Speech to Parliament Feb 15

Speech to Parliament             15th Feb 2012
 
 
 
With the Greek and Italian Debt crisis under the burden of the Euro of course unemployment is rising. Spain has over 40% youth unemployment, and you want more Europe!
 
Employment policies should be to cut regulations, by half at least, as the target for 2020, instead of which you propose more legislation.
 
If you want growth and jobs stop promoting the failed Euro. look, what is has done to Greece. Set them, and others free, free to reorganise their own currency and to set their own interest rates.
 
Remember Euro forerunner, the ERM? My country was in that project, interest rates rose and so did unemployment. Finally interest rates went up to 15%, totally unsustainable, but at least the government came to its senses and withdrew from the ERM. That was on "BlackWednesday" in 1992, but it should be remembered as Freedom Wednesday, for interest rates fell, employment gradually recovered and we entered a period of increasing economic growth.
 
That' the model you want.
 
 
 
Derek Clark    MEP                                       Brussels 15th Feb 2012

Brussels Commentary Plenary session 1st -2nd Feb 2012

Brussels Commentary               Plenary session     1st -2nd Feb 2012

The major debate this week was on the new so-called Treaty to resolve the financial crisis. According to Von Rompuy and Barroso its just one element in EU Government reforms, everyone needs more discipline, more responsibility and the system must have compliance regulations. It will be a compact treaty and will be irrevocable!

Only came about because there was no unanimity first time round (but Czech republic seem to have joined us)  so it is as close as possible to existing treaties. Again the Community method was endorsed but at least the call for less red tape to help SMEs to survive was heard again (but will have as much effect as the first time this was mentioned).

All the usual comments about stability, youth employment....

By now you may have caught the two videos featuring Nigel. The first is his speech the second is of a blue card question to him and includes the entirely improper comments by Schultz. The rules clearly state that the President may sum up but not offer an opinion. Should he/ she wish to do so they must vacate the chair.

We had another taste of the Schultz method in voting today. The report on Sport in the EU (which includes the issue of EU logos on national team shirts!) had 22 RCV (Roll call votes). Schultz took 8 of these then said that all the others should be taken together. Uproar. The point is that anyone can look up the result of these RCVs on the Parliament web site and see how any MEP voted. ButMEPs would very likely want to vote yes to some no to others, so how do they explain to constituents why they voted the wrong way on certain amendments?  

All to no purpose, it went ahead under the Schultz steamroller. Taking the hint Gerard asked if all the votes on the next report could  be blocked together also,- there were no RCVs in it. Got no response at all!

I'll finish on a more cheerful note. The vote on the Duff report was taken in Constitutional Affairs last week This is the proposition to elect 25 MEPs on the proposed European Political Parties, which was debated, and voted on, in UKIP recently. It fell!! That is, it was 11 - 11 which means it was not adopted, it falls. Do not bother to put out the flags just yet. It will go on the shelf, ready to be taken down, dusted off and re-presented one day, under a new name, of course!

Derek Clark   MEP                                Brussels Feb 2nd 2012 

How Croatia voted its independence away

Brussels Commentary         Employment Committee     25th Jan 2012

Short visit but spoke this afternoon on MRI scanning again, on website soonest. Meanwhile an account on how Croatia voted their independence away last Sunday

Croats victims of EU Referendum swindle - Only Croatia Party.

Contrary to official claims, the Croatian people did not overwhelmingly support Croatia's membership of the European Union.

In fact, most Croats abstained from the EU referendum resulting in a record low participation level of only 43%, which means that even if  all those who turned out, voted in favour of EU membership, they would still constitute a minority not only of voters, but of the Croatian people.

At the first-ever referendum held in Croatia in 1991, the turnout was 83.5%, of which 94% voted in favour of independence.

Fully aware that the Croatian People do not want to give up their hard earned independence, the ruling elites changed the Croatian Constitution prior to the EU referendum to eliminate the rule which invalidated any referendum unless 50 percent participation was achieved.

Prior to the EU referendum, the Croatian people were subjected to a massive North Korea-style pro–EU propaganda campaign, which relentlessly extolled the benefits and virtues of

membership, and denigrated any attempts to say otherwise.

