My Speeches

Dec 14th 2011- Speech to Parliament Strasbourg - "Mid Term of the European Strategy for health and Safety at Work"

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Strasbourg 14th Dec 2011

"Mid Term of the European Strategy for health and Safety at Work"

President, "How many men to change a light-bulb? In one English Council tenants must send for Council staff who may not use ladders, only scaffolding. That's three people; one holds the rigging, one changes the bulb, one supervises.

Now that's the crazy English but we do have better examples.

At a meeting 6 years ago I was astonished to hear of the number of young people injured at work. The independent body, unconnected with the EU, which had called the meeting, suggested a range of safe practices which they claimed had reduced these figures, without legislation.

As I have said before, good ideas always spread and a Latvian took these documents to use locally. But the EU legislates, we do it every day, why, if good results can be achieved by unbiased advice from a non-political source?

So I ask that elements of this draft report such as, "simplifying existing legislation", "implementing national strategies" and "adjusting to the context of member states" carry through to the final, advisory, version. Voluntary systems are always best; no infringement proceedings.

(NB This was a contribution to "Oral question", so it was under "Catch-the Eye", one minute maximum always. Since it was 10.45 pm before I rose to speak I had little competition for the President's eye, there being 9 MEPs present at the time. The video of this is already on my web site because, as often happens, I amended my original script during earlier speakers and I did not get round to a re-write until late this morning, Thursday. I first did some TV work, which will come through later, and then acted as whip, then voting. Gerard Batten is our usual whip but he had returned home to attend the funeral of Gerald Roberts. Gerald was a long serving and very hard working member, one on the first of UKIP I met outside the East Mids.)

Sadly I must also tell you of the death on Wednesday evening this week of Graham Booth. Many of you will have known Graham, one of our first MEPs, and a staunch UKIP worker in the South West and elsewhere. He leaves his wife, Pam, and several children and grand children. I knew him well and, like very many other members, I have lost a true friend.

Derek Clark MEP

Strasbourg - 15 December 2011

Nov 16th 2011- Speech to Parliament Strasbourg - Debate; Combating Illegal Fishing at Global Level.

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament 16th Nov 2011

Debate; Combating Illegal Fishing at Global Level

The CFP was only introduced in 1973 when the UK joined the Common Market. Up to then UK fishermen had looked after their fisheries so well, without all these regulations, that other, profligate, member states wanted a slice of our action.

The result, illegal Fishing. Any system with complex rules and regs produces cheats, that's human nature.

Now you want to duplicate our Coastguard and to consider more rules to combat possible illegal recreational fishing. Do you never stop meddling?

To preserve fish stocks member states must be made responsible for their own fishing waters, up to the 200 mile limit, or the median line. Bi-lateral arrangements would be up to them and they would have to protect their own fish stocks in their own interests, under their laws and enforcement.

Norway does just that. Stocks have recovered, especially the spawning stocks of several species, but then, Norway is not in the EU and does not have to obey your crazy rules. They ban discards, requiring that all fish caught are landed.

Meanwhile, EU stocks are seriously depleted. I know that thought is being given to discards, but, after 38 years of waste, will our stocks recover?

As to combating illegal fishing globally the EU's discard policy is the greatest illegal fishing scandal of all, that, and licensing European Fishing fleets to raid the waters of the third world, reducing those peoples to poverty. Now, that's what I call illegal.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 17th Nov 2011

Nov 15th 2011- Speech to Parliament Strasbourg - Debate,- Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Strasbourg 15th Nov 2011

Debate,- Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion

To quote from your own documents,-

"National and local events will take place in every EU Member State, awareness raising campaigns, workshops, school indoctrination and so on and so on..".

The documents also say that this is mainly the responsibility of the member state no EU money is forthcoming, so its member state's money. How do those countries most in need manage that?

Only last month this house voted to raise the take from member states by 5%. Of a hundred budget lines some 20 were for a reduction. With like minded MEPs I supported those, which would have saved European taxpayers 100 million Euros, but was outvoted by most of you, on all except 2 lines, so only 1 million was saved.

If people keep more of their earnings they spend more, helping other businesses to keep going and helping employment.

So the member states who really need help for this program will not get it, where will they find the money, you've already raided their bank balances for bail out funds.

