Strasbourg Commentary Plenary session 14th – 17th April 2014

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary session 14^th – 17^th April 2014

This week was the busiest week for many a long year or five. They packed extra voting sessions into this, the last Strasbourg week of this legislature, as they so grandly like to describe it. But never votes on Monday as business does not start until 5.00pm, it being so difficult to get to there. Ditto getting home, so votes on Thursday always very thin as lots of MEPs leave on Weds evening or Thursday morning. I always stay until late afternoon since I think I am paid to do so. It also keeps my attendance up in the 80% mark and you have all seen the newspaper comments this week.

Nigel is an exception. You all know how hard he works at home, you are supporting him on May 1^st in Derby, aren’t you? Not even he can be in two places at once. Easy for any UK MP to criticise when all they have to do is catch a train, direct to London from practically anywhere in the UK. Let them try Strasbourg, two flights (or two trains for twice as long) and the change over times do not match well. My visit this week was via Brussels with a 3 hour stop over between flights on way out, 2 and a half on return. Each leg an hour plus and no, this is not a moan, just a fact of my life for the last ten years!

Regarding Nigel please watch the video of his speech on Wednesday, before he dashed off needed by his family, via this link,-

http://www.ukipmeps.org/index.php?page=articles&op=readArticle&id=830&title=Farage-Theres-No-Consent-for-a-United-States-of-Europe

Really you should also see the other group leaders’ collective ramble, claptrap, nonsense and wishful thinking. They really do believe that the EU can solve everything, like the Ukraine!!

So to voting. Two sessions on each of Tuesday and Wednesday, one at about mid-day (as usual), about 1hour, the second at 6.00pm, (very unusual), about 45 minutes. Thursday the usual 45 minutes only. Totals,-

Tues 1^st = 38 reports with 1004 amendments. 2^nd = 45 reports with 2216 amendments

Weds 1^st = 35 reports with 875 amendments 2^nd =14 reports with 186 amendments

Thurs = 15 reports with 189 amendments.

TOTALS = 147 reports with 4470 amendments,- all done in about 4 and a half hours, all of which conducted with a scrupulous sense of honesty and seriousness, all votes prepared beforehand with care and dedication! Do you still want to know why some MEPs pike off early on Thursday? And then we get the odd email demanding why we/I voted “For” or “Against” on a certain Amendment in a particular report! (Yes, I can always answer that because I always bring the voting lists home with me. There’s a considerable set of files in the office. Happy to bequeath them!)

Details

Fidanza report, passed by 622 – 29 pushing all kinds of non-combustion systems to produce electricity, target of only 60% of current levels of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

De Backer report, passed by 620 – 20, fitting of new cars with the e-call system mentioned in previous commentary. Means that a crash is known to police immediately, rescuers sent out even if occupants are unconscious, also means that police will know where you are at any given time.

Thein report, passed by 590 – 79, ECJ to have 28 judges, plus 12 from new member states, max 2 from each. Does not say they have to be actual judges (several of them are not).

Jazlowiecka report, posting of workers (to which I spoke in the House) The rapporteur opposed all 75 amendments but only 7 of them were defeated and the whole report passed by 474 – 158.

Auken report, to reduce use of plastic carrier bags, most of the 54 amendments passed, as was the whole report by 539 – 51

Zalewski report, “Investors disputes international settlement courts” Passed easily, even ‘though there was a proposal to refer it back to Cttee.

Giannakou report, Statute and Funding of political parties. Passed easily. NB the Commissioner was allowed to speak to support it BEFORE the vote was taken.

Resolution on, ”Russian pressure on Eastern Partnership countries, particularly the destabilisation of Eastern Ukraine”. There was no named rapporteur, draw your own conclusions, it was adopted. We abstained all the way through, not our business, which is more than Mr Griffin, he of the BNP, did. He called a ‘point of order’ which is reserved for comments about the way votes are being taken. He used it as a tirade against Communism so his microphone was cut off, which did not stop him shouting his message across the chamber!

For your information it is prohibited to display in the debating chamber any political placards or messages. We tried 7 years ago to display placards objecting to the proposed European Constitution and, when we refused to take them down, the Ushers were sent in! We cooperated with them, reluctantly, because they are neutral servants and we are not hooligans. In passing it should be noted that we are on good terms with that body. You should know that I treat them, and all other EU functionaries courteously and receive their response accordingly. I do not make war on the servants of this rotten empire; the institutions yes, employees no.

Incidentally Jane came over with me this last time and fell foul of their regulations. She was in the visitor’s gallery to hear me speak on “Posted Workers”, see this link,-

http://www.ukipmeps.org/articles_828_EU-free-movement-trumping-national-labour-laws---Derek-Clark.html

Jane applauded my effort and was promptly told off by an official in no uncertain terms, for applause in the public gallery is forbidden. But, just before, a whole visitor group in the gallery had warmly applauded a speech by their man and were not corrected. So Jane responded,- “those people there applauded, you did not stop them, and you don’t stop me!”

However, since that early episode of ours there have been a small number of outbreaks of other MEPs wearing “T” shirts with messages relevant to the business of the day. I remember one time when the communists all stood up proudly showing their message, whatever it was. Nothing was said or done. A few months ago, when the internal politics of the Ukraine started to make the news, when president Tymoshenko (hope I’ve got that right) was released from jail, there was a demo in the Parliament. About 50 or 60 MEPs of the left rose, draped in the Ukrainian flag. Much applause!! (but not from us). Nothing was done then and there were one or two Ukrainian Flags on show this week in the chamber. These breaches in the rules went entirely unremarked and without reprimand, still less forcible removal.

So if you wonder why the situation in the Ukraine is getting out of hand and why mixed messages are coming through from the EU there, perhaps, is the answer. I do not like Putin, he is an unreconstructed communist, but he is a smart operator and is playing the EU along. Every reason to keep out. Every reason for our own Parliament to repeat its vote on the appalling Cameron suggestion to bomb Syria.

A personal note to end with. Attendance records were mentioned in the press and I commented on mine above. You have a right to know why I am less than 90%. I missed the whole of a Strasbourg week on two occasions, each time in the early part of the year due to bronchitis. Gardening wearing insufficient warm clothing and forgetting that I was not as young as I used to be! Missed two days of another Strasbourg, returning early so as to get to “Defra” and argue the case for Lincolnshire sausages.

Last year I missed the whole of a Strasbourg week due to a family funeral. Thursday in Exeter for my brother-in-law, ex Parachute Regiment, who was on the beach on D-Day. Start early on Wednesday so as to stay over with remaining sister in Bristol and take her down as well.

Cttee meetings are usually on the afternoon of one day and the morning of the next, making a sensible two day visit. Several times this year they have been just a morning session and I have not attended. Waste of time and of taxpayers money.