The Government spent huge amounts of public funds to pay for a massive YES campaign, whilst denying any funding to the NO case. In addition, the European Commision ran its own very expensive YES campaign. State enterprises and corporations were also enlisted. State Television aired pro-EU adverts for free or at discounted rates, Croatia Post home delivered more than 2 million government leaflets for free, and the City of Zagreb provided free EU advertising on its trams.

The official referendum campaign was restricted to a four week period at the height of winter and favoured the official YES case which had almost exclusive access to the electronic media. It also exploited seasonal distractions provided by Christmas and New Year celebrations as well as winter school holidays.

The real referendum campaign had actually started much much earlier and involved, not thousands, but tens of thousands,  pro-EU advertisements on radio and Television.

The 'Vecernji List' daily reported on 10.8.2011 that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and EU Integrations had in the two preceeding months (June and July 2011) paid the broadcasting of  more than 13 thousand radio adverts and more than 2300 TV adverts on 80 radio stations, 6 national and 15 local TV stations. This massive propaganda campaign continued and even increased in scope and intensity over the next six months leading up to the referendum.

The Austrian, German and Government-owned electronic and print media ( ie all the media in Croatia) blatantly supported the YES case and made sure that the YES campaign was the only campaign.   Hundreds of sponsored 'information programs' were aired over many months and even more 'informative' newspaper articles were printed.

The Catholic Church hierarchy, lavishly funded by the State, also openly supported the YES case and seemed unconcerned that there was no democratic public debate and no visible NO case.

In the last few weeks, the population was carpet-bombed by advertisements and appeals on TV, radio and the print media from the President, Prime Minister, Opposition Leader,   Ministers, Actors, Singers and Sportsmen to choose EU prosperity and happiness over isolation and poverty.

Just days before the referendum, Foreign minister Vesna Pusić shamelessly threatened Croatia's 1.2 million pensioners that they would lose their pensions if they voted against EU membership. The Zvijezda voting station in Zagreb, which covers several retirement homes with about 1100 pensioners, reported an 80 percent vote in favour of EU membership.

And the result of this massive propaganda campaign ? -A referendum turnout of only 43% of  all voters and a vote of 66% in favour of EU membership and 33% against.

And even this vote is somewhat suspect because Croatia has more voters than citizens. According to the latest 2011 Population Census, Croatia has a total population of only 4.29 million, yet according to the Electoral Commission it has 4,504,765 voters over 18 years of age eligible to vote.

In such blatantly undemocratic circumstances, it was impossible for the Croatian People to make an informed decision and the EU referendum therefore has no democratic legitimacy. It has all the hallmarks of a sham.

It is clear that the EU referendum in Croatia was a swindle which did not meet even the most basic democratic criteria, and whose sole purpose was to elicit an affirmative vote.

We call on the Croatian Government and the political elites to recognise the reality that the Croatian People have not freely and democratically given their consent to the loss of their independence.

We call on the Croatian Government to do the right thing, to annul this sham referendum, to organise a new, fair and democratic referendum, and to give the Croatian People the opportunity to make a free and informed decision about their future.   

Should this not happen, we ask all the democratically minded Peoples of existing EU members not to participate in this undemocratic swindle of the Croatian People. We ask them and their National Parliaments to block the ratification of Croatia's membership of the EU, until such time as the Croatian People are given the right to decide freely at a fair, democratic and legitimate referendum.