(NB Commissioner Andor speaking at the start said that EU funds would support this program, hence the comment in para two)

Derek Clark MEP

15th Nov 2011

Oct 25th 2011- Speech to Parliament Strasbourg- Debate; Agenda for new Skills and Jobs.

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Oct 25th 2011

Debate; Agenda for new Skills and Jobs.

We've been here before. Remember the Lisbon Agenda, "The most competitive knowledge based economy in the world" leading to more and better jobs. This 10 year program started in 2000, where is it?

It failed, of course, simply because you keep on thinking that you can solve a problem by central decree. Sorry, does not work that way. Such programs need a written plan with rules and regs, and there we go, straight into the red-tape jungle.

If you could only understand that. Cut the red tape and all the restrictive regulations and let people get on with what they do best, making things and selling them.

Once again I must remind you that big business can cope with red tape, they can afford compliance officers and well paid lawyers to bail them out if they make a mistake. SMEs, which employ half the work force, do not have those resources, so when they get into trouble they fold, another one or two jobs go and fewer youngsters taken on to learn a trade.

Take this morning's farce in the vote on tyres for motor vehicle and trailers. Its not really a farce, its another head ache for the motor trade. For how many small garages will this be the last straw and go under?

This whole agenda is another "one size fits all" idea, or rather, "one size that fits no one". The Euro is one of those, now falling apart before your eyes and all you can think of is to try more of the same. And the first casualties of that disaster are, of course, the SMEs, and more jobs lost.

Derek Clark Strasbourg 25th Oct 2011

Oct 25th 2011 - Oral question Parliament - Maternity Leave directive.

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Oral question Parliament Oct 25th 2011

Maternity Leave directive.

How can you justify this proposal to treble maternity pay, requiring firms to pay new mothers full salary for 20 weeks. Don't you know we are in the middle of one of the worst recessions of modern times?

This will present businesses with the prospect of a £2 billion burden. Even my government opposes this move.

In addition you plan to extend minimum parental leave from 3 months to 4 months for each parent. That's separate from the maternity leave with one month of the four not transferrable to the other parent.

Is the Council prepared to compromise on main issues, like the duration of maternity leave and the level of payment?

Otherwise you intend to give member states 2 years to amend their laws, 'though how you can say their laws I don't know. This comes straight from the Commission factory and we shall oppose this job destroying proposal.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 25th Oct 2011

Sept 29th 2011- Speech to Parliament Strasbourg - Debate: European Globalisation Adjustment Fund.

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament 29th Sept 2011

Debate; European Globalisation Adjustment Fund.

The EGF was invented to persuade member States to adopt Lisbon without national referendums, but this expensive project has insufficient checks.

In Antwerp General Motors claimed 9.5 million euros from the EGF, their redundant workers got 150,000 euros each, and then some found work with Volvo nearby.

Of the 5 countries with negative growth 3 have put in no claims while stronger economies have, with Denmark, the Netherlands and Austria leading the way, several more this week.

Many firms are closing due to the trade moving to the far East. Glasfibre in Denmark closed because their manufacture of Wind Turbines moved to China.

This does not happen just because Chinese workers are low paid, indeed in the House on Tuesday the Commissioner discounted that. More to the point, he said, was that China's Central bank set their own interest rates while their exchange rates made their products more attractive on world markets.

EU manufacturers will struggle on world markets if Euro membership makes their product too expensive. Ask Greece.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 29th Sept 2011

Sept 28th 2011- Speech to Parliament Strasbourg- The Rio+20 Earth Summit 2012.

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament 28th September 2011

The Rio+20 Earth Summit 2012

The Rio+20 Earth Summit 2012 sounds important, but it is really? The socialist one-world agenda has been having a hard time of it of late. Global problems require global solutions? Sounds good. But global governance through scare stories about manmade global warming have fallen flat - people in the UK, the US, and China are hugely disbelieving. Everybody knows that CO2 is not the cause of the ice ages coming and going - so how can a little extra CO2 be a problem now, whether or not it causes global warming? Isn't a little warming a good thing? Would anyone here really prefer icebergs in the Channel and polar bears in Brussels?

