Not sure farmers will be happy about this

Chris Davies, the North West Lib/Dem MEP and an old fashioned yogurt knitter has excelled himself with this report that was passed in the EP this week. Called,

Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050

you can imagine the litany of ill-conceived, ruinously expensive ideas that lie therein. The one section, of many, that really caught my eye was this,

Supports the idea that EU funds, including the Rural Development Fund, should only fund projects for agricultural facilities that are energy-efficient, and in particular those employing renewable energy sources that can reduce carbon emissions to a level as close as possible to zero;

I am sure that the farmers of this land will be delighted to discover that the Lib/Dems, and Labour voted in favour of this. The Tories, displaying their normal moral courage abstained.

Typical Tory Cant on EU Financial Rules

Yesterday there was a vote in the European Parliament about the banning of 'short selling'. It is a daft idea, the wrong target and the wrong instrument but three you have it, it is the European Parliament we are talking aboutr remember.

Anyhow read the Tory party press release on the subject. They obviously think it is daft, and Syed Kamall their spokesman (who is a damn fine chap),

"This is a short-sighted ban driven by politics rather than sound economics. By banning uncovered CDS we will only encourage the creation of new, more complex and opaque, financial products.

"These proposals failed to tackle the elephant in the room, which is that those who issue CDS must have the capital to back up their obligations.

"At a time of sensitivity in sovereign debt markets, our fiddling could seriously undermine national governments' abilities to raise money by selling bonds. Investors will simply look to other markets where they still have the ability to fully hedge their investments."

So pretty firm opposition wouldn't you say. The sort of thing that will allow their friends in the City to think that they are well defended by the blue corner.

Well that is fine, until you see how the Tories voted. Only Hannan, Helmer and DCB voted against with UKIP, the rest abstained along with the Lib Dems, Labour of course voted in favour. Here is the abstention list,

ALDE: Bearder, Bowles, Davies, Hall, Ludford, McMillan-Scott, Newton-Dunn, Wallis, Watson

ECR: Ashworth, Atkins, Bradbourn, Callanan, Chichester, Elles, Ford, Fox, Girling, Harbour, Kamall, Karim, Kirkhope, McClarkin, Nicholson, Stevenson, Sturdy, Swinburne, Tannock, Van Orden, Yannakoudakis

How can anybody in the Square Mile trust this shower?

EU Eco power, Measure by Measure

They used to say that Britannia Rules the Waves but the New York Yaught Club Waves the Rules, and it has been known since way back when that control of the system of measurement equates in part to control full stop. Not for nothing was Clause 35 of the Magna Carta thus,

(35) There shall be standard measures of wine, ale, and corn (the London quarter), throughout the kingdom. There shall also be a standard width of dyed cloth, russet, and haberject, namely two ells within the selvedges. Weights are to be standardised similarly.

So we should watch those who would measure us, and how they would measure us.

And you will not be surprised to discover a great panoply of measurement and standardisation going on under the auspices of the EU. Last week there was a great public hearing in Brussels European Parliament, chaired by the Tory MEP, Malcolm Harbour. It was set up to greet this report,

REPORT OF THE EXPERT PANEL FOR THE REVIEW
OF THE EUROPEAN STANDARDIZATION SYSTEM
Standardization for a competitive and innovative Europe:
a vision for 2020

Why must we have harmonisation? Here's why

2.1.3 Environmental drivers
· Climate change is the biggest challenge facing the world. There is a need for standards to tackle climate change and related challenges - such as energy and water efficiency - in support of the EU energy and climate change package (20/20/20 goals) and to promote its practice worldwide. This will include the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, establish credit trading systems and, more generally, provide the metrics (measurement standards) for setting, claiming and verifying environmental achievements;
· Need to facilitate behavioural changes towards more sustainable decisions of all economic players and individual consumers.

The point being is that if they design the standards, they can therefore design it to fit the results that they desire, rather than the reality of the world that is found. Standards will fit the evidence to promote particular policy prescriptions. Note that rather scary comment, 'There is a need for standards to tackle climate change'.

And why is that?

'To facilitate behavioural changes'.

Now as scientists surely there should be a need for standards to reflect the world as she is, to facilitate in the understand of said extant world?

Err chaps, you don't think you might be overstating your brief just a little bit?

Bright beautiful new morning

So my comments yesterday about the troubles in the new Tory ECR Group were nothing on what really happened. All yesterday evening I was trying to get a steer on what was happening within their group following Edward MacMillan-Scot's auto-defenestration, and there were reams of silence. Unanswered texts, phones pointedly unpicked up, mubles and delays.

