Brussels Commentary Employment Committee 22nd - 23rd April 2013

Brussels Commentary Employment Committee 22nd - 23rd April 2013

A great number of votes in one day, most concerning money. European Funds, budget priorities, Social housing, Aid to the deprived and so on.

Among these were the European Social Fund and the Globalisation Adjustment Fund. These had gone to a Trilogue because there was no agreement as to the amounts of money to be put aside from the budget. The Trilogue is the Commission, The Council and Parliament meeting to thrash it out. Parliament is always represented in such trilogues by members of the committee concerned, in this case Employment. Council is represented by some of the appropriate Ministers of member states.

There was no agreement in these trilogue discussions. That simply means that Parliament (ie MEPs) wanted to spend more, the Council (Elected MPs of Member States) wanted to spend less. The representative from employment committee told us that the division became discord as the Council wanted to operate the European Social Fund themselves. This was totally unacceptable to the Parliament reps who promptly walked out. Back to square one.

It means of course that member states are, at last, beginning to watch the pennies more closely and are trying to hang on to taxpayers cash more than they used to. Well, its a step in the right direction. Cameron need not claim a victory yet, the issue is still up in the air.

All of this, austerity and cut backs, spells unemployment. Figures given today show 27 million out of work in the EU, of which youth unemployment is 5.7 million. Hence the other half of the debates this week, furthering youth employment. Many fine words, but that's all it is, no actual plans but with "Erasmus" freely quoted. I am sure you know what that is. No?, its the EU program to enable to students to travel abroad for University Education. But that costs money because the EU is to help with the extra costs involved by each student! Where that will come from is another matter,- 8 member states have cut education budgets by 8% this year.

Meanwhile another spending plan, the European Fund for Aid to the Most deprived is to get 3.5 billion Euros this year. Will that include our money when we already have food banks for the needy? That itself is a matter of shame for us in the 21st century.

Away from money a green MEP is promoting, "Gender balance among non-executive directors of companies listed on the stock exchange." That mean more women on the boards but no quota. She proposes sanctions on Companies who do not make the effort, or do not explain why there is still an imbalance, but there is to be no compulsion! And the sanctions are not specified.

Derek Clark MEP Brussels 23rd April 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session April 15 - 18 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session April 15 - 18 2013

Much more voting in Strasbourg these days since they have to cancel the mini plenaries in Brussels due to the debating chamber there collapsing. Voting sessions extended.

Tuesday We at least helped to send a Greenhouse Gas emissions report back to committee. Does not get rid, but puts it off. But two reports on Credit Institutions, which will affect the City of London very badly, were adopted with huge majorities.

Wednesday. Massive number of individual votes on "discharges", for example, the European Police College, European Medicines Agency & European environment agency. All of these votes authorise using funds with the money already spent!!

Thursday Outline approval of a new census. This is to establish the EU demographics. But the info will be collected like an ordinary "head-count" census in each member state and then used by the EU to tabulate where every body has come from. That means using personal data without permission and looks like it will contravene the data Protection Act, not that this will bother the EU. It is no coincidence that today there were several votes on reports designed to ease the way for EU membership to places like Serbia, Montenegro and Turkey.

Otherwise leading MEPs are getting hot under the collar about Hungary with many allegations of denial of Human Rights and so on resulting from a re-write of the Hungarian constitution with a new amendment. It is claimed that this will undermine their Constitutional Court leading, for example, to the homeless being criminalized and that homosexuals will be persecuted. This is countered by documents from Hungarian MEPs saying that the new amendment does nothing of the sort.

Difficult to know where the truth lies, except that a few sessions ago The Hungarian President, Viktor Orban, spoke in the Parliament and was viciously attacked by the usual suspects demanding that he answer their claims in a special meeting which he would be forced to attend. He maintained a dignified silence and simply said that he would not attend such a meeting, better described as an inquisition. The Parliament is now instituting "Infringement proceedings " against Hungary.

General business. Olly Rhen, Swaboda, (socialist leader);Verhofstadt and others all said we need a EU a Banking Union. Well, at least that would hasten the end. Swaboda even said the Commission were democratically elected!!

COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTIONS, MAY 2nd.

Well done everybody!!

