Strasbourg Commentary
Plenary Session 3rd-6th
Feb 2014
Monday Conflict of
interests. Business starts at 5.00 pm on the Monday and I was down to
speak about food labelling in the first debate of the evening but did
not know exactly when, speakers list not published until just before
start. However, the Employment Committee had called an emergency
meeting starting at 7.00pm that evening. Committees are not supposed
to meet in Strasbourg but the president of the Employment Committee
is a formidable lady. Notice of this meeting did not appear in time
to re-schedule my flight, due in Strasbourg at 6.30 pm. In the event
I got to Committee in time to vote, but only because John had
prepared my voting list and met me at the door. Then found I was not
speaking after all, so no frantic dash from Committee to Parliament
Chamber after all. A certain amount of flexibility is required in
this place.
Tuesday We voted against their
idea of better law making, but abstained on all parts of the “Roadmap
against homophobia and discrimination”. We have no problem at all
regards to varying sexual orientation but it’s simply, “live and
let live”. We also voted against “Smart grids” for electricity
supply. I hope all are aware that these are coming to a front door
near you! They will not only tell the electricity company how much
power each of your various devices are using but there is the
potential for device control as well!
Don’t laugh about that. Only this
week Commission News declares that in about six year’s time all
vehicles will have remote control. No, not by you,- the driverless
car-, but a device built in to all new cars allowing the Police to
stop your car as you drive! They may well develop the technology but
what rules and regs will there be? As to the consequences, use your
imagination.
Wednesday We voted on an arms
aid treaty and Protection about imports from non EU countries and
about explosives for civil use. Then, the “Framework for climate
and energy policies”, which degenerated into farce. Well over 150
amendments at the end of which there is the vote on adopting the
“Committee Resolution”, passing which would send this on to the
next stage. Here the rapporteur objected saying this should be
referred back to committee. This is not unusual but there was a
procedural problem. To ensure this went back to committee he had to
rise and speak to say so, but, was not seen or heard by the president
until the resolution vote itself was in progress. Result, according
to rules, no chance, it goes on. He protested saying he had informed
services as required and, failing that he was going to withdraw his
name from the report. The vote was concluded among tumult.
The President ruled he had not risen to
make his point before the vote started so he was out of order and
that he had not asked for the floor before the vote started, which
therefore went ahead, adopted by 341 to 263. Pandemonium.
Martin Callanan (Tory leader of the
ECR) claimed that an email had been sent at 4.50 the previous day,
asking for the floor. He went on to accuse the president, Mrs
Podimata, of malpractice earlier in the week over a new time table
for Strasbourg in 2015. He was ruled out of order. The vote stood
with claims that it be re-run the following day but, this was the
last vote of the day and by the time this was said many MEPs had left
the chamber.
Thursday
Yesterday’s events continued, except that there was no re-run of
the last vote on Climate policies. One of our lady EFD number, not a
Brit, sent a letter to the President of Parliament saying that the
previous day was disgraceful, especially the conduct of the lady
President of the day, Mrs Podimata. For once I disagreed with an EFD
colleague.
My letter said
that Mrs Podimata had kept an even tempo throughout ( not easy with
Electronic votes by the dozen), that she had been proved right most
times when challenged to hold an electronic vote to check her
declaration of the result on show-of-hands, and that her own call for
electronic votes had been justified when most of those showed a close
result. This lady’s letter to the President of Parliament was duly
amended.
I hope you will
understand that I was more than annoyed when an email from a Brit
(Tory) MEP came out accusing those on our side of the chamber always
losing no opportunity of calling out anti-women comments whenever a
voting dispute occurred. That is just not true, but not worth my time
in responding, this time. We are under attack all the time, good.
Schultz himself
took the chair for the first part of voting and explained that Mrs
Podimata had acted properly throughout and that the rapporteur’s
email asking for the floor had indeed, not reached her. Why, was not
explained.
Votes today were
the usual light weight stuff, situation in Egypt, Syria and so on. Of
course it’s very serious for these people but they do not deserve
EU interference. UKIP’s stance is much better. Never mind spending
millions on foreign aid to India, etc, which does not need it, and
of course we need border controls to stop mass migration, but genuine
refugees from Syria are a different matter. When did Britain ever
turn its back on genuine refugees who really do need someone to help
them over a problem not of their making?
If you watch one
of my last speeches you will see that I advocate British, West
European Industry setting up businesses in Eastern Europe. This would
first help these people, then see them on to greater prosperity,
reducing the need for mass migration. After all, who really wants to
leave their homeland if they can use their talents and live
reasonable well there? What chance of success, none. Most industry is
out for financial gain alone, and never mind anyone else.
We received a
Maltese delegation in our EFD group this week. They are an amalgam of
left and right, and totally fed up with the EU. They want to leave
the EU as it conflicts with Malta’s written constitution. They hope
to gain a seat in the Euro elections this May, perhaps two out of the
six on offer. That would be an immense gain. Any chance that small
countries like this could start to prise open the door?
See Paul Nuttall’s
video on this link
http://www.ukipmeps.org/articles_791_Employment-market-saturated-by-low-paid-foreign-workers.html
Finally, personal
comment. I went out for dinner last evening in Strasbourg town
centre, as I usually do on Wednesday evening, but found a disturbing
new element. I used a restaurant close to the Cathedral which I have
not used much before but saw something I had not seen before. All
round that area there were small groups of people - twos, threes
fours. Many with a dog, all with belongings in bags, sacks and so on.
They were there for the night and seemed to be families together. One
lot were under police questioning. Who were they, on this cold winter
night?
I leave that with
you.
Derek Clark MEP
Strasbourg Feb 6th
2014
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