What was going on?

Well in brief this...

EMS's vainglorious independent candidacy for European Parliament Vice-Presidency was sucesful. This unpicked the deal which had been the foundation of the new Group, that is the Poles of the PiS get the VP job and the Tories get the leadership of the Group. EMS did this despite threats (now carried out) that he would lose the Tory whip.

This enraged the Poles, despite desperate attempts by Tory staffers who were spinning that EMS's candidacy was all about the Germans getting pissed of with Sylvana Koch-Mehlin's . The photogenic Sylvana is getting too much publicity they say, she is unimportant (being from the small free-trading, atlanticist Free Democrat Party) whilst far more important and visuallly chalenged German MEP's do not attract the press attention.

Anyhow this obviously didn't wash with the Poles who then had the temerity to gather together and nominate Mick Kaminski (the failed VP candidate) to stand against Timothy Kirkhope as Group leader.

Kaminski, a long time friend of the Tory Eurosceptics in Brussels collected the support of at least ten of the Tories and thus defeated Tory wet Kirkhope.

One grinning all over his face turned to me this morning and said,

"At least we have a Conservative as Group leader".

That is all very well, and I like Mick, but it means that the Tories having set up their group now have failed to pick up either of the posts that gives them acess to the Parliament's top table of the Bureau.

Mark Francois , (the shadow Europe Minister) may well have phoned Mick to offer his congratulations but the Tory high comand must be livid. Their plans have gone spectacularly awry. And it is only day one of the new Group.

Worse still, from what I hear, MacMillan-Scott is boasting that he is going to cause even more trouble by revealing more revalations about the PiS (homophobic stuff maybe).

How we all laughed last night as Robert Sturdy arrived to enjoy Bastille day drinks and pulled his finger across his throat with a grimace.

The picture illustrates Nigel Farage and Jan Zahradhil (ODS). Zarahdil is sitting in the seat that Mr Kirkhope thought had his name on it at the front of the chamber.

Choices, choices.

This week the Tory delegation get to vote on their new delegation leader. This man will be responsible for the European Election campaign for next year.

And whose hats are in the ring?

Step forward

Timothy Kirhope - again
James Elles

Yes you read that right James Elles, what is more James is being supported by the Eurosceptric wing of the party. They believe that they have a promise from him to give them posts, PPS, Whip etc.

However they made that style of deal before when they supported the extremely able and extremely Europhile Jonathan Evans for leader. He won, and then proceded over a few months to strip himself of the Eurosceptic cordon sanitaire. Will history repeat itself?

Oh and the leader will also be largely responsible for running the negotiations with other national delegations to create the new Tory Group after the European Elections. Timothey has a track ecord of failing to do this in the past, and Elles...

And the winner is...

Timothy Kirkhope.

Pity poor James Holtum, The current - and lets be honest rather effective Tory Press Officer was in a previous life Tory Press officer, when Kirkhope was last leader of the delegation. He didn't keep the job for long. Oh dear.

Overheard

One Tory MEP to another
"You've haerd the news, Kirkhope won"
"Oh shit!"
"Yes that is what i said"

If you want a crook to run Justice then hold up your hands

The vote on convicted embezzeler Jacques Barrot came yesterday, and now the roll call is available. Lets see which British MEPs voted for him shall we?

Yes
Lib Dem: Attwooll, Bowles, Davies, Duff, Ferrari, Hall, Harkin, Lynne, Newton Dunn, Nicholson of Winterbourne, Wallis, Watson,

Sinn Fein: de Brun

Conservative: Ashworth, Atkins, Beazley, Bowis, Bradbourn, Bushill-Matthews, Chichester, Evans Jonathan, Harbour, Jackson, Karim, Kirkhope, Purvis , Sturdy, Sumberg, Tannock,

Labour: Cashman, Corbett, Gill, Hughes, McCarthy, Simpson, Skinner, Stihler, Titley, Willmott,
Green/Scots Nats: Evans Jill, Lucas, Smith,

No
UKIP: Batten, Bloom, Clark, Farage, Nattrass, Titford, Whittaker,
Independent: Allister, Knapman, Mote, Wise

Abstain
Conservative/Independent: Hannan, Helmer,
Conservative: Heaton-Harris,

Well I suppose a half hearted cheer for the original H-Block for not voting in favour of the fellow, particularly Heaton-Harris who must have broken the whip. But for pities sake, what is wrong with the Tories? (I hold out no hope for the others) Come on guys you are under a great deal of scrutiny about misuse of funds yourselves and you vote for this shower. Or is it that you think you might get a better deal under him?