Last week I cleared my Brussels office, stacking all the EU literature outside the door for clearance. Yesterday I did the same in Strasbourg. Keys to both offices handed in. I am writing this on Good Friday, there being no time yesterday in Strasbourg, and will be doing nothing until Tuesday morning, when I am due to speak at a school in Louth.

Thanks to all my readers and the best of good luck to those of UKIP who take my place.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg April18th 2014

Brussels Commentary Employment Committee March17th - 18th 2014

Brussels Commentary Employment Committee March17th - 18th 2014

This should have been a two day meeting, as it usually is, but it was cut down to just Tuesday morning. With the cancellation of the meeting scheduled for March 26th & 27th it makes the extra meeting held on Monday 10th March even more strange. As earlier reported that was from 7.00 pm at the start of a Strasbourg week when committees are not supposed to be held. So I rushed to get there, just in time to vote, when it could have been done in good order today.

However, a further comment about due process. Many of the votes in committee are by show of hands, with an electronic check if the President is not sure. The final vote, to approve or not, is always electronic. Each political group has a specific number of MEPs on each committee in proportion to total group numbers and, at the start today, the President took a check. We all pressed a key, revealing that both the Lib-Dems and the EPP each had one too many. One of each then withdrew their voting card from the machine but, in voting for various amendments, the same extra numbers re-appeared. Apparently, someone had defected from the Lib-Dems to the EPP, causing the problem. That is unusual but extra numbers have appeared before. This is easily corrected in electronic votes but what about a show of hands vote, ie the majority of votes? True, the President checks electronically if not sure, and MEPs call for checks, but I can't help thinking that sometimes a report goes through against MEP's intentions. Not a good way to make laws affecting all of us.

In the votes yet more money was gifted in the "Globalisation Adjustment Fund" for firms re-locating outside the EU. Much worse was a vote on giving the Commission authority to spend money from the, "European Aid Fund for the Most Deprived". That's not in the third world, that's deprived people in the EU. So they foul up the economies of Europe with their crazy Euro currency and then give the Commission a blank cheque to spend on the disadvantaged Europeans they created, without having to clear it with anyone!

I enjoyed the last vote where they are getting excited about the rights of Seafarers. The rapporteur, Licia Ronzulli, from Italy, took on the President, the formidable Pervenche Beres, a French Socialist. Ms Ronzulli complained that the president had mis-represented parts of the case. Never in the last five years have I heard anyone do that. About a year ago, after a debate in Plenary, the Commission indicated they would not accept the vote by Parliament to adopt a report sponsored by the Employment Committee. I asked her what she would do if the Commission maintained their position. This very positive lady's response was, "I shall take them to Court!"

However, back to today's Seafarers. Ms Ronzulli's further comments indicated that she herself, although the rapporteur, would not support this report, making a series of pungent points. This was opposed by a Spanish MEP, Ms Barandica, who argued the case for vehemently. Other MEPs took part, several raised voices at the same time, a committee divided as never before.

This was unfortunate for I had intended to speak. One of the results of this report would be that Ships approaching a foreign port would be required to fly the flag of the country whose harbour they were about to enter. But that is already done by way of ancient custom and as a courtesy. Why enforce that which is already happening and deny ship's Captains the courtesy of the seas?

On the other hand is the second objection to this proposal. This is that owners are to be given the right to sack ship's crew when they get to a foreign port. That too is an ancient custom but one which, I think, should be abolished, not cemented in law. How would anyone feel on being dumped in a strange place without a job, even in these days of seamen's institutes?

So, they propose to endorse the unacceptable but enforce that which needs no help. They have it all the wrong way round. I was going to speak accordingly but thought better of it as the bust-up got going. I did not want to distract from the row going on, still less did I want to give them a common enemy, that might have united them. So, my departure from the Employment Committee was silently to encourage discord rather than deliver a modest contribution of my own. After all, what do most of them know of ships, compared to one whose childhood playground was the Bristol docks.

Ah well, see you in a street somewhere soon, with an armful of leaflets.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg March 18th 2014          

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary session March 10th- 13th March 2014

Monday and yet another emergency Employment Committee Meeting, which is not supposed to happen in a Strasbourg week, see earlier commentary. Scheduled for 7.00 pm when my flight gets in at 6.30pm! Change flights when we only receive information few days ahead? Flight half hour late leaving Brussels anyway so got there with John champing at the bit, voting list in hand. After all that only three votes !! And they’ve now cancelled the next Committee meeting for March 26^th.Why, we could have done all this emergency business in that meeting? Do you wonder that the EU is a complete mess? And that would have been my last committee meeting anyway, so I am denied a triumphal departure!!

Tuesday Massive voting list including plant seeds which they wish to regulate, for once thrown out with a call for the Commission to resign! Several reports on transport all of which will regulate your travel even more. Equality between men and women seems to have been defeated.

Then came Fluorinated greenhouse gasses and my “blue card question at its end. I would not have done that had I not been there to speak in the following debate.

http://www.ukipmeps.org/articles_813_Clueless-Chemistry-Behind-Greenhouse-Gases-Theory.html

The links below show my questions and I must say I have never before know anyone get two bites of the cherry. The rapporteur is a “Green” and I am still none the wiser from his answers. The other link is of my own offering on freedom of movement.

http://www.ukipmeps.org/articles_811_Prefential-treatment-gives-rise-to-discrimination.html

Now Tuesday evening is “Gadfly Dinner” evening, MEPs and assistants, and my speech was scheduled for 9.30pm but this slipped to 10.30. So I took a Parliament car to the restaurant with a booking to pick me up from there at 9.45 and just about finished main course. Finally spoke at 11.30 pm, and went back to hotel!

Wednesday We voted against an “Anti Missile shield for Europe” on the grounds that it will wind up Russia even more, not a good idea at the moment. The Marinescu report was passed against our vote 489 – 154 because it will not help Gibraltar, quite the reverse. Ditto the Sassoli report on air traffic services. The Mayer report was passed by 610 to 58 votes and that will hike up the cost of insurance for package holidays and so on. Have a nice day in the Costa del Sol!!

Also voted on Fluorinated greenhouse gasses, and freedom of workers. Both were adopted as was the vote on Russian gas which comes to Europe by way of the Ukraine which they now want to by pass. They also passed the report which will establish a European Public Prosecutor’s Office. Sounds more and more like the French revolution, and you think I’m kidding?

Later my speech on the TROIKA.

See - http://www.ukipmeps.org/articles_814_Under-the-Rule-of-the-Unelected-Troika.html and was there in time to hear about 15 other speakers before me; they all rubbished the Troika, in no uncertain terms. How will the vote go?

Thursday A massive vote session conducted at such a rapid speed by the lady President that we got lost from time to time. The Zuber report on Equality between Men and women was defeated by 289 to 298. If you think that reflects the ratio of men to women in the chamber you may be right, but be it noted that we sometimes come under attack for allegedly exhibiting unhelpful tendencies towards women. Nonsense, “some of my best friends are… “

Also today the vote on the “Troika” to which I spoke on Wednesday evening where I remarked that many speakers rubbished the Troika, Surprise, surprise, the vote on it today did not reflect that in any way. There were many RCV votes, so you look it up yourselves, and the final vote was 408 to 135 in favour. Ah well!

