Europe doesn’t work like that...
In a speech at the Mansion House on 14th November Cameron said, “Leaving the EU is not in our national interest.” He went on to call for “...powers to ebb back [to member states]”. Nick Clegg, speaking alongside the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, said of that speech, “I don’t think anyone is talking about unilateral repatriation of powers. It’s not possible, and Europe doesn’t work like that.” Clegg is right for once and Cameron is lying that it’s possible to reform the EU juggernaut.
No loyalty like Labour loyalty
THE BRITISH Parliament voted on the EU referendum motion on 24 October. The Labour Party put its loyalty to the EU above its opposition to the government. Miliband knew beforehand that Labour’s decision to oppose the call for a referendum meant Cameron would not lose the Commons vote. So Labour knowingly voted to save the government.
Material error
The European Court of Auditors has published its annual report on the EU’s accounts. For the 17th consecutive year it notes that EU spending is affected by “material error”, an estimated 3.7 per cent error rate on expenditure of 122 billion euros. Regional funds, energy and transport had the highest error rate. Yet Cameron claimed a “victory” by limiting the EU Budget increase to 2 per cent!.
The Germans want a vote, too
In response to Greece’s proposed (and then aborted) referendum, German paper Bild called for the German people to get a say on whether they want to continue bailing out Greece. Politicians from Merkel’s sister party, the CSU, have come out in favour of a referendum. Their Secretary-General , “Fundamental decisions on Europe’s future should become connected with referendums.”
See how they run
A video from 2008 about MEPs has recently gone viral [search Youtube for “expense abuse MEPs”]. It shows MEPs (already very well paid) signing on for daily expenses then leaving for home (some scuttling away from the camera). The accredited reporter was thrown out of the EU Parliament for even daring to question MEPs about that practice. ■