As a result of the terrific response here and across the country we have two Party Election broadcasts, which I suppose you have seen already. You may also have seen the report by Patrick O'Flynn in the "Express" recently of Nigel's progress through the East Midlands. This was a two week nation-wide tour where he took a largely coastal route starting in Cornwell, up to Hadrian's wall and down through the East, calling at places with a 100% UKIP candidate list. So it was Gainsborough, Lincoln, Boston/South Holland & the Deepings, (Tuesday) then Corby, (Margo's great result) Geddington, and Kettering (Wednesday) and then off to Huntingdon. Tuesday was disrupted by his going to Grantham to sign the Thatcher Book of Condolence.

In Patrick O'Flynn's article you may have noted a comment of an interjection by a, "Local Tory Councillor". This was none other than Jim Harker, Tory leader of the Northamptonshire County Council!. I happened to park next to where Jim was standing with a group of despondent Tory members. Having dispensed with polite formalities he asked me why UKIP were fielding candidates in these elections when County Councils were nothing to do with "Europe". I responded with, "Our County Councillors will do their best to stop Northants CC from spending £200,000 per year for 8 years on an office in Brussels. His reply was to say that it was only £140,000 for 3 years and that would bring in hundreds of thousands of pounds in European Money to help Northants businesses!

So, no connection between a County Council and the EU there then! He looked so miserable that I let him off my next comment, "There is no such thing as "European Money" and that this would only be some of our own money coming back to us, after the EU had extracted a hefty surcharge".

You will have seen that we are now rated at 16% in the Polls so beware of the dirty tricks brigade. That's already started with the Tories in the South West, and it will spread. Julie Girling, Tory MEP S.West, has produced an A5 leaflet attacking us and which her office is mailing out to Tory canvassers. It starts with detailing the hundreds of thousands of pounds we, UKIP MEPs, claim for travelling, hotels, offices etc etc, all of which is tax payers money. True, but then the Tories are the same, or more so as they have more MEPs than we!

It goes on to say how we have lost MEPs to other parties, without mentioning our acquisitions, where, I think we have the best of the bargain! It then says how lazy we are! Well, Nigel does not spare himself and I know what the others do. Me, ? look at my website and realise that this is only a bare bones outline. When not mentioned I am at the office dealing with emails that come in every day, I know I've got a pile to come home to. Yes, I answer every one except the impossibles.

This rag goes on to specifics. It claims we have caused a rise in sugar prices but this was the result of voting to preserve small British farms and jobs against French interventionism.

It claims we voted against Discards in the fishing policy. Not True. In fact,-

*UKIP voted for Am 119 which strengthened the obligation to land all catches (discards ban)

*UKIP voted against and helped to defeat amendment 297 which would have weakened the discard ban

*UKIP voted for more protection for small scale and coastal fishing

*UKIP voted to keep EU meddling away from inland waters

*UKIP voted against the EU taking control of the sea bed

This pamphlet also claims that we voted against legislation giving rights to victims of crime , and against protecting children from exploitation and pornography, both in the "Victims Rights Package". Yes , we did vote against this because the UK already has its own legislation offering a higher level of protection than that proposed by the EU legislation. Evidently, the Tories want to lower the protection.

The pamphlet also says we voted against Human Trafficking, of course we did.!!

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 18th April 2013

(at 4.20 pm and its even better to be on my way home this afternoon!)

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session March 11th - 14th 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session March 11th - 14th 2013

Tuesday Votes on greenhouse gas emissions, consumer protection, the economy, gender and women's rights (esp in North Africa)

Wednesday and the Multiannual framework vote, ie the size of the EU budget. You will have seen in the press that Parliament voted to reject the planned cuts, we voted to support them. In the course of that the motion to have a secret ballot on it was rejected. But beware, it is not over yet and, even if the cuts remain we will still end up paying more than at present. We are one of the biggest contributors and its the small countries who will benefit. How will Cameron cover that one?

That was followed by 4 different reports on the CAP with a total of 800+ amendments. We were there for over two and a half hours in spite of calls to spread it over two days. The vote to return it to committee to cut it down to size were rejected by MEP vote. Ask yourself, how reliable is the voting on an issue like the CAP, which absorbs the greatest share of EU funding, after over 2 hours of concentrated voting?

