German MEPs in "democracy stitch-up"!

Germans love democracy. Well the people do. As for their elected representatives one could say a few of them are up to the same old tricks as in years gone by. One savoury character in the European Parliament is Christian Democrat MEP Inge Graessle (pictured). She's got the makings of a perfect MEP. All fiddling expenses and fixing the committees. Why do I attack her so? Because she and her gravy train chums blocked Marta Andreason, newly-elected MEP for UKIP from becoming vice-chairman of the European Parliament's budgetary committee.

"They know that I know too much. I know where the bodies are buried and that's why they don't want me," said Mrs Andreasen. She was sacked by Lord Kinnock when he was gravy train supremo. Anyone threatening to derail the Kinnock's income stream is likely to get chucked out of the caboose.

It is utterly deplorable that such people as Inge Graessle are let anywhere near a democratic debating chamber. "The role she (Marta Andreason) played in the past, what I feel was a certain scandalising of issues, is not really one we want endorsed by her becoming vice-chairman," she said. Well, no Inge. That's because you got your hand smacked as you were getting it out of the money pots!

This is the glorious EU outfit that we are told is good for Europe. No more good for us than swine flu is. Seeing as there are so many swine in that place, one would have thought the flu would have hit them by now!

It's the EU's way or it's the way out!

The European Union is fast becoming a haven for the undemocratic, the bureaucratically minded, and the plainly corrupt. I'm not sure which camp I put Richard Corbett, a British Labour MEP in. Probably a mixture of the first two. I'll be charitable and suggest that he's not corrupt. That's not to say that the others get off that lightly. There are plenty of corrupt characters floating around the Brussels edifice, some elected, others there by knowing which jobs get the biggest brown envelopes stuffed! Corbett is leading the European Union assembly’s political establishment in attempting to push through changes that will silence dissidents by changing the rules allowing Euro-MPs to form political groupings. Of course, their troughs will have silk rims to allow their snouts to escape unnecessary bruising when they rush to gobble up the cash savings!

Corbett’s proposals will also give the President of the Parliament sweeping powers to approve or reject parliamentary questions. A kind of censor-in-chief. The whole thing is disgraceful. Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, claimed that the move goes hand in hand with the denial of popular votes on the new EU Treaty. "Welcome to your future. This shows an EU mindset that is arrogant, anti-democratic and frankly scary,” he said. "These people are so scared of public opinion they are willing to set in stone the right to ignore it. Freedom requires the governing elite to be held to account. They must be getting very worried if they are enacting such dictatorial powers for themselves." Very worried indeed.

Democracy has never been seen as a popular vehicle for the powerful. Those that are creating this United States of Europe do so by stealth rather than open debate. They have caused democracy to be the servant of their world rather than the master. We have been foolish in allowing it to happen.

EU laws hold Britain back

I saw this piece by Mike Nattrass MEP in one of my local papers, the Solihull Times. Under the heading "EU laws hold Britain back" it is in his regular column - 'Another crazy day in Brussels' with UKIP West Midlands MEP Mike Nattrass. This is what he wrote -

If part 1 had you asking why I show venom towards the EU, understand that this parliament in 35 years has created more UK laws than Westminster has made since 1485 and the battle of Bosworth Field.

It holds Britain back from trading with the world, including Europe, and restricts innovation. I love Europe, its people and its diversity. EU harmonisation damages the individuality of its people.

Brussels 2004 confirmed a rewrite of history was being made. The president said "WW1 was a Civil War." I shouted into my microphone "No one told my two grandfathers they were in it." I yelled "What were the Americans, the Indians, the Australians..." and I was switched off. In disbelief we heard that there were "No Germans in WW2".... they were "Nazis!" That night I realised conscripted Germans were insulted, many were not Nazis.

February in Strasbourg confirmed referendum failure, I left the voting chamber still dressed in my yellow "Too chicken for a referendum" shirt.

After an interview with ITV they said "We had better get this away before it is confiscated". "What!" I said. They replied "Yes, they do not allow people to talk like that if they can stop it."

That day Shirin Wheeler of the BBC had been told that she "could not video UKIP in the chamber" as "you cannot video dissent". She replied: "Either we video it all or nothing. Which do you want?"

Good for Shirin and thank goodness for the Solihull Times.

That's the whole trouble with the EU for me. Spin and subterfuge. Deceit and deception. They claim to be of the side of the citizen, but all along they want it their way or no way. Democracy? Of a kind!