Finally the vote on the situation in the Ukraine. We took the view that this is nothing to do with the EU, or the USA. I agree. We have interfered there before, remember the Crimean War. Ditto 3 times in Afghanistan, the Suez Crisis, Lawrence of Arabia …… where will it stop. We had a civil war of our own, who came to help in that to any real extent? So we got on and sorted ourselves out, result, a Parliamentary Democracy the envy of the world with which Europe is trying to catch but making the mistake of trying to short-cut, hence the mess.

See you in the campaign to preserve our democracy, by which, to quote Nelson, ”we shall save Europe too”.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg March 13^th 2014

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session 24th – 27th Feb 2014

A short week for me, and others. Due to the Spring Conference in Torquay I am returning home on Wednesday.

Tuesday Votes on a report about countering violence against women, what for? Is violence of any sort, especially directed against women, not against the law in all countries. It is in the UK, what else do we need? But this was about FGM and that becomes a religious matter and, we think, best left to individual countries to sort out for themselves.

Plant breeding was also voted on with many amendments. Like others I have received emails about restrictions on seed varieties which have been around for ages, but the EU does not like them. Must be harmonised, you see.

Wednesday A very big voting session, well over an hour and a half. Two reports stand out.

There was the report on “eCall” in-vehicle systems. This sounds OK as it enables cars fitted with the system to be assisted in an emergency, (as all cars will be by EU law) without the driver calling rescue services. All cars will be fitted with an automatic device which will tell the police to send for assistance if you crash, even if all car occupants are rendered unconscious. That obviously means the police, or whatever agency, will have you pinpointed wherever you are at all times. How do you like that, big brother watching over you. From there to the device mentioned before, enabling the police to bring a car to a halt wherever it is, is but a step. The installed transmission system for the one is easily modified for the other.

Then came the McAvan vote on the Tobacco Directive. In voting sessions it has become very noticeable that the lists have been arranged so that reports with a lot of “RCV” votes are being located at the end of the vote session. An RCV is a vote made electronically and recorded, so that those who wish to see how we voted can do so. No problem, even when we get people asking why we voted a certain way, like the email I received last week. People keep an eye on things, quite right too.

But an RCV has another function. As well as signing in every day record is kept of one’s RCV votes. If an MEP fails to record half of the RCVs in any one day, and that happens for half the days over a period of time, we can be required to repay the money received under,” General Expenditure Allowance”. This is the funding for the office in the UK and all that goes with it; rent, ‘phone bill, purchase of computer, supplies, newspapers, periodicals and so on. A tidy sum.

It is not uncommon to see MEPs counting up the RCVs as we go along and leaving the chamber when the 50% has been reached. I don’t do that normally, not least because our assistants have spent hours over the paper work to advise us of our vote and I do not like to see that wasted. Their work is discussed in a voting meeting of the assistants and MEPs immediately prior to the voting session. Gerard, as our whip, will have spent at least a half hour before that with the assistants knocking it into shape. (Or, me when Gerard has not been present, a rarity).

Hence the comments above and the new-style placement of reports with lots of RCVs.

So, imagine our surprise when it went wrong on Wednesday. This was in the vote on the McAvan report. This has already been aired in a previous plenary session and it was up today for final vote. Our Vote list had only 3 votes,- 1, The text as a whole, 2 to adopt the Commission proposal and 3 to authorise legislation. Suddenly, as the vote was to start we were informed of a change. The committee responsible had earlier asked to submit the text to vote in several different amendments but this had been refused, all in one was ruled, votes as per above. Now, in the last hour before voting, an email had been circulated giving permission for the Text to be in several votes after all. But we did not have that information, de-valuing our votes. Remember, this has been the subject of acrimonious emails between MEPs and the vociferous smoking lobby over a period of time.

I do not believe our assistants were to blame. As noted above they were all busy with either Gerard, or all of us, in the vote meetings for at least the hour when the president’s email was sent out. In any case, in a previous voting session this month a rapporteur was furious that his request to speak before the final vote was taken. He had emailed the president’s office with the request before-hand but the president for that vote session had not received it, so the vote went ahead, ignoring the rapporteur’s wishes.

Can you believe that the outcome of important votes are subject to last minute emails, which require someone to be watching a computer all the time!

You should not be. Remember my video of a few weeks ago when I complained about the lack of transparency in the budget report which authorises the spending of billions of taxpayers money? Now we have fudged votes, the outcome of which will affect a great number of companies and traders. But don’t worry, “Its how we do things here”!

Our next group of MEPs will take up the fight I’m sure but, in the meanwhile, what about you? You are all dedicated to UKIP’s fight to get us out of this undemocratic mess but the great British public needs information, hence my commentaries. These are not confidential nor are they subject to copyright: they are ammunition. Use them in the pub, in letters to the papers, in chatting to your pals, but use them. Just get the facts right as written, that’s all.

And good luck

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 26^th Feb 2014

BRUSSELS COMMENTARY EMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE FEB 12TH – 13TH 2014

The Report on “Promoting inland waterway transport” was further debated and voted on. It was adopted by 34 to 3 votes. Some of our UKIP members have expressed concern about this, not least because the construction of HS2 will have an impact on the canals. Not sure there needs to be concern because this report is all about connecting the big rivers of Europe together. But wait and see. If you wonder if the rapporteur has sufficient knowledge of canal systems don’t worry. This is not really about the mechanics or geography of linking the waterways. It is about social provisions! They use much bigger barges over here so if some of them are taken out of service there will be less employment and therefore benefits will increase.

In the “Growth and Employment” debate it turns out that the UK is a stumbling block. Article 351 requires that ratification of this report must have a legal base and that will need a UK Parliamentary Bill to bring all the items it covers into one document. Apparently this can only happen once a year. Germany is in exactly the same position and both Germany and the UK have yet to reply, hence the slow delivery. I can’t help wondering what the situation would be if it was just the UK with this problem.

In the debate on “employment…. Role of the Troika £EC, Commission, IMF)”, an interesting comment was made. An MEP stated that the countries most heavily in debt, including Italy and Greece, had not been forced into accepting the bail-outs, or that they have been put upon in any way. They themselves had asked for intervention with massive loans. The speaker did not mention that duly elected Prime Ministers had been ejected from their positions and replaced by unelected bureaucrats.

There were 5 “Discharge” votes. That is, authorising expenditure after the money has been spent. If you ask why not before spending millions of public money, remember the comments I made a few months ago, and my intervention in the House. The budget was voted on last autumn but in such a way that it was impossible to know exactly what each amount was being spent on. When I complained that alterations to some amendments were made in such a way that it was impossible to relate the changes to the items listed I was told that, “this is how we do things”. Meanwhile the Auditors continue to refuse to sign the books off.

