30 January 2008

Jan 30th-31st 2008 Brussels Commentary Plenary Session

Brussels Commentary Plenary Session Jan 30th-31st 2008 You will have seen in the papers the moves to ban patio heaters. Many publicans use them for out-door smoking areas so this would drive many out of business. Not that this makes any difference to Fiona Hall who promoted the directive in the parliament. The vote was taken this morning with two surprises for you. First, Fiona is a Lib-Dem, secondly the vote was passed by 592 to 26 against. As the vote was taken Godfrey Bloom rose on a point of order. "Mr President", he said," when I attended your office yesterday at five o'clock I found the room to be stiflingly hot. Should we not start the ban on excess heating, and its resulting unnecessary carbon dioxide emissions, with a ban on your office, and the parliament buildings too, they are over-heated". The president replied that obviously Mr Bloom had got over heated himself. Probably correct, except he would have thought Godfrey was feeling hot through naughty-boy embarrassment when in fact it will have been of the under-the-collar-variety. Godfrey's appearance in the presidential suite caused some of us concern. Nigel was put out, I was not best pleased either. It was occasioned by our protests of last week; the blanket Roll Call Votes and requests to make oral explanations of vote. As a result several members got letters summoning them to the presence. Not Nigel however, who wanted to know, in his point of order, why not, as leader he was prime mover. No answer. That's my grumble too. Nigel had had to go home early that week (family calls), so on the Thursday I was the last UKIP MEP standing. And I don't get carpeted! This followed the extraordinary powers granted to the president to allow him to veto Roll Call Votes and explanations of vote. Both of these are clearly written in the rules so he now has authority to do what he wants because it was voted on this morning. Nigel's point of order was to delay the vote to give time for political groups to consider it in depth. Lost on show of hands by a huge margin. The vote to legitimise rule by presidential decree was carried by 492 - 55. Democracy, who said democracy?. I will now be sending back to the office a number of letters for as many of the media outlets in the East Mids that we know. In various ways they bring attention to Gordon Brown's refusal to hold a referendum, as promised, on the European Constitution. Gordon will get one all to himself. Derek Clark MEP Brussels Jan 31st 2008

Read the full news article

22 January 2008

Jan 22- 23rd 2008 Brussels Commentary Employment committee

Brussels Commentary Employment committee Jan 22- 23rd 2008 This session seems to be a catch up exercise. The Slovenian Labour Minister addressed the committee and said that the Working Time directive was under way in the hands of experts. Opt-outs would continue, she said, but under more stringent conditions, with a transition period. Probably enough to satisfy the UK government but employers and employees are another matter. The rapporteur gave information on the population census which has run into trouble. This is where I have taken a stand on the "Consensual Union for women" issue. Today I asked whether or not the offending passage had been removed. The rapporteur agreed with me, but I remain sceptical and will just have to see if the final draft contains the insensitive questions. The whole directive on the hazards of physical agents has been put back for four years, giving MRI scanning that much breathing space. Is that a triumph for common sense, or does it mean a raft of barmy legislation is due four years from now? Highlight of the week, a mini Plenary session at mid-day Wednesday for Barroso to deliver his stuff on Global Warming. Graham Booth was the only MEP to cast doubt on the whole idea of carbon dioxide causing warming but Barroso gave the game away. He said that by promoting all these measures to combat global warming the EU will lead the world into a better climate and, in so doing, prove to the European electorate how valuable the EU is and how they need a strong EU! Derek Clark MEP Brussels Jan 23rd 2008

Read the full news article

14 January 2008

Jan 14th - 17th 2008 Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session Jan 14 - 17 2008 Following our noisy protest last December against the signing of the Constitution, (sorry, Lisbon Treaty!) we have kept up the pressure this week but peacefully not to overdo things. So now we took up the rule book Using their own rules we have attempted to disrupt proceedings in the chamber, first so as disrupt the schedule and put back the items they really want to talk about. Hence my speech on Monday night, "Transport rates". Debates on a proposal only occur when demanded by a political group. Normally this is taken as read and almost everything is debated, except for some low key issues, like this one. With no debate scheduled we made the request, and debate ensued. A further bonus concerned the Commission because the appropriate commissioner has to open the any debate and sum up. So, on Monday other MEP s had to stay up, they would not leave the floor to me unopposed, and Commissioner Verheugen had to come down from Brussels, just for us! He did not look very happy. We then put in for RCVs, Roll Call Votes. Every day these electronic votes are recorded and a booklet is published showing how MEPs voted. Quite right too, electors have the right to know. Up to this week most voting session has had only about twenty per cent of votes as RCVs, they take longer to do than a show of hands. So, on Tuesday we exercised our right under the rules to put in a group request for an RCV on every single vote. Voting occurs immediately before lunch, threatening to delay that most sacrosanct of continental practices. We were not very popular. The following day several MEPs protested loudly at our behaviour, but we did it again just the same. Unfortunately it has back-fired to some extent. It did not take as long to do all votes that way as had been thought because everyone concentrated on it. As you will know Graham Booth frequently complains that votes by show of hands are often wrong and on an electronic check he is often right. To get a check MEPs have to shout "check" but of course there was none of that, so all was quiet and dignified and all the votes are correct. We did not intend to improve things! We did manage to force them to break their own rules. Immediately after every voting session there is an "explanation of votes", when you can have one minute to say why you voted as you did. That's also good democracy. To do that orally, as opposed to a recorded written statement, you trot up to the high desk with an oral request form, before explanations begin. So Tuesday saw a whole procession of us making our way to the front to hand in the forms, one for every vote. We have worked with others in this, including Chris Heaton-Harris and Roger Helmer, to a total of 14 that day on 9 proposals. One minute on each would have taken over two hours. The President of the day did not like that, his lunch would have been abandoned, so he refused to do it! He proposed taking explanations later in the day. We protested at this breach of rules so he actually took a vote to re-schedule for close of business that night, ie midnight. There were enough MEPs left to out-vote us by about 150 to 50. That vote was probably illegal, which worries them not. Not to be out-done in courtesy a polite note declining the offer was sent at that time. We did it all again on Wednesday and Thursday with fewer MEPs, with 9 of us then, so explanations were taken at the right time. It took 45 minutes and we all stuck it out, of course. All was courteous and friendly, even coping with the conclusion of all our explanations of vote, " ...ratification of the Constitution despite its rejection in two referendums is undemocratic and illegitimate". It might seem to be a pointless exercise with so few MEPs to hear all that. Not so; like all other speeches and statements in the House every word is recorded and published in each day's verbatim record of proceedings. Which is also why I volunteered to make a speech at 10.40 pm on Wednesday, so as to end with a demand for the EU to hold a referendum on the constitution in all member states. Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg Jan 17th 2008

Read the full news article