Marjan Bošnjak

Secretary -   Only Croatia

Brussels Commentary Plenary Session 16th - 19th Jan 2012

A strange week with Monday and Tuesday taken up with voting for the next President of Parliament, vice Presidents and ....
As expected, or rather ordained, Martin Schultz the German leader of the S & D group won with 387 votes to 142 for Nirj Deva, Tory South East and 141 for Diana Wallis, Lib Dem Yorkshire. This is a much smaller majority than for previous incumbents.
In his acceptance speech Schultz said he was a President for all the MEPs..... wants the community method to become the norm.... but actually commented that failure of the EU was possibility. To most that was a warning, to us a happy new year.
The outstanding issue this week was the appearance of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban. This was by special request of the Parliament in order to query him over alleged malpractice under his government. You will get a flavour of his reception from this press extract,-
"Orban in EP: Desperate for a European rescue, Hungary offers an olive branch  (The Times, p.35): "Hungary's conservative Prime Minister bowed yesterday to European pressure and promised to revise laws deemed to breach EU rules on democratic governance. But Viktor Orbán remained defiant over his mission to reshape his nation. In a stormy session of the European Parliament, Mr Orbán backed down on parts of his new constitution that became the subject of infringement litigation by the European Commission this week. These cover curbs on the independence of the Hungarian National Bank, the early retirement of judges and supervision of the country's data protection authority. (...) Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the Franco-German leader of the big Green group, told Mr Orbán that he was taking the path of "all the totalitarian regimes" and compared him with Venezuela's President Chávez and Cuba's Fidel Castro. To widespread applause, he proposed sending a parliamentary mission to "find out why the homeless in Hungary, the intellectuals, people from my family ... Jews in Hungary, are afraid today." Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Liberal group and a former Belgian Prime Minister, said that the Commission had "missed the broader picture" by focusing on legal issues."

President Orban did not seem desperate to be rescued by the EU and he did not back down in the way suggested.  He maintained impassive throughout a 2/3 hour grilling, with many MEPs putting an oar in. He gave no ground and refused to answer the many individual points raised, good job too, we'd still be there.

This extract does not indicate the hostile and vindictive attitude of so many of the leading MEPs; especially Verhofstadt, they were just plain nasty. I do not know how many of their allegations are justified but I do know this; these MEPs are not qualified to assault him in the way they did. To clarify, he is a conservative, so no prizes for guessing whence came the worst attacks. Parliament should be above party politics when receiving a democratically elected Head of State. Consider;-
A month ago an MEP of the NGL (Nordic Green Left) complained that Parliament was becoming more and more anti- communist.
Cohn-Bendit's contribution noted above is typical of one who, two years ago, insulted the Czech President, Vaclav Klaus, who had spoken out against the EU in Parliament. The resulting delegation to the Czech Republic included Cohn-Bendit and met in Prague castle, the official residence of the Czech President. Cohn-Bendit actually told Klaus that he should take down the Czech flag above the Castle and replace it with the Euro flag!
Ms Harms, Greens, told the House a year ago that Vaclav Klaus was a trouble maker!
Orban was defended by several Hungarian MEPs and, especially, by Zbigniev Ziobro, one of four Polish MEPs to have joined us in EFD this week.
                  *************************

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary session 12th - 15th Dec 2011

Strasbourg Commentary      Plenary session     12th - 15th Dec 2011 

Votes of note this week,-

Lopez report on the European Protection Order which now includes an extension of the terrible European Arrest Warrant. Up to now the EAW was limited, as far as we are concerned, to the arrest of British citizens and residents. Not any more. Under the banner of protection of women from violence an EU judge can order the arrest of foreigners in the UK and have them deported elsewhere. So a foreign judge will now have jurisdiction in the UK.

At least the parliament defeated an EU- Morocco fisheries agreement which would have severe consequences for Western Sahara which is virtually under Moroccon rule.

William Dartmouth's Oral amendment in the report on detention conditions was defeated. He wanted to ensure that, under the EAW, anyone taken to another EU country would be in a jail which came up to standards laid down by the Council of Europe. Being an oral amendment he delivered it at the appropriate point whereupon the President asks if any member objects. A minimum of 40 then standing deletes the amendment from the list and that is what happened. So at least 40 MEPs don't care about the state of jails in the EU.

                                                     *************

Of course this week was over shadowed by the events of last week. While it would not be true to say that we Brits were reviled generally it is true that there was a great deal of unpleasantness in the house when this was debated on Tuesday morning. Barosso and Von Rompuy were as you would expect, the one arrogant and overbearing, the other menacing, both stating their determination to force measures through. Did you catch Verhofstadt on TV this week? He was on best behaviour then, you should see him in the House, see below. Actually, they had nothing new to offer to resolve the financial crisis, and anyway, its all our fault, our Banks and so on. So they concentrated on Cameron's veto.

