29 May 2008

May 28th- 29th 2008 Brussels Commentary Employment Committee

Brussels Commentary Employment Committee May 28th- 29th 2008 A quiet two days but I managed to intervene in the "Greenhouse Gas Emissions" debate which went along exactly the lines you would expect. The rapporteur said that combating climate change means restricting carbon dioxide emissions and that this will result in great costs. He went on to say that this will hit the poorest people/ communities hardest, which gave me my intro,- "Mr President, the rapporteur rightly says that combating climate change will impact most on the poorest in society, and poor societies will be at risk, so I have to ask, is it worth it?. You see, as I think I've remarked before, I taught Physics and Chemistry for 39 years and this is all about physics and chemistry. I do not believe the global warming theories but one needs to be absolutely sure of the facts. I am therefore glad to see that, a few weeks ago, 500 scientists came out with the Manhattan declaration supporting my view. The global warming theories are incorrect, there has been an excited atmosphere surrounding it, not least due to the unscientific DVD produced by an American politician. Allow me to explain what is happening. There are 3 alleged greenhouse gasses; carbon dioxide, water vapour and methane. Methane is 20+ times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, while water vapour is about 10 times more potent. Water vapour content depends on atmospheric conditions so its effect is difficult to assess but methane is a true gas so it needs considering. However, burning 1 litre of methane produces 1 litre of carbon dioxide, so for my money we should be burning off the methane as fast as we can. You should now know of my own research. I was invited to meet the Director of the Midlands Environment Agency some time ago and I asked him the way in which global warming was affected by rising carbon dioxide levels. He was unable to answer me and suggested that I speak to the Hadley Centre, the leading UK authority. He promised to send me details but these never came in spite of my repeated requests. I therefore contacted the Hadley Centre direct, without his introduction. Their reply shows that a graph of global warming (they call it forced warming) plotted against rising carbon dioxide levels gives a logarithmic, not a straight line where equal CO2 increases give equal increases in global warming, nor an exponential where small increases produce immense results, a run away situation. If it were the latter we would indeed be in terrible trouble but a logarithmic is a graph where, in this case, CO2 increases produce less and less effect and the graph curves over at some point to produce a flat line. At that point extra CO2 in the atmosphere will have no further effect, we just do not know exactly where that point lies." Be not surprised that the debate went on after my contribution just as before; global warming is happening and it is due to man's carbon dioxide emissions. The chairman said we must adopt the precautionary principle and prepare for the worst although it may never happen! The rapporteur's understanding of my case was limited to, "I am not a scientist so I will not try to answer that way...I note that Mr Clark does not believe the science of it." Yes, I do understand the science of it, that's the whole point, and no one picked up my hint, that the Environment Director did not want my close enquiries. Why not? Derek Clark MEP Brussels May 29th 2008

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19 May 2008

May 19th - 22nd 2008 Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session

Strasbourg Commentary Plenary Session May 19th - 22nd 2008 Monday evening debate, -"Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law". This was not harmonisation, said one speaker who explained, "it is Approximation". Other speakers agreed that it means harmonisation, so "lets just call it that". Yorkshire Lib-Dem MEP Diana Wallis was enthusiastic,- it brings legal certainty, working with the ECJ. Legal areas would be implemented and Enforced and member states would incorporate EC legislation into national law. The ratchet tightens. Members in Derby might keep an eye on the paper for my letter about the subsidised growing of tobacco, following Glenis Willmott's recent quote. Irish Referendum The prospects in the Irish referendum are brightening. A week or so ago an independent poll showed the Yes vote on 34%, No vote on 31% and the Don't knows on 35%. Since then, this last week, the "No" vote booklet went out. This was professionally produced and individually mailed to every single Irish house-hold, all paid for by Ind-Dem group funds. They need footsoldiers so if you can help, cheap Ryanair to Dublin. Kathy Sinnott's message below, contact her before going,- Although it has been important to have people refrain from coming to Ireland speaking in public fora on the Treaty, it is fine for enthusiastic no supporters to come and walk the streets with canvassing teams or on their own initiative and canvas person to person. The message is "I am from such and such place and I am not fortunate enough to have a vote. If I did I would vote no. And I would ask you to understand how valuable your vote is and that it will effect us to, etc. " If people are interested in doing this, they can get in touch with me. Thanks for all your support. Kathy Office of Kathy Sinnott, MEP for Ireland South Tel. Brussels +32 (0) 228 45692 Email: kathy.sinnott@europarl.europa.eu www.kathysinnott.ie And from Sharon Bonici I just received a very good website for distribution for a petition to help the Irish vote. Kindly distribute to your contacts. Please feel free to circulate this appeal widely. http://www.irish-friends-vote-no-fome.org/index.php?set_language=en&cccpage=sign_petition Best regards, Sharon If you can help it would be appreciated by all the "No" voters across Europe , for us, "this is the referendum we never had". Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg May 22nd 2008