And so to, “conditions of Entry and resident of third country nationals”, meaning non-EU people. So please see this video of my contribution and the President’s comment in reply to me. In itself it is unusual to get such a response but I think you will guess what my reaction will be; http://www.ukipmeps.org/articles_794_EU-illegally-discriminating-against-Commonwealth-nationals.html

I hope you are not disappointed in me in not taking the chair of this committee. A presidential shortage occurred with the President herself absent, as were all but two deputies. One of these disappeared so one of the Committee secretarial staff came over to see me. The remaining deputy, who had taken then chair, was also about to depart. The rules require an authorised president to conduct committee meeting sand, in the absence of all elected deputies, that becomes the oldest member, i.e. Me! I declined with thanks and it passed to the next oldest. Just think of the fun I might have had, but I am not there to help them on their way.

Derek Clark MEP Brussels 13^th February 2014.

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session 3rd-6th Feb 2014

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session 3^rd-6^th 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

CAEF

Members may wish to know, if they didn’t already, that I’m also a Member of CAEF, The Campaign against Euro Federalism.  This is very strongly a trade union movement and it consistently speaks against our EU Membership.  Two of the best speeches condemning our membership I have ever heard were from Lord Peter Shore his widow later joined us.  The second being Bob Crowe of the RMT.  Each of them denounced the EU, the former in gentlemanly terms, the latter like a wrecking ball.   

I therefore receive the ‘Democrat’ every month and on the front page of the current issue it reports:-

·           Gallop Survey showed 19% of Greeks approved of the EU in 2013, and 21% of Cypriots.

·           Less than a third approve of the EU, in the UK, the Czech Republic and Sweden.

·           Spain showed a decrease in support from 59% to 27% last year.

·           Ireland went down from 70% to 47%.

All those are bail out countries but Sweden went down 17 points, Finland 14 points and Denmark 10 points.  The Netherlands down from 59% support to 48%. 

It also points out that support among the young in the countries so badly affected by the Euro has dropped by very significant figures. 

Now to quote some data from the last meeting of the Employment Committee which points out that SME’s are the backbone of the EU economy, 20.7 million SME’s provide 67% of private sector employment. 

It also points out that there is a drop in the EU among those who want to be self employed from 45% down to 37% in the last three years. 

50% say they cannot obtain sufficient information on how to start a business.  In that respect the report says that in Belgium it takes 4 days to set up a business but in Malta it is 40 days. 

It lists a whole range of policies which favour SME’s including innovation, competitiveness, internationalism, reducing bureaucracy etc etc.

It does point out that the unemployment rate among young Europeans, aged 15-24, has reached 23% and above 50% in those, “Members states hardest hit by the crisis”. 

This Employment Committee document goes on to worry about a huge brain drain but nowhere does it mention the adverse affect of the Euro currency.

Brussels Commentary Employment Committee Jan 22nd, 23rd 2014

Brussels Commentary Employment Committee Jan 22nd, 23rd 2014

Debates this week on eleven topics such as,-

*Economic and social aspects in the Annual Growth survey, 260 amendments and adopted by 32 to 3

*How can the EU create a hospitable environment for enterprises and new jobs

*Proposal for a directive for Seafarers

*Social Summit for Growth and Employment

*Directive to promote inland waterway transport

*Posting of workers

* Five discharges listed not debated. That's saying OK to spending already made.

Otherwise none of these topics were voted on this time while Votes were taken on a text on "Rights of Freedom of movement of workers", but without debate, adopted by 31 to 1

Finally, a debate and vote on, "Are tools in place to monitor the effectiveness of European Social Fund spending on Older Workers", which arose from the Auditors Special report. Adopted it by 33 to 2 without even offering me a slice of the Social Fund! So mine was one of the 2 votes against.

After all this a presentation by the Greek minister for Labour, Mr Yannis Vroutsis since it is the start of the Greek presidency and at the change all Committees get a visit by the appropriate minister.

He sounded just like his boss, the Greek premier a week earlier. The problems are not just of Greece, there is instability in the whole EU. Greece is now showing positive signs. In the last year employment has now stabilised reflecting the economy as a whole and Greece will show a surplus this year.

Their top priority will be to tackle Youth Unemployment. In the wider employment field their "Artemis" program will tackle undeclared work which denies the Greek exchequer of revenue.

They will press on with equal opportunities and try to end discrimination. In particular they will seek to achieve a gender balance on company boards.

A bit like most of the initial presentations by Ministers of Member States.

Derek Clark MEP Brussels 23rd Jan 2014

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session Jan 13th – 16th 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session Jan 13^th – 16^th 2013

Tuesday Carbon Capture and Storage. This illustrates my original suspicion about global warming and all that. They mean Carbon Dioxide, so why not say so. If I write letters to the paper and mis-use the apostrophe, for example, the roof falls in.

Why? Language is only for communication. If you are in a strange town and want a cup of tea in the afternoon and see a notice, “Teas’s” do you scream and run away. No, if you enter therein in you will be served a pot of tea and a sticky bun, if you are lucky. You will not be offered a pair of lady’s corsets. The grotesque notice has fulfilled its one and only function, correct information. But to use carbon when you mean carbon dioxide is wrong, it means lumps of black charcoal flying about! Why can’t these amateur scientists get it right?

Plenty of worker’s Rights this time, and dealing with plastic waste. Got into trouble in the UKIP MEP’s meeting on this one. Got told that lots of plastic bags, and so on, are biodegradable these days, that’s the way to go. All OK until I pointed out that if you degrade a kilogram of plastic you will still have a kilogram of something else, since you can not destroy matter. Basic Rule. Not appreciated, got called a scientist!! Code for ,“don’t know what I’m talking about”, when in fact I do!!

We press on.

Wednesday You will recall the Ashley Fox attempt to curtail Strasbourg meetings, expensive and all that. He is right, But…

Latest plan is to reduce each week of four days to three and this is to be put to the Conference of Presidents!. Rubbish. I’m all in favour of deleting Strasbourg. Its expensive to take all the paper there and bring it back again, plus our assistants and so on. But reducing to 3 days in a week not 4 will still mean the same cost of an airline ticket and the same cost of transferring the paper work each week. In fact it will cost more per day if only 3, not 4, days. Will it save a day’s expenses for all of us. Well, because it is so difficult to get there business does not start until 5.00pm on the Monday, and Thursday pm is a waste of time (that’s why I have time now to do this). So we actually do two full days and two halves. This plan would mean one full day and two halves, unless we started at 9.00 am on the Monday, which means an overnight flight and hotel stay Sunday night. No money saved there. Ah well!

Other tit-bits today included Honey. Got a note on my door, “Pollen is not an ingredient of honey” Gee, did not know that!. They are getting all worked up about the possibility of pollen from GM crops getting into the honey. Got into more trouble in the vote meeting! What with that and “Wildlife Crime” today…

Thursday We appointed a new member of the European Central Bank today, a Mrs Sabine Lautenslschlager. She had never worked as a banker, only in banking regulatory systems So that’s alright then.