To me Cameron's rejection was a perfect illustration of the EU. Under Lisbon any new Treaty must be agreed by way of unanimity, all 27 heads of state to agree. EU attitudes are clear now if not before. Am I right in saying that, to us, unanimity means that all 27 need to agree for a plan to go ahead, so it is open to anyone not to agree, in which case a re-think is called for. But to them unanimity means that all 27 will agree, whether or not they are in favour; you must do what the others want and no re-think about it, or else.

This is right in line with EU history. France and The Netherlands voted against the European Constitution. So the EU re-wrote it as the Lisbon Treaty, claiming that it was quite different, when it was not. They then took the precaution of 'persuading' France and The Netherlands not to put it to a referendum this time. Then, of course, came the Irish referendum on Lisbon, as required by their constitution, and their rejection, followed by a re-run to get the right result. And remember, exactly the same happened in Ireland with the Treaty of Nice several years ago, and earlier in Denmark over the Treaty of Maastricht.

So last Friday was just another day in the life of the EU. If Cameron still thinks he can speak to these people in a reasonable way, trying to get a plan together for the common good then he's a lot less bright than people thought. I never have had illusions about the attitude of the EU leadership. We go there partly trying to work for the UK but without sacrificing our objective in seeking our Independence. Our main object is to get in the media and put our case, your case, over to the public. About a month ago I got a call from the senior reporter on local Northampton newspaper over an EU issue (can't remember what). He was asking me,- "because you've got a good attendance record". Its all a question of credibility.

Some quotes from recent newspapers.

EURO MPs yesterday gave the go-ahead to spend £131million on offices – for themselves......

Despite the harsh austerity cuts being endured by citizens across Europe, the European Parliament’s all-powerful Budget Committee voted the package through.

It includes spending £118million to demolish and build a new office block near to their Brussels headquarters and to buy another, - all while we cut spending.

Tell that to the people on short time, people now on the dole, to pensioners seeing their hard-won pension funds depleted.

......and so to Cameron

 Just to give a taste of the attitude,-   

Euro in a tailspin (Daily Mail, p.4): "Former Belgian prime minister and Liberal MEP Guy Verhofstadt refused to speak English to deliver his speech on the summit, saying: "I shall speak my native language today because I don't think English is a very appropriate language to use" He added: "When you are invited to a table, it is either as a guest or you are part of the menu. That can happen. This selfish British strategy of protecting the City is one we cannot tolerate any longer" (James Chapman and Hugo Duncan)

I thought you might be interested in this new article ‘Exposed: the snobbery and intolerance of the EU elite’, written by sociologist Professor Frank Furedi and published today on spiked www.spiked-online.com

In the article, Furedi - professor of sociology at the University of Kent, England - argues that the hysterical reaction to David Cameron’s veto reveals the dark heart of pro-EU sentiment.

‘The venomous anger directed at Eurosceptics cannot simply be driven by the communications clerisy’s love affair with the European ideal. Rather, what is at issue here is the clerisy’s preference for the technocracy-dominated and cosmopolitan-influenced institutions of Brussels. From their standpoint, the main virtue of the EU is that its leaders and administrators speak the same language as the UK clerisy. They read from the same emotional and cultural script, which they believe to be superior to the script and values associated with national sovereignty. That is why it isn’t surprising that a BBC journalist can casually ask the Estonian prime minister to have a go at her own national leader. The UK-based communications clerisy has a greater affinity with the outlook of EU technocrats and political administrators than it does with the outlook of its own people.'

'Of course, Cameron may be isolated in the corridors of power in Brussels - but the clerisy is more than a little out of touch with popular sentiments in Britain. Indeed, their visceral castigation of Eurosceptics is actually a roundabout way of morally condemning what the old oligarchy used to call ‘the little people’. The main sin of Euroscepticism is that it has the potential for mobilising popular sentiment. And certainly, the anger of the cosmopolitan elite does not resonate with people getting on with their lives in Birmingham, Newcastle or Leeds. Those who want to expose the heinous Eurosceptic plot to undermine the EU should remember that opinion polls demonstrate that the majority of the UK electorate does not like the EU, and when the Mail on Sunday carried out a poll asking ‘was Cameron right to use the veto?’, 62 per cent of respondents said “yes”.’