The CAP voting was all concluded but there were other votes to come, in the course of which the president of the day called a short recess, turned to leave the platform and collapsed. Several doctors rushed to his aid and the ambulance took 30 minutes to get there. Not sure of the reason but it was either a heart attack or, some say, a stroke. Business halted and remaining votes put off until Thursday.

Thursday Any day always starts with comments from the president of the day and, believe it or not, no mention was made of the president who had collapsed in the course of duty on Wednesday. No progress report, nothing!

One of the votes was on "Integration of migrants..... social security coordination". It passed by 334 - 247 votes, not that anyone took any notice of my 2 minute speech on the previous evening. Video on my web site, and, just to illustrate how difficult it can be here,-

You may notice that I got the gavel for running over time allocated, 2 mins! That was partly due to altering my speech just before delivery. I was in the house to hear the rapporteur start the debate. Her address included a phrase, " if an Indian cannot get a job here he can always go to the US". Wonderful, my original script said that the prior claim for Bulgarians and Romanians over non- EU workers would act against members of our Commonwealth, to whom we owe a debt. So I took that out, replaced by the bit you will find.

You see, I was due to speak at 8.0 pm, the normal time for our weekly "Gadfly" dinner. That timing allowed me to speak and get to the restaurant, except that it did not. Speakers always run over time and, these days, there is the possibility of a "Blue card" question from the floor of the House. So I kept an eye on the electronic list on my office computer and, as 8.00 pm approached, my start time slipped to 8.30pm, to 9.00pm and, when, at 8.00 pm, the computer showed my start time to be 9.30 pm I left for the restaurant, having ordered a car to bring me back from dinner at 9.15pm.

I got the first course in, we are always late starting, warned the friendly restaurateur, and the car got me to the House by 9.30, spoke at about 9.50, left for the restaurant again and finished my dinner. Indigestion again!

All that illustrates that we have to be flexible, especially with regards to time of speaking. My delay on Tuesday was not unusual. That it caused me to eat dinner in two parts an hour apart will not have bothered the powers that be.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg March 14th 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

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

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session 14th- 17th 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session 14th- 17th 2013

Once again the week started for me with an Employment Committee meeting on Monday evening at 7.00pm. This was short notice, we are never given very much time to prepare properly for anything. No wonder the EU is a mess.

This meeting was to vote on two issues, "Corporate Social Responsibility", which will add to the regulatory burden. Then, "Better Governance of the Single Market", in which the president remarked that, "the Single Market was not an end in itself but a means for Social Progress". So there you have it, nothing to do with easier trade and everything to do with an enlarged and more expensive welfare system. Our trade is pretty healthy, on the whole, so it is pretty clear whose Social Progress is improved by the much lauded "Free Movement of workers", and whose economy is to pay for it.

Incidentally, the President indicated at one point that there were too many people voting, as shown by the electronic voting machine. This has happened before, when usually the president says that there were too many of a certain party voting. So the machine corrects this, but most votes are taken by show of hands, without counting, so how many of those are legitimate?

Plenary session.

Tuesday. One measure here was the "Horn of Africa" which concentrated on the Ethiopian Piracy. Did not mention that this has arisen because of the EU awarding fishing licences for European fleets to raid the waters of the third world, in this case that part of the Indian Ocean. These fleets destroy stocks of fish there, leaving the locals destitute. In this case that drove some Ethiopians back into their old ways of piracy. Now they are trying to resolve the issue but that does not include assisting Ethiopians to resume their traditional fishing rights.

Wednesday Was dominated by Enda Kenny the Irish premier addressing the house at the start of the Irish Presidency. He went on for a considerable length of time. Nigle's response is on the web. Among the issues voted on was fishing again. Baltic stocks and Conserving resources. They are going to eliminate discards (at last) but in stages. That's some progress but they will not adopt the best approach, reverting to national waters of 200 miles from the coast with the countries being responsible for what happens there. In vain do we point out that this works for Norway and Iceleand. By the way, did you know that your fish'n chips probably came from Iceleand, well, the fishy bit anyway? Europe imports more than half the fish it consumes.

More importantly today saw the attempt by the EU to arrange its own Credit Ratings Agency through the Domenici report. Godfrey had something to say about this so see his intervention via this link,-

http://www.tinyurl.com/bhlzvzv

Suffice it to say that we have another disaster on the horizon.