Votes also on “EU citizenship for sale”. Voting figures indicate that this is perfectly OK but they do like the idea of Iceland being encouraged to join the EU. Suffice it to say that this is an Icelandic Government promotion, The Icelanders do not go along with it; they have too much fish to lose! Go to Iceland. Just three natural resources; fish, the lakes of melted ice, which provide hydro-electric power, and the hot springs which provide all the central heating and hot water. That’s it, yet the shops are full of all the goods you would expect. They all work very hard!

The week ended with my speech on Homeless this morning at about 9.30 am. View via this link http://www.ukipmeps.org/articles_782_Derek-Clark-We-need-settled-communities.html

Notice that Lazslo Andor, Employment Commissioner, actually responded to my comment about him in his summing up. That’s something I suppose. I spoke to him as he left when he repeated that he had been mis-quoted by the ‘Mail’. I can hardly believe that!. However, I took him at his word and suggested that he, “Joins the club”.

The speaker after me was Andrew Brons who also mis-quoted me, as well as mis-quoting Nigel. I wanted to challenge him by using the blue card but they have just ruled it out of order for any one on the list of speakers to do that. Never mind, not really bothered about the BNP.

The “Homeless Strategy” passed but with so many defeated amendments (unusual) that I do not know what it boils down to. To be honest, did not know that anyway.

On my way home.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 16^th Jan 2014

Strasbourg Commentary (Part 2) Plenary session 13^th – 16^th Jan 2014

The outstanding event of the week was the appearance of the Greek Premier, Mr Samaras

His 40 minute presentation was to re-assure everyone that all in the Greek garden was lovely. Greece was now breaking even on the budget, that the current balance was OK. Yes, there was the outstanding Debt, he did not say how much!!, but they could now start paying back. They were on an even keel and there was social stability. He was grateful for the Solidarity shown by all the EU member states.

Then the round of lead speakers began.

Daul (EPP President) said Greek farmers would do better if they were not saddled with 10% on borrowing. They ought to reduce that, and that was the kind of Solidarity we need, MR FARAGE!

Swaobada Socialist) the demands of the Troika were not acceptable. It was destroying the social network in Greece., must be phased out. On a UK tack he complained that Cameron suppresses publication of benefit figures until after the Euro Elections.

Verhofstadt (ALDE) FARAGE wants to block worker movement when it is only 2.8% of working population. This is far too low, we want more movement, not less.

Harms (Greens) A mistake to say that reforms are working. The people do not buy into the systems. Public services are poor, Greece is in Depression, not recession. Greek jobs are being done in Brussels. Greece has foreign companies exploiting their resources.

Callanan (ECR) Samaras painted a nice picture but it is misleading.

Zimmer (NGL) It’s a social disaster in Greece with very high unemployment. There is a lot of illegitimate debt, ie conversion of private debt into Government debt.

So, not exactly a rosy Greek picture after all. You will have seen Nigel’s piece already, if not on this link. http://www.ukipmeps.org/articles_779_Farage-A-Battle-of-National-Democracy-vs-EU-State-Bureaucracy.html and I have never seen Nigel attacked by speakers before he got up to speak, still less two of them.

Personally I have been wrong on one count. I thought that they would all rally round Greece with the Euro elections in May so as to keep up the pretence of all being well, but not this week. Perhaps they will find some magic in April.

Derek Clark MEP 16^th Jan 2014

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary session 9th - 12th Dec 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary session 9^th - 12^th Dec 2013

Tuesday I mentioned Western Sahara in my last Brussels Commentary and today there was the vote on the EU-Morocco fishing agreement. I regret to tell you that it was adopted by 310 – 204 votes. Disgraceful, these MEPs are either ignorant or do not care. There is one hope from an unlikely quarter. The Commissioner ‘phoned up our assistant dealing with this and asked for our support for Western Sahara. We’ll have to see what might come of that.

We were also closely involved in further fishing votes, deep sea fishing in the North Atlantic. We have been heavily lobbied over this from those wishing to protect the sea bed from aggressive trawling which scars the bottom and destroys rare species. If you read one account of our vote you might get the impression that we did not care for we voted against a certain amendment which gave protection. But that was only two years protection and what happens then is another matter, we wanted long term protection.

The Estrela Report may come up in the UK press. Ms Estrela wanted comprehensive protection against all kinds of things, including Female Genital Mutilation. Quite horrible, as we all agree. Problem, it was all tied up with so many side issues and conditions that we abstained all through. After all, member states, ie, individual countries, should be putting their own house in order. At the end, since getting insufficient support, Ms Estrela withdrew her name from the report. This was an “Own Initiative” report, ie an MEP’s own idea and it cannot therefore be legislative, so no rules or regs can emerge. What does happen to Own Initiative reports is that the Commission keep an eye and if one looks promising they will sometimes take it up and make a legislative report of it.

Later on I spoke to the Globalisation Adjustment Fund. That’s awarding lots of your money to help workers made redundant when firms close, often when a firm moves abroad because it can’t compete any more due to the crazy EU Rules and Regs it has to obey. See on this link http://www.ukipmeps.org/articles_770_Company-after-company-closing-under-the-weight-of-EU-Regulation.html

We had the EFD group Christmas Dinner that evening in a Strasbourg restaurant and the original schedule showed me speaking at about 6.30 pm,- OK. But the time slipped, as always, and I got to my feet at about 8.45pm!! Raced to dinner, got there just after 9.00. They kept it hot for me, and for Jane who was with me on this visit, but who was lucky not to have been thrown out of the Parliament visitor gallery. She clapped my effort, - strictly forbidden!

Speaking late in the evening is not popular because the session goes on to midnight and slippage always occurs. I once finished a one minute speech at two minutes to midnight!

Wednesday Votes for no less than 5 new members of the Court of Auditors. At least the names were published this time. Any use asking if the new lot will see that the books are properly audited next year?

Pre accession assistance was approved. That means candidate countries being awarded vast sums of (your) money to sweeten them up and help to firm up their public opinion. The Globalisation Adjustment Fund to which I spoke on Tuesday evening came to vote. Guess how that turned out. That’s right, adopted, by 543 to 126,- I had really made an impact!

Most votes today were of just one page of amendments, or less, but one on, “Human Rights in the World”, ran to 3 pages. Priorities!

Much more sinister was the Cutas report on, “Mandatory automatic exchange of information in the field of taxation”. Adopted by 360 – 59, and notice the word, “mandatory”.

Thursday Votes included ,”Progress on Roma integration strategies”. This passed but the last amendment, “Whereas the Roma share responsibility for their current dire situation with the wider society, and whereas Roma communities need to tackle the wrongs and problems within their communities”, was defeated by 293- 309.

