, because there's a dispute. Parliament sent it back to Committee to look at again. Just a matter of did we want to reject the Parliament decision and force the issue. The actual vote was one of those wretched double negative affairs. A "Yes" meant, send it to Parliament again so there were deliberately no amendments. I voted "No", of course, but it was 36 in favour and 7 against, thus rejecting Parliament's decision. Finally, 3 pieces to cheer you up. Late on Tuesday a Commission representative commented on the Euro crisis. It appears that Spain is becoming Euro-sceptic and that Germany is afraid of a Euro implosion! That's together with the news that a former Lib-Dem Mayor of Eastleigh has come out in support of UKIP and Diane James for the by-election. He's right. I have been down and met her, will be going again next week, wondering if the Lib-Dems will be as invisible as they were last Monday. And this website,- theyletyoudown.com will reveal how some of our UK MEPs vote on important issues as compared to their public statements. Derek Clark MEP Brussels 21st Feb 2013









Wednesday Just to add to the shambles the President, not for the first time, altered the printed agenda, shuffling items round into different sequence. Got a warning about this the previous day but she altered it again as the meeting started. Very annoying when I had decided to speak to an early item and had to wait until the afternoon! However, the video will be on my web site but whether you will like me in a supportive role I don't know. Actually this can be for the good, might encourage them to listen when, as usual, I criticise. I did say, might!


One of the items which took longer than you might think was on "European Statistics on Demography". They could not agree whose stats were the most reliable! I said nothing and let them get on with it, wondering how on earth they had several lots of statistics on the same issue. Don't worry, its only your money!

Another item was on "Ground handling Services at Union Airports". Note the "Union" reference. It goes into all sorts of airport activity which is catered for by International agreements anyway. I wonder if this debate caused the strike here by the transport unions? Whether or not, will I be able to get home tomorrow?

Thursday Massive voting session for hour and a half, most of it on the stuff debated yesterday. Plus, "Humanitarian Aid Corps" (never heard of the Red Cross apparently). "Social Housing" in the UK that's where people continuing to live on their family home after their flock have departed are now going to be hit with a 24% reduction in the housing benefit, unless they move to smaller house. Just like the Soviets moving several families into bigger houses and never mind the owners, all introduced by our own Government with no help from the EU.

They also want to control Take Over Bids and to have a Competition Policy.

All that plus votes on 8 "Discharges", that's approving the spending of millions of Euros, but only after they've spent your money.

Then the vote on "Ground Handling Services" debated yesterday. Only one vote, because there's a dispute. Parliament sent it back to Committee to look at again. Just a matter of did we want to reject the Parliament decision and force the issue. The actual vote was one of those wretched double negative affairs. A "Yes" meant, send it to Parliament again so there were deliberately no amendments. I voted "No", of course, but it was 36 in favour and 7 against, thus rejecting Parliament's decision.


Finally, 3 pieces to cheer you up. Late on Tuesday a Commission representative commented on the Euro crisis. It appears that Spain is becoming Euro-sceptic and that Germany is afraid of a Euro implosion!

That's together with the news that a former Lib-Dem Mayor of Eastleigh has come out in support of UKIP and Diane James for the by-election. He's right. I have been down and met her, will be going again next week, wondering if the Lib-Dems will be as invisible as they were last Monday.

And this website,- theyletyoudown.com will reveal how some of our UK MEPs vote on important issues as compared to their public statements.


Derek Clark MEP Brussels 21st Feb 2013
























Thursday 7 February 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary session Feb 4th - 7th 2013


Strasbourg Commentary Plenary session Feb 4th - 7th 2013

Tuesday The famous reform of the Common Fisheries Policy was up for vote. Did not lack for advice, must have received over 1000 emails asking for support. Counter productive of course, can't reply to them all even when they are all the same. At the end of 15 pages of over 300 amendments I abstained in the final vote. This was because, while I deplore the CFP, especially discards, Am 63 was passed because that includes the Sea Bed in the definition of EU waters. Think about the range of minerals therein.

Also Tuesday the vote on "Corporate and Social responsibility" with my short notice speech on the website already, to go with that on "Employment Policy" of earlier in the day.

Thursday was notable for Ms Lope Fontagne throwing a wobbler and, after a prolonged intervention in the voting session withdrawing her name from her own report on, "Economic Policy Coordination, employment and social aspects." , because of interference in her work and lack of support.

Highlight of the Week The speech by Francois Hollande, French Premier. 48 minutes of the most boring address yet. Basically he wants to "Harmonise "everything as an answer to the "people's" wishlist of peace, security, prosperity..... and how to revive the European Budget problem, not sure what his answer was. But young people need qualifications, expenditure must match income, the budget must promote innovation and support the poorest, must manage our resources.

The EU is not just a market economy, nor must it be an accumulation of European nations each fighting their own corner, then had the nerve to defend the CAP, saying that French farmers were greatly in need of it!

For the EFD Phillppe de Villiers responded as our prime speaker, remember that he had delivered the first real blow to the EU; the French "Non" to the European Constitution in 2007. He remarked that everything Hollande said has had the opposite effect, which is why the people of Europe had been melting away in support for the EU. Hollande has only just begun!

Nigel's response in the second round of lead speakers is on the party web.

Swaboda, the socialist leader, actually said that the EU had been a political construct from the word "Go", it never was just a Common Market. Now that's a nice line for your letters to the papers. He went on to say that under privileged youngsters in Nottingham (he'd just been there) were being helped with EU money!

Verhofstadt even compared the EU to the Soviet Union which had 5 year plans, we have 7 year plans!

Odd isn't it. As they get further and further into the mire, and as people all over the EU begin to question it, they start to admit the true origins and purpose of the EU: they are beginning to abandon pretence. Desperation or arrogance?!!

One fact picked up in the debate. The EU deficit now stands at 60 Billion Euros.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg Feb 7th 2013