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5 May 2008

May 5th -8th 2008 Brussels Commentary

Brussels Commentary May 5th -8th 2008 Mon/Tues Employment Committee Felt quite at home on first debate on Tuesday, Elder Abuse! They want to introduce a package to combat assaults on the elderly, wilful care-home neglect....... I was on the point of intervening to say that all these things are catered for already, most of the incidents being straightforward police matters. But while they are organising an in-depth study they are not interfering somewhere else, so I kept quiet. It is, of course, the same old story over here, they keep on re-inventing the wheel. Much dross; harmonised taxes via combating poverty, still in a twist over the non-Working Time Directive, and health Care Financing in which there arose an unwelcome sideline in the combating poverty debate. We had a presentation from a certain Anne Tondevold. If that sounds Scandinavian you are right, in fact Norwegian! Now what is a Norwegian doing here? Impressive CV; Policy Advisor to Norwegian Local Authorities, Secretariat of the Norwegian state Council on Disability etc etc. But she also worked as a National Expert for the European Commission in 1993-4 when Norway was an applicant country!" In surfacing here it is quite clear that the Norwegian government are keeping their feet firmly under the EU table and never mind the Norwegian people's "No" votes in two referendums on joining. In the midst of all that you may have seen ITN Central News on Weds evening showing me with the Sikhs, who for the third year running have been refused admission to the Euro Parliament because they wear the Kirpan as an article of faith and which they are not allowed to remove. Some of these are British Sikhs, complete with passport. Yet more are from Germany, France, Greece,- Euro "Citizens" all. You may be surprised to hear that, having greeted them, spent nearly all morning with them, arranged with security for them to use a room on my signature in another EU building, that I returned after lunch to find I had to work really hard to get in on the TV cameras and radio recordings with them. Why work hard? Because the Lib-Dems (Liz Lynne, West Mids) were there trying to grab the headlines, again!Gawain Towler was, of course, instrumental in seeing that I got coverage. I am now searching for ways and means to resolve the difficulties the Sikhs are experiencing. Is it worth the hassle? Yes, its a point of principle and this is one way to obstruct the EU, which is what I am supposed to do. It also helps when my office received a message this morning from a Sikh who caught the TV coverage and, because of what I said, now realises that we are not the BNP. His apology for thinking this is unnecessary, his indication of voting for us is very helpful and follows a similar comment from one of the UK Sikhs in the meeting I addressed yesterday. "UKIP is trying to help us", was his message to his friends, "we ought to support them!" Weds/ Thurs Plenary Session In voting on Thursday more fishing agreements to raid the waters of a third world country were approved, the Seychelles this time, again! But beer will now cost you more if on holiday in Madeira, excise duty. Members were not altogether happy with the report on Lobbyists in European Institutions where there was a standing objection to an oral amendment (ie late submission). The fiery Italian MEP Ms Frassoni, shouted out that this showed just how deep the lobbyists had wormed their way in. We do not like the extensive report on Sport which the EU is starting to influence. "European Prizes" adopted, "EU school championships" and, what they are really after, "recognition of collective selling of media rights". Man United, Chelsea, et al, RFU, Test Cricket, Golf championships, British Grand Prix, Wimbledon ..... are you listening? That amendment passed, as did the whole report, by 518 to 49. We are putting a together press release on this with my name attached. Derek Clark MEP Brussels May 8th 2008

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