And a final comment from me.

Are you aware that the principal founder of he EU, Jean Monnet, was never elected to public office?

With the EU godfathers having usurped the elected governments of Greece and Italy, replacing them with unelected EU propagandists, are you surprised at their attitude to he who is, after all,- and whatever one's personal politics are-, our Prime Minister?

Are you surprised that, over two or three years now, there has been open talk here of the, "Post Democratic Society". 

A happy Christmas to all my readers, and......See you in 2012

Derek Clark   MEP                                                   Strasbourg 15th Dec 2011

Starting Britain's Great Escape - Nigel Farage speech

 

Speaking in the European Parliament, Strasbourg today in front of Presidents Barroso and Van Rompuy during a heated debate about conclusions of last European Council meeting,

UKIP Nigel Farage said that Britain, even if Cameron did not know it has started its Great Escape from the EU. An escape that will her democracy and freedom back. Britain had been left with no friends at the EU, only enemies who speak of retribution and imposing financial market legislation on the UK. The Socialist leader Martin Schulz described Britain as 'blackmailing' the EU, Joseph Daul talked darkly of Tanks and Kalashnikovs after Christmas.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage said,.

"I often ask myself the question - why would a successful country that has enjoyed a thousand years of independence give up its right of self-government to the unelected non-entities which sit before us this morning?

And the answer that comes back from the Foreign Office and the great and the good is that we must have influence in Europe, we must have a seat at the top table so we can change things. We have done our best to prove what good Europeans so we go on paying the EU 50 millions pounds per day, we have helped the Euro bailout fund even though we did not join the currency, thank goodness. We have given you 80 percent of the fish stocks that swim in our waters, your fleets can come and take that from us.

We have applied every directive that you have given us absolutely to the letter, and all of it to gain influence. In fact, Nick Clegg is so deluded he still thinks we can take the lead in Europe.  When a British prime minister goes to a summit with a very modest proposal to protect a uniquely important British industry a snarling President Sarkozy  tells him where to go, with German approval of course.

And we find ourselves without a friend in the room - some influence!

Well, you have decided to head off on the Titanic towards economic and democratic disaster and we are now in a lifeboat outside the Titanic. But we are threatened with a bow wave that is going to come and engulf us if we are not careful and its retribution.

We have heard the language of retribution this morning- financial market legislation is going to be imposed upon Britain and we will have no influence whatsoever over any of it.

Something changed though on Friday, Mr Cameron may not know it but we are now on course, Britain is going to make the Great Escape.

We are going to get out of this Union, we are going to be the first European country to get our freedom back. I suspect many others will follow and then what we shall have is our democracy back, our freedom back and we shall have influence in the world as you lot head for disaster. It is going to happen."

Brussels Commentary Plenary Session 30Nov - Dec 1st 2011

Brussels Commentary    Plenary Session         30Nov - Dec 1st  2011

 Tuesday Debate  on the Economic crisis and on Croatia's admission.

Economy, all the usual phrases and the EC/ ECB have to lead us out of the crisis! Economic governance the answer, and the EU institutions must work with democratically members to participate in decision making, well!

Apparently Bonds and Bailouts are not giving cash to Greece etc, but are helping them to manage their debts!

Even Verhofstadt thinks the Euro is close to collapse and that Germany / France were once good news for Europe, now they are bad news. They are not following their own advisors, the five wise men, but making up their own minds. I would say making it up as they go along. What is certain is that there is no new plan, no plan "B", so it will just go on, and then collapse. (memo, must have a word with Angela when I get the chance).

Wednesday  You will have Nigel on the web speaking about the admission of Croatia but, meanwhile, Parliament took a vote on it today.  Or, rather, two votes, both with same title by the same rapporteur. Can't tell you why, I missed voting meeting today as I was hosting a visitor group from Grantham College. Anyway, both these reports on Croatia's accession were passed, by 564 - 38 and 550 - 34. So another lame dog will soon join us and a very corrupt one at that. How could it be otherwise when their Government is of exactly the same communists who ruled over it when it was part of Yugoslavia!

Have a nice week-end, I'm going while I can.

Derek Clark MEP                       Brussels    1st Dec 2011