Then we voted on the Ukraine, which had been an item at the Vilnius summit recently. Our, ie EFD amendment, not welcoming Ukrainian membership was defeated by 60 to 464 votes. Further votes in favour of Ukrainian membership were adopted, including visa free travel. The whole report favoured Ukrainian membership and, at the conclusion, the leading Lib-Dem member present welcomed the result and displayed a Ukrainian flag, the signal for the whole of the Lib-Dems present, plus some others, to stand up and flourish Ukrainian flags. Such displays are forbidden in the House. Guess who gets away with it and who got the knuckles well and truly rapped a couple of years ago for the same thing!

A “Progress report on Albania” report was not supported, this time.

A Happy Christmas to all my readers.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 12^th D ec 2013

Brussels Commentary Employment Committee 25th - 26th Nov 2013

Brussels Commentary Employment Committee 

During a previous visit to Strasbourg I made a speech in which I deplored the proliferation of "red tape" which hampers small businesses in particular, costing them money and causing closures. I pointed out that SMEs between them employed half the work force and that this therefore raised the unemployment figures.

On that occasion I took the opportunity to remind MEPs that none other than Barroso had mentioned in the House a year or two before, "Red tape was strangling SME's". Following my speech I was "blue-carded", that is, an MEP raised a blue card to demand I answer a question. This turned out to be a query as to what was Red-Tape! I informed the lady that it was the mass of petty instructions and requirements imposed on businesses and which fell more heavily on the SME's because they had few resources to cope with it.

I was amused to realise some while later that this MEP is now serving on the Employment Committee, whose lady president recently tabled a report to reduce the amount of 'Red Tape', so as to benefit small businesses.

I therefore had to keep a close watch on my tongue today. The very MEP who had queried me on the re-tape issue months ago is herself today the rapporteur for 2 reports;-

1) "Effective labour inspections as a strategy to improve working conditions in Europe".

2) "An integrated parcel delivery market for the growth of e-commerce in the EU"

"Inspections" conjures up an image of a whole regiment of inspectors, just like a collection of Traffic Wardens. As for a delivery market to cater for developing e-commerce I would think that the suppliers would have their delivery systems already sorted. Certainly my new hedge trimmer, ordered on line, turned up on time a year ago. They took it away two weeks later when I expressed dissatisfaction, and then returned it again on time. So what's the problem?

I leave to you to consider the red-tape possibilities inherent in these two reports. Suffice it to say that these people just do not listen, they all think that their new set of rules must go through, it's the others we can do without.

By the way, the first of these two reports, all 15 pages of amendments to labour inspections, was adopted by 22 to 15, that's close by EU standards. The second report on parcel delivery passed by 31 - 4 votes, that's more like it, and guess who was one of the 4 against.

I did something a little unusual today. we often get multiple emails about some issue or another. These are often identical having been composed by some kind of central body. Those for the CFP reform ran to 1500. Could not answer all of them so sent a specimen reply.

Today was different. Some 20 identical emails about the disaster about to be inflicted on Western Sahara. This very much third world country is where the Sahara meets the sea. It is poor with hardly any rainfall. They have but two resources, the phosphate mines (in that climate!) and fish. Twice now the EU has made available fishing licences for European fleets to fish these waters but these vessels out-class the locals, fishing as much in a day as the more primitive local boats get in a month.

Not only does this put the locals out of business in a land with no benefit system, these rapacious European fleets strip the waters clean, so the licences are only made out for 5 years. Then, renewed as the stocks recover.

Worse still, in the world of UN guaranteed self-determination Western Sahara does not have its own government. It was once a Spanish colony, given up when Spain joined the EU, now it is run by Morocco, which has turned it into a police state. About half the Sahrawis have fled to Algeria which allowed them to settle in refugee camps, together with their Government in Exile, the Polisario.

Why raise this now? Because the EU is on the point of agreeing an EU-Morocco fishing agreement. An agreement with Morocco which has done more to terrorise and subjugate the people of Western Sahara than any other country!

I have now promised my correspondents to write to the Foreign Office, hoping to get some kind of helpful and civilised answer.

Derek Clark MEP Brussels Nov 26th 2013

Strasbourg Commentary 39 Plenary Session 18 – 21 Nov 2013

Strasbourg Commentary 39 Plenary Session 18 – 21 Nov 2013

Tuesday Voting The Plenkovic report on yet another Globalisation Adjustment Fund, to award yet more of your money to failed companies who can’t keep up, does not sound very exciting. But, this was for Spanish building firms in Valencia!!

Ever since I became an MEP I have received emails from desperate people who have fallen for the, “Retirement home in the Sun” scam. They have been to Spain on holiday, attend nice little UK gatherings where a smooth talker persuades them to invest. This means selling up in Britain using the cash to fund their home, only to find, in many cases, that it does not exist. Or, it does, but the local developer has had building permission for the complex from the Regional Council only to be overturned by the National Government. The bulldozers then move in and flatten their home; money gone. One famous case involved a time-share apartment of umpteen flats all taken by hundreds of North Europeans for their 2 weeks in the sun. Bulldozed like the rest, with no recompense.

Problem is, for UK buyers especially, they think that, as we are all in the EU now, all laws and so on are same everywhere, No they are not. Spanish conveyancing has always been tortuous and local solicitors are no help. Had lunch with Northampton Solicitors a few months ago and I asked them how they would go about dealing with acquiring Spanish property. “Not with a barge pole” was the reply.

Cyprus is no better. There they get the purchaser to sign the papers to deposit all the money required in a certain bank. They then have to appoint a lawyer to act for them to pay out the monthly in instalments,- before the keys are handed over!. No signature = no home = no money back. The only bank which will offer a Mortgage is the Alpha Panetti Bank. The only acceptable go-between lawyer is called Panetti!. I spent all afternoon with Cypriot lawyers and a UK lawyer trying to sort this out!!

Wednesday Votes included “Gender £balance …Directors Companies listed on stock Exchange” All our amendments were voted down. Then came the Fox-Hafner report on, “Location of the EU’s Parliament seats.”

Most of us wish to get rid of this Brussels/ Strasbourg monthly circus. To be clear it does not affect me too much, ditto others. I go the Brussels and come home, I go to Strasbourg and come home (in an hour or so, if you’ll let me!). But most of the Parliamentary Assistants live in Brussels, so they go to & fro, plus paperwork. Outside my door now is a cabin trunk into which I can put anything I like, John ditto. Sometime tomorrow it will be collected, join the other 745 other MEP trunks, be loaded onto trucks and off to Brussels. There to be unloaded and put outside my office. Friday prior to next Strasbourg all collected in Brussels again and off to Strasbourg, all of them. I put hardly anything in mine!!

The permanent staff of Parliament move between the two places, plus their paperwork. As do the Commission staff. And the Council staff. And a lot of the admin takes place in the Third seat of Parliament, Luxembourg. That’s where all our monies are administered, so any query…..