The same goes for the even more vague scare stories that have been peddled using meaningless rhetoric since Rio twenty years ago. No one knows what 'sustainable development' really means. And who would want 'unsustainable development' anyway? The environmentalist "ban everything except windmills" attitude is going to send us back to the Middle Ages if we don't put a stop to it.

You are calling in this document for 'tangible actions and accountable targets' but of course it is all just Soviet five year plans all over again. It is about time we recognised these failed communist policies for what they are, and go back to the honest free market approach which creates wealth for all by innovation and hard work, not endless interfering and political tinkering.

Derek Clark MEP

Strasbourg

28^th September 2011

July 4th 2011- Speech to Parliament Strasbourg- Debate COELHO; Agency for the management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security & justice.

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament 4th July 2011

Debate; COELHO; Agency for the management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security & justice.

Yet another expensive, bureaucratic monster arises by combining VIS, SIS and Eurodac, whether or not any member state currently participates in these agencies.

It is meant to develop Schengen which itself is under pressure due to the Libyan situation. What is the use of a system to allow free movement which has to be partially suspended because of the free movement it encourages?

I understand there will be a central agency to retain finger prints and biometric records for five years, including material obtained under SIS; "information regarding certain categories of persons and property".

So, under the guise of facilitating the free movement of people we have a resurrection of the Stasi.

Of course this is intended to lead to EU immigration control. For the UK many immigrants come from the commonwealth, a voluntary association including every single one of our former colonies. Well, we have our own border controls for that purpose and the EU does not have the right to interfere.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 4th July 2011

June 8th 2011- Speech to Parliament Strasbourg-Debate;- Misleading Business Directories

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Debate;- Misleading Business Directories

Speech to Parliament 8th June 2011

I know the "European City Guide" best. In spite of attempts to close it down, this menace continues.

In the UK, in May 2008, the Misleading Marketing Regulations came into force. This outlaws using the small print of any document to hide the true cost of a service.

So the Office of Fair Trading can now take action against UK companies. But there is a serious drawback.

The OFT does not have jurisdiction to tackle any scams from elsewhere, including those from other member States. So the problem continues, and I continue to receive my share of complaints.

More to the point, while they may operate elsewhere due to lax policing why can my own government not prevent what comes from mainland Europe?

The answer to that lies at the heart of this useless EU which has demolished national frontiers. The free movement of people, goods and services provides perfect cover for the people traffickers, the terrorist and for threatening, traumatising scams aimed at fleecing the unwary.

Derek Clark MEP

Strasbourg 9th June 2011

May 12th 2011- Speech to Parliament Strasbourg- Joint Debate - Education and Culture in the EU

Thu, 12 May 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Strasbourg 12th May 2011 Joint Debate; Education and Culture in the EU Just when responsible people and governments are watching every penny you propose more expense,- "Youth on the move card", the "European Skills passport", "European vacancy Monitor", "Through Europe 2020".

All for cultural diplomacy and getting young people to travel when they do that already, "Back Packing" round the world on their own initiative. What do we need expensive promotions for? As to spreading European Culture, well make the most of it because the way this crazy EU is going there will be none left, just a meaningless mantra, "United in Diversity".

Do you not understand that Europe is not a single State but a wide and glorious tapestry of attractive, distinctive, but matching cultural panels and that to amalgamate them is to reduce all to a grey amorphous mass, destroying that which you say you admire? Don't push EU culture, make Italian, German, French, British, Dutch and all the other cultures available to all who want to sample them, and the rest will follow.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 12 May 2011

May 11th 2011- Speech to Parliament Strasbourg - Debate - Small Business Act Review

Wed, 11 May 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Strasbourg May 11th 2011 Debate; Small Business Act Review This Review's 10 principles include helping SMEs to benefit from opportunities of the Single Market but the Eurozone is collapsing so how can it provide more opportunities? It also wants SMEs to benefit from the growth in markets, what growth? In Sept 2009 I asked Commissioner Andor, "What specific measures will you introduce to assist SMEs", following my similar request when he spoke to the Employment Committee on taking up the portfolio.

I got no answers then but now it seems I have some. The review's 5 guidelines to reduce pressure on SMEs include; simplyfying the rules on VAT, and reducing the rates, and a directive on late payments, but that's just tinkering with existing rules and regs.