Thursday Most important was the debate and vote on EU - Mercosur trade relations. Mercosur is an anagram for the participating countries of South and Central America, the abbreviations used being of the Latin names. William Dartmouth spoke to this in the morning and his statistics are very useful in the current context of the Cameron speech. One of the EU supporter's commonest ploys is to say that we need to be in the EU to trade with its countries. Nonsense and I have my own personal response, but William has provided a better one. Of the Mercosur countries Brazil is the strongest economically, with a GDP of around 2.48 trillion dollars, while the UK is about 2.49 trillion $. Of Brazil's exports some 37 % goes to the other Mercosur countries while the UK figure is about 40% of our exports to the rest of the EU.

But no one anywhere is suggesting that the Mercosur countries should form a political association, to foster trade, or anything else.

If you think about it where else in the world is there a EU-style political union starting? Australia merging with New Zealand. India and Pakistan, sorry, forgot, they separated in blood shed years ago. Libya, Algeria and Egypt all one country? Since the US President, and his associates, has said we should be in the EU why do we not ask him the same question. Why is the USA not a real United States of America and go into political union with Canada, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the rest of central America. You then point out that, like the EU before it, you make it work by introducing, and forcing, a common currency on all the countries involved. Try that on the corporate boys in Wall Street!

Happy New Year!

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg, 17th Jan 2013.

Northampton Commentary

Northampton Commentary                                                                         31^st Dec 2012

As you know I try to send a Commentary after every Brussels or Strasbourg sitting but that became impossible after that of Dec 2^nd. I did attend Employment Committee, Dec 6^th and again on Dec 18^th but had to miss the Strasbourg week of Dec 10^th to 13^th . This was due to a family funeral in Devon, which had to come first, with several visits there over that period.

Those two Brussels Employment committee sittings were just a half day each and I cannot write a commentary while in committee. With appointments to see other people time ran short, leaving me no chance to write a commentary while still in Brussels.

Dec 6^th was dominated by a long voting session where I opposed, they adopted, 3 reports. First, “European Mutual Societies”, which is intended to apply to all Mortgage providers. So watch out if you have a mortgage, be even more watchful if you intend to take that particular plunge. Remember, this is the EU which cannot even audit their accounts properly.

Second, votes on “Active and Healthy Ageing” (tell me about it!), then 18 pages with over 230 amendments on Electro-Magnetic Fields (which they persist in calling the “Physical Agents Directive”; there are many more Physical Agents than E-M Fields).

Dec 18^th  Nine items for debate, plus a” Public Hearing on ‘Social Housing’, a Way Out of the Crisis”, and a voting session too, all in a half day, 3.00pm to 6.30pm. The 9 debates included one on Asbestos and on my web site you will find video of my contribution. Note that the President gives me the hurry up. I ploughed on because of a farcical situation which had arisen.

There is a timetable of debates in Committee and, unlike plenary, members just indicate if they wish to speak as each one comes up. They are taken in sequence of asking, with no formal time limit. However, on Dec18th the debate previous to Asbestos went at least 15 minutes over time due to a protracted legal argument. In the end what should have been done in the first place was decided, get the lawyers to sort it out. The President then tried to limit each speaker to 2 minutes, I was not happy with that, hence her attitude when I spoke.

Suffice it to say that I was alone in my assertion that white asbestos is harmless. I hope to speak to this in plenary when it arises there, where speaking is by prior arrangement.

For Plenary sittings a time table listing the speakers, showing precise speaking times, is produced. But early speakers often extend their allocated time which ruins the schedule. To get back on track, following speakers are asked to keep to their time, even though earlier speakers generally have a greater time allowance! The President then often threatens to cut a speaker off, which has happened. That is why a video of any of us can show us glancing up as we speak. This might make us look a bit “swivel eyed” , but we are looking at the count-up clock over the presidential desk to keep within the time allowed.

No prizes for guessing which MEPs are most likely to be cut off when straying over time.

Sorry to miss wishing you all a Merry Christmas, so have a Happy New year,- and make sure you see Nigel’s New Year Message on the Party web site.

Derek Clark   MEP                                           Northampton  Dec 31^st 2012