You would think that a re-arrangement would be a simple matter. Wrong! Strasbourg sittings are a matter of the Law, in that it is in the Treaties. At the moment there is work going on to amend the treaties, which is fraught with complexity and personalities. It will be ages before anything is done about the issue of where we debate and vote. And Cameron thinks he can re-negotiate our terms of membership within the Treaties!!!

My little one minute on Creutzman, “Competiveness etc” is on the website. My rough notes here below. I had the choice of speaking to this or to “Social Change and innovation”. Although the latter was more within my brief as employment spokesman I chose Creutzman as it was more interesting!. Actually, I had been approached by the Health Foods people mentioned in my opening line and promised them I would speak to this. No, I don’t normally respond to lobbyists because they are usually big companies after a free boost for their product. That usually takes the form of getting us to promote new legislation to favour them. Inevitably that works against the small guys, hence my support of the Small & Medium Enterprises”.

Thursday Creutzman was voted on today. Guess what, it was voted down, by 554 to 27 votes. Ah well. The point is, we never give up, they are going to hear what the only grown up democracy in Europe has to say. In which respect go to UKIP MEPs website and listen to a number of speeches of this last week from Paul Nuttall, Gerard Batten and Stuart Agnew, Enjoy!!.

http://www.derekclarkmep.org.uk/my-videos/

Entitled - EU shutting out small health food enterprises - UKIP MEP Derek Clark

Strasbourg Commentary (Part 2) Plenary session 13^th – 16^th Jan 2014

The outstanding event of the week was the appearance of the Greek Premier, Mr Samaras

His 40 minute presentation was to re-assure everyone that all in the Greek garden was lovely. Greece was now breaking even on the budget, that the current balance was OK. Yes, there was the outstanding Debt, he did not say how much!!, but they could now start paying back. They were on an even keel and there was social stability. He was grateful for the Solidarity shown by all the EU member states.

Then the round of lead speakers began.

Daul (EPP President) said Greek farmers would do better if they were not saddled with 10% on borrowing. They ought to reduce that, and that was the kind of Solidarity we need, MR FARAGE!

Swaobada Socialist) the demands of the Troika were not acceptable. It was destroying the social network in Greece., must be phased out. On a UK tack he complained that Cameron suppresses publication of benefit figures until after the Euro Elections.

Verhofstadt (ALDE) FARAGE wants to block worker movement when it is only 2.8% of working population. This is far too low, we want more movement, not less.

Harms (Greens) A mistake to say that reforms are working. The people do not buy into the systems. Public services are poor, Greece is in Depression, not recession. Greek jobs are being done in Brussels. Greece has foreign companies exploiting their resources.

Callanan (ECR) Samaras painted a nice picture but it is misleading.

Zimmer (NGL) It’s a social disaster in Greece with very high unemployment. There is a lot of illegitimate debt, ie conversion of private debt into Government debt.

So, not exactly a rosy Greek picture after all. You will have seen Nigel’s piece already, if not on this link. http://www.ukipmeps.org/articles_779_Farage-A-Battle-of-National-Democracy-vs-EU-State-Bureaucracy.html and I have never seen Nigel attacked by speakers before he got up to speak, still less two of them.

Personally I have been wrong on one count. I thought that they would all rally round Greece with the Euro elections in May so as to keep up the pretence of all being well, but not this week. Perhaps they will find some magic in April.

Derek Clark MEP 16^th Jan 2014

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 21^st Nov 2013.

Brussels Commentary 31 Employment Committee 5th Nov 2013

Brussels Commentary 31 Employment Committee 5th Nov 2013

This was just one afternoon and I do not always attend such short sessions, it takes me away from the demands of the office for a day and it costs the taxpayer just as much as a two day visit. However, I went on this occasion because I had been invited to dinner that same evening by the NFU. They were on a group visit the following day and had invited me because of the support I have been giving them. I have made a good number of visits to poultry farms, ploughed fields, milking parlours and so on. More usefully I have been to meetings to find out how elements of the revised Farm Support Scheme operates with a view to voting in their favour as and when it arises.

All useful time spent and hence their invitation which I accepted, of course, as a courtesy. Actually, I nearly missed out. The Employment meeting that afternoon was dominated by a voting session which went on for just over one and half hours and meant that I was rather late to dinner. The taxis in Brussels are hopeless.

In the votes we had, "Social dimension of the economic and monetary Union". Over 100 amendments and I am proud to tell you that my vote against stood on its own, to 41 in favour!.

On measures to "Facilitate rights involved re freedom of movement of workers", I had support! After 200 amendments it passed by 41 to 2. But the follow up vote, nominating a team to negotiate with Council (they expect problems!), came out as 40 in favour to 1 against. I think I have just been eliminated from several Christmas card lists.

I was one of 2 to vote against the last measure, "Regulation of the Globalisation Adjustment Fund". Not surprised, this is spending wads of money to help workers when a firm re-locates or otherwise closes because EU companies are so inefficient that they can't compete on the world stage. One of the latest closures was the Danish firm that builds these monstrous wind turbines. So now, when you see one being put up, you know it's not even keeping Europeans in work.

The first of these votes revealed some of the "smoke and mirrors" which we know is prevalent. The vote lists contained "Compromises", quite a common feature in which the rapporteur talks to "shadow rapporteurs" and to groups before the vote. You realise that these are popular with other MEPs because it includes amendments which might otherwise not stand up but which go through because it is rare for a compromise to be voted down. It also saves time in voting for the amendments it includes are not then taken. In this case three amendments were listed to vote before a compromise but which, if passed would cause the compromise to fall. They were passed, consternation all round.

The committee president ruled that this was so but complained. These compromises are always put together by a number of political groups, so they pass because of that wide support. On this occasion the president said that she was surprised that she had not been informed before hand of a certain group's change of mind!!

So if you were to see my committee voting you will not be surprised to see the rapidity with which the result is declared, it's all cut and dried before hand, she has no need to look up to see the size of "fors" and "against". It's called democracy, EU style.

Keep up the good work!!

Derek Clark MEP Brussels 6th Nov 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session Oct 21st - 24th 2013

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session Oct 21^st - 24th 2013

Tuesday - The vote on In vitro devices included over 250 amendments. The whole thing is nonsense with simple stuff like sticking plaster being mixed up with implants which only a surgeon would use. See my speech about this where one minute was insufficient to cover the topic properly http://www.ukipmeps.org/articles_732_Medical-Devices-Its-all-about-the-big-companies.html

The report was approved by 525 to 25 votes but the legislative resolution was returned to committee for further work. Likewise the following vote on Medical Devices which had over 300 amendments.

The Estrela report on “Sexual and reproductive health and rights” was very contentious so the temperature rose considerably when a motion to postpone it passed by 351 to 319. Rapporteur most upset and continued complaining loudly in the lift lobby.

Apparently Education needs “Re-thinking”, well a vote of 556 to 105 against says so.