The First Principle of the review, “Creating the right environment” should not mean proposing new rules, like, European Private Companies and State Aids, it means ripping rules out, by the hundred. After all, Commission President Barosso said in this house in July last year, "Red tape is strangling SMEs."

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 11th May 2011

April 4th - 7th 2011 - Speech to Parliament Strasbourg Plenary Session

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Strasbourg Plenary Session April 4th - 7th 2011 Joint debate; Fisheries Mr President. After 30 years the destructive practice of discards is to be addressed. Visit Grimsby and view a dozen fishing boats, where once there were a hundred Two years ago West of Scotland fishermen tabled a plan to conserve white fish, but while they wait, stock depletion continues.

They suggest a regional approach why not, the EU divides the land into regions. Much worse is the renewal of licences for European fleets to raid the waters of the Comoros islands. And raid it will be, for local fishermen can't compete with superior, powered EU trawlers. You've done the same to others in that area, are you surprised that Somalian fishermen, denied a living, have resumed the age-old vice of piracy.

Five years ago did you see TV pictures of hundreds of Western Saharans trying for refuge in the Canaries. EU licences had just been renewed for their waters and they too had seen it all before. In a pitiful, desperate attempt many died on the 800 mile journey in fishing boats never intended for the open sea. But you don't care that people from "Least Developed Countries" have been impoverished by your actions and for that the EU deserves to be condemned.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 5th April 2011

March 10th 2011 - Speech to Parliament Strasbourg

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Strasbourg 10th March 2011 Debate; Respect of national wage and retirement-setting mechanisms. Mr President, this goes beyond Ireland. Only a month ago I reminded the house that pensions were exclusively a competence of the member state. Here we go again using the same language of coordination and "retirement-setting mechanisms".

Now, pensions are almost always related to earnings, so do we see here an attempt to "harmonise" wages. I hope not because the treaties also say that wages are an exclusive competence of the member state. Its all very well to say that equal work means equal pay but should workers across the EU all doing the same job get the same pay? As an example think climate. Keeping the house warm near the Arctic Circle needs much more money than in Mediterranean countries. Add in winter clothing, snow clearance and all the rest and it is obvious that to pay them all the same leaves some with more spare cash than others. Of course wages can not be equal.

The Commission intentions, in setting out plans to "assist" Member States towards an "EU Minimum Wage policy" and "setting retirement mechanisms" are going against the Treaties. I am not surprised. This is common practice in this EU. A harmonised Wage and Pensions policy is not just a dream, it is illegal. Leave it as the Treaties demand, to the competence of elected governments, like mine at Westminster and like that in Ireland. (NB Being the first item of the day I was in the chamber to hear the Commissioner open the debate.

His entire speech was about the problems Ireland has in coping with the demands of both public and private sector pensions. I was not aware that he was to speak that way and it was not indicated in either the agenda nor in the commission papers published before-hand. My prepared speech was hastily re-drafted as the debate continued.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 10th March 2011

Mar 7th 2011 - Speech to Parliament - Strasbourg

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Strasbourg 7th March 2011 Debate; EU strategy for the Atlantic Region. The notes to this question mention "A Territorial dimension", with a reference to other policies, including the CFP which is a complete EU distaster. Fish stocks in the North Sea, part of the Atlantic, have been ruined by discards which must be abolished, it should never have been contemplated in the first place.

UK fishermen had carefully looked after fish stocks in our own territorial waters, while others had ruined theirs by over fishing. No wonder the CFP was welcomed by other member states whose fishermen could not wait to get into the North Sea. You need more territorial exclusion, not less. In my own region, the East Midlands, the fishermen of Boston have fished the Wash for generations, looking after the fish stocks making sure that their trawl nets do not disturb the sea bed. They know that this is where immature shell fish develop, and that this is where the creatures form the bottom of the food chain; it is their livelyhood.

Now they are forbidden to fish on the pretext that their trawls damage the bottom, meanwhile a Dutch vessel is licenced to hoover up a million tons of gravel from the same sea bed, while EON is to dig a trench right through it to the open sea to lay the line for a useless off-shore windfarm. How much damage will all that do to the sea bed? How much longer will these fishermen be forced to stand by and watch their rich fishing grounds reduced to nothing while they are reduced to benefit claimants? .