Ten green bottles?

The demise of the European Parliamentary Tory leader Giles Chichester is prompting fears amongst Conservatives both in Brussels and Werstminster that the dam has broken. Over the past few weeks there has been a drip drip drip of scandal coming over the blue benches that is puttingt he fear of God into a number of their MEPs.

So far only Chichester has (part) fallen on his sword, that is if the great jab in his back from the CCO team wasn't sufficient to puncture his armoured hide.

The arguement given by his Chief Whip in the Times this morning is risible,
"Mr Dover’s declaration about his contract with M P Holdings states: “My wife manages all my secretarial services. My daughter is a part-time assistant and is a fully qualified secretary. Both these are required to work very unsociable hours in Brussels, Strasbourg and throughout the north-west of England (including all weekends).” M P Holdings has a “turnover” of £125,000 a year and administrative expenses of £126,000. "

I don't think that the guys in the next door office would recognise them. I have certainly never seen them in Strasbourg, and very rarely over the years in Brussels. Bunkum Den, and you know it.

Then there is the egregious Sir Bob Atkins, and others who will be holding their breath.

Sir Bob Atkins takes the buscuit

Now I am not going to defend the actions of Tom Wise as reported in the NoTW last weekend, but the reaction of Sir Robert Atkins to his own inclusion in the article is extraordinary.

It appears he has taken legal advice on suing the Murdoch Sunday. Well good luck Bob, may the luck of the Dover's descend upon your pompous bonce.

So he says in in yesterday's Liverpool Evening Post, which seems to be a rehashed version of a note he sent to Con Home a day earlier.

Was he really upset about the article itself? Well it appears that he was disgusted that he was on the same page as Tom Wise, who though foolish is in many ways a decent cove.

The article gave details of how the Conservative member pays his wife, Lady Dulcie, more than £30,000 a year as his secretary.

And the newspaper also said Sir Robert paid his son James £2,513.23 a month in 2002.

However, Sir Robert is furious the story was placed alongside an investigation into "greedy Brit MEP" Tom Wise,

He defends himself thus,

"My son worked full-time in Brussels for a period after leaving university and was paid at the same – if not slightly lower rate – as other parliamentary assistants of his age and experience.

"He was head-hunted away on a much higher salary and ceased working for me in 2004".

Errr.. That isn't quite true is it Bob. I was working as a Tory Parliamentary Assistant at the time and you would have been lucky to make 2,513.23 in Euros, let alone in sterling - (According to the ECB figures that would put him on somewhere between 3,901 Euros pcm and 4,108 Euros. Slightly less than average, oh yes, are you sure? I only know of one person who was paid more than that, but he was employed by somebody independently wealthy and his money came from there, not the taxpayer. So that is a lie, and one that can be easily disapproved by any half competent lawyer.

Back then you were quite a cheese in the Tory delegation, and if I remember rightly James moved from your office into the Whip's office. The employment procedures of which are organised by, ahem senior members of the delegation. The job was well remunerated it is true, but it was in the gift of you and your colleagues. Then he was headhunted.

I wonder if was for his intrinsic abilities or for the fact that he was already very well connected with the Tory/EPP scene in the Parliament and the fact that his referees and godfathers were Sir John Major CH and Sir Christopher Gent? Dunno you decide.

Don't get me wrong I have no animus against James Atkins, he seems a friendly enough chap and a mainstay of the expat football and cricket community, but his father's arguments are bunk.

Then his excuses about Lady Dulcie. Well there does seem to be a discrepancy between what was reported in the Stern Magazine on 18th March 2004 by Hans Martin Tillack and what was reported in the NoTW. Stern has it that he was paying her 8,332 Euros per month (68,988 Sterling p.a.) whereas the NoTW only claims "over 30,000". Quite a lot over it seems.

I don't recall either Stern, or European Voice or indeed the European Law Review which repeated the claims being visited by Sue, Grabbitt and Runne.