Wednesday - The Cadec report on the Fisheries Fund had attracted over 600 amendments, many of which were taken as one block vote, which passed in spite of our “No”! The report was adopted but legislation was postponed. Good, since it adopted provision for the subsidising of new vessels. The pictures circulated are of many subsidised new boats, such as British fishermen can only dream of, but all done with their money!

Do not be surprised to hear that the findings of the UN Climate Change Conference were well received, adopted by 524 to 120 votes.

Thursday - Included the Ulmer report on the Dangers of Ionising Radiation. All very well but this lot know nothing. When this came to the Employment Committee several different permitted levels of exposure were mooted, depending on the body part exposed, most of which ignored the UN recommendations, settling on several levels well above UN guidelines. Now we had this report of 150 amendments which was, of course, adopted, 455 to 102.

In the Brok report on Security Policy they voted for more EU involvement in the Balkans, I thought this region had caused enough trouble over the years. They also want Britain and France to abandon their nuclear weapons, apparently, this will persuade Iran to follow suit!

Most importantly was the La Via report, adopted by 428 to 44, on the shortfall of EU funds where I can do no better than to reproduce here the Europarl Press Release,-

So, back to Wednesday for voting on the budget, as usual in Oct or Nov. Very confusing this year. Up to now we have been presented with a comprehensive list of proposed expenditure set out line by line, each line showing the purpose of payment, with comment as to whether each was an increase or a decrease. With some 30 lines per page on 10 pages it gave clear identification of over 300 items of EU expenditure and we could cast informed vote. Not so now.

I should explain that all reports are an amending exercise. At each Employment Committee I am usually presented with a pile of 4 booklets, each of about 50 A4 pages, ie 100 sides. Number one starts with the original report, the rapporteur’s comments and then amendments, continued in the remaining booklets. I do not get this before the committee starts so John Tennant does the hard bit ready for me to vote. He reads all amendments, recommends which I should support, and which not, and converts this to a voting list. This is very tedious because, whereas the amendments are listed in the books in numerical order, on the voting lists the amendments appear in random order. These voting lists are not available until the evening prior to the vote! We sit down on the morning before the votes and discuss John’s decisions. That is quick because we of UKIP vote, normally, against everything and all I have to do is to check out any “Yes” John recommends. Votes in plenary follow a similar path.

By the way, before I had my own assistant to do this I had to do it myself. So I sat in committee all day, reading each report with its amendments, as debate continued. In between making an occasional intervention I marked up the booklets and hoped to get through them all by the time the voting lists came through at about 7.30pm. I took it all to my hotel and worked through before and after dinner, transferring my markings to the voting lists. You will realise that it is impossible to vote without a marked-up voting list. I did once try to vote from the amendment booklets, absolutely impossible. In any case changes come in overnight.

For the budget this year detail was expanded on several lines for each expenditure, so that there were 8 books of over 50 sheets each, making a pile some 5 inches thick. Impossible to use in the vote situation so the Budget Committee had collapsed all these lines into about 5 blocks per page, with minimal outline, on to voting lists of 10 pages of A4. For example “Block 1” was, ‘production levies, sugar storage, production charges, surpluses, financing the general budget’, all lumped together as one vote, with about 5 or 6 more blocks on each page. We were only able to vote by recommendation of our assistants and the fact that our senior assistant had copy of all 8 books of amendments.

Hence my comments above about how the voting takes place. The budget voting lists were just like all the others, as detailed above, but with over 1000 amendments! Our senior assistant, Aurelie Laloux, worked for two solid days on the voting lists for the budget.

To make matters worse the rapporteur addressed MEPs as the budget vote was about to start. She explained that six or seven amendments had alterations for us to note. Problem, plenary vote lists are just like committee lists and, instead of taking them one at a time as we got to it, she did it all together, identified by amendment number. So it was impossible to follow instructions. Hence my “Point of Order”, as per the link below, and please note the Presidential response! http://www.ukipmeps.org/articles_741_Voting-on-unknown-alterations-to-amendments.html

Did somebody say that the EU needs to be transparent, especially when spending billions of Pounds of taxpayers money?

This video, with extra footage, and further notes, will be going out on You Tube for all the world to see!

Lastly, if you have seen Nigel’s recent speech to the House you will notice that he remarked that when the Euro Anthem was played everyone stood to “Ramrod” attention. No they did not. I was just coming back in as the anthem began so I promptly departed and waited for it to stop. This is not my Anthem, I have a perfectly good one already. In any case, it is a dreadful way to treat Beethoven’s ninth symphony.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg Oct 24^th 2013

Brussels Commentary Employment Committee Sept 25th/26th 2013

Brussels Commentary Employment Committee Sept 25^th/26^th 2013

Two days dominated by voting on Wednesday, following debates on Tuesday.

These included ,”Implementing Council Directive...equal treatment in employment and occupation”. Remarkably this failed but only because of a disagreement. Any report is written by the rapporteur with cooperation from “shadow rapporteurs”. These are from political groups other than that of the main rapporteur. In this case the Socialists announced that they were withdrawing their support for this report because they claimed a lack of transparency and that the rapporteur had gone back on a previous agreement. It will now go to the Commission to be written, not a good idea.

However, this illustrates how this place works. Deals are done behind closed doors to ensure that reports go through, entailing “horse trading”. In this case the negotiations fell though. The actual value of the report does not seem to matter too much.

“Rule 81 of Parliament’s rules of Procedure on Consent Practices” was adopted, so now the EC is to be allowed to alter the terms of any report.

“Reindustrialisation of Europe to promote competitiveness...” was adopted by 33 -3. Fine ? It will cost 30 billion Euros for reconstruction. Who will find a large wedge of that?

To go with the previous item there was,”Towards a strong... European Car Industry”. Adopted by 34 -3, with no estimate of costs.

Then came,” Conditions of entry of third country nationals for research, pupil exchange, training (paid and unpaid) voluntary service and au pairing”. Adopted by 30 – 8 votes, leading to a two tier immigration policy, with the UK government powerless. (Third country means non-EU).

“National Roma Inclusion Strategies”, was adopted by 33 – 3, For future impact, but note the term, “Inclusion”.

Last item was a debate on an, “Integrated parcel delivery market....growth of e-commerce in the EU” . So having wrecked our Royal Mail system they will now work on commercial delivery firms. Apparently they have problems with cross border deliveries so now they think only of rules imposed from above. No chance of letting these firms sort it out themselves!

Now the parcel delivery report is being written by a socialist, Jutta Steinruck. She is also doing, “Effective labour inspections...improve working conditions, clamp down on illegals”. Like you I can see the outcome, -a mass of rules and regs, yet more Red Tape.

In a previous commentary I mentioned I had been subjected to a “Blue Card” question after speaking in the House. This was to ask me, “What was Red Tape?”. The questioner was none other than Ms Steinruck and here she is, proposing yet more of it!

By the way. All of the “No” vote figures quoted above includes me in every case.

Derek Clark MEP Brussels 26^th Sept 2013