Self hate starts at home

What is it about us and our history that the elite hate so much? I ask this because I found something this morning that frankly disgusts me. Sadly it comes from a regularly reelected Conservative. Christopher Beazley, currently Tory MEP for the Eastern counties, thank goodness is not standing for re-election to the European Parliament. It transpires that he moderated an event in the European Parliament in January that I missed, called

"United Europe – United History: A Mission to Consolidate a Common Memory"

That is bad enough in itself, but what he said as the Chairman is even worse,

"Naturally, the fact that the fate of central and eastern Europe was surrendered to the control of the Soviet Union, is uncomfortable for many in western Europe, not least for my own country.

“During this terrible period in our collective history no one emerges with honour.”

Actually Mr Beazley I am not ashamed of our history. As a leading and pro-active member of the Atlantic alliance the UK stood up to the Communist threat as well as it could. Yes we let the eastern countries of Europe down at Yalta, yet in reality there was little option at the time. But it was the actions of people like Margaret Thatcher in alliance with the Americans and the Pope, against the teeth of sustained opposition from many countries in Western continental Europe including France and Germany that finally forced the collapse of the Communist system.

To say that nobody emerges with honour was pandering to an audience and self-abasement, we should have nothing to do with it.

10 Priorities

I shall bore you now. The Tories political Group in the European Parliament have launched their pre-election manifesto. Called Ten Priorities it lists what it is that the EPP-ED will be campaigning on in next year's Euro poll.

Making Europe a global Player
The EPP-ED Group supports the active implementation of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.
A Europe of 27 requires a coherent foreign and security policy to better deal with the challenges of the 21st century and to better promote its values.
The Group is in favour of boosting Europe’s security and defence capacity and enhancing its capacity to act in the world.

From my reading that is increased support for such wonders as the European Army.

The EPP family believes that this growth can be stimulated at the European level through better coordination of the economic policies of Member States, especially as regards the implementation of National Reform Programmes
(NRPs).
A better coordination of economic and tax policies will help to re-stimulate European economic activity and job creation.

That will be tax harmonisation to you and me. The next one is pretty disturbing,

Furthermore, as a result of economic globalisation, the flow of capital from one country to another can be measured in thousands of millions thanks to the great ease of communications provided by information technologies creating speculative opportunities which could be a source of monetary destabilisation. Particular importance should therefore be given to bringing monitoring methods
more closely into line and increasing European influence on world financial
markets.

Which could be read as a serious infringement of civil liberties as the monitoring of all information becomes more pernicious and intrusive.

The reform of the European budget is a priority for our Group, and it will have to be implemented in two stages:
* The first stage requires a review of expenditure, with a simpler calculation of national contributions;
* The second stage, from 2014, will require the introduction of new own resources so as to gradually replace the national contributions.

Direct EU taxation.

Police and judicial resources must be pooled in order to ensure that those
responsible for criminal actions and their consequences find no refuge within
the Union.

The start of an EU police force.

This is all here in black and white is the program of the Tories' Group. When will Tory members realise what is being done in their name over here.

The story makes into print

Finally the MSM have picked up a little of what happened last week via Chris Booker in the Telegraph.

MEPs face protest ban
Anyone drawing attention to the lack of democracy in the EU system of government is told that the democracy is vested in the European Parliament. The snag is that the "toy parliament" has no opposition. But on one issue a kind of opposition has lately emerged, in those 50-odd MEPs of various parties who are protesting at how the EU treaty is being railroaded through without referendums.

After last month's demonstration, in which these MEPs held up placards saying "Referendum" in the chamber, they have continued their campaign by various tactics, all within the rules, such as calling for electronic votes rather than a show of hands. This so enrages the authorities that 13 MEPs are now threatened with substantial fines.

Furthermore Hans-Gerd Pöttering, the parliament's German president, has complained to the "constitutional affairs committee" that the protesters were clearly intent on "obstructing the procedures of the House". He proposed that he should be able to ban anyone who, in his opinion, was indulging in such "practices", even if theywere within the rules.

The committee has agreed that he should be given this arbitrary power to suppress dissent, supported by Timothy Kirkhope, leader of the Tory MEPs (although seven of his Tory colleagues were among the protesters). It seems any vestiges of parliamentary opposition can now be silenced out of hand. We thus live, as I have said before, in what is in effect a one-party state.

While delighted that somebody has finally noticed there is a small error that could allow people to get of the hook. Though I do hope that the Tory membvership in Yorkshire remember this when it comes to their MEP selection in the next couple months, he was in fact ousted by Giles Chichester as leader of the Tory MEP delegation in November. Small issue I know, but annoying nonetheless.