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 7th March 2011

Feb 15th 2011 - Speech to Parliament Strasbourg

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Strasbourg 15th Feb 2011 Debate: European Pensions System, In the Employment Committee on Nov 22nd last year the rapporteur, said, "Pensions are exclusively a competence of the member states." Now this has become, "Although member states have the lead there are aspects where coordination at European level is important" In paragraph 9 the Green Paper stresses member states' competence but calls on them to coordinate their different pension policies.

There is double speak here with EU control overturning principle. The UK National Association of Pension Funds says that this report would make pensions more expensive, by 90%, according to actuarial consultants Punter Southall. If that is exaggerated it is certainly true that huge extra sums will be needed to prevent pensions collapsing, so premiums will rise massively. Pension firms, and member states, don't need this report, they help to keep premiums down. Otherwise, this misguided report has the potential to destroy that which it seeks to protect.

Derek Clark MEP Delivered at 5.50 pm 2011

Nov 24th 2010 - Debate; CANCUN AND CLIMATE CHANGE- Strasbourg

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Nov 24th 2010 Debate; CANCUN AND CLIMATE CHANGE We had a fiasco a year ago in Copenhagen, when 15,000 unqualified people, including MEPs and the whole entourage descended on the place to double its carbon footprint for a fortnight, and got hopelessly embroiled in Climategate which was very neatly timed to scotch the proceedings. Yes, we all remember the University of East Anglia getting shown for it is - a centre of bogus science churned out by bought-and-paid for scientists who rely on the DG RESEARCH in the EU, and the UN superquango for their research funds and laboratories, and on the UK taxpayers for their wages.

They were shown up as forgers of data, forgers of climate computer models, hiders of inconvenient data, and conspirators with Obama's green minions in the US. The taxpaying masses learned in no uncertain terms that the EU and the global green agenda is all about raising our carbon taxes and scaring us into compliance. More scareology than climatology.

Cancun will not be nearly as bad of course, it is a much warmer place for a winter jolly, and the conspirators will be much more careful to hide their global governance agenda this year. But be warned - we the people are on to you! I read this for Godfrey Bloom after opening with this preamble (and hence the gabble to get it all in the allotted 1 minute) Mr President I am happy to read this speech for Mr Bloom who, I believe, has been unfairly debarred from the chamber this afternoon.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 24th Nov 2010

Oct 19th 2010 - Joint Debate, - Eradication of Poverty - Strasbourg

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Strasbourg 19th Oct 2010 Joint Debate, - Eradication of Poverty Poverty, especially at-risk-of-poverty, has grown as the EU has grown, each new member state adding to the problem, so it's pretty obvious how to prevent further increases. One of your answers is to introduce a minimum income. Now, I'm in favour of a minimum wage, but only as set by each country for itself.

A Pan-EU minimum wage will distort the issue. In Scandinavia domestic heating, for example, must be more expensive for all income groups than in Southern Europe. I oppose a minimum income because that means public funds to top up a low wage, more for the taxpayer to find in an economic crisis.

How do you stop some employers paying less than they could manage because they know the benefit system will make it up? Your answer, more regulations and red tape for businesses, falling most heavily on the SMEs who, between them, employ half the work force. And, of course, minimum income will be harmonised across the EU, followed by a harmonised Tax system, reducing all to a grey, amorphous mass devoid of Europe's greatest property; Diversity.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 19th Oct 2010

Sept 23rd 2010 - Future Allocation of the European neighbourhood and partnership Instrument (EPNI) for the Cross-border cooperation programs (CBC) budget

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Sept 23rd 2010 Debate; Future Allocation of the European neighbourhood and partnership Instrument (EPNI) for the Cross-border cooperation programs (CBC) budget President, Commissioner, what are you thinking about? Has the Commission been asleep the last two years? Here we are, at a time of economic stringency, in spite of Mr Von Rumpoy's comments this week.

There are millions out of work Some newer member states are still not getting the promised financial package Germany has a billion euro bail-bond round their necks to underwrite the Greek economy. In Britain my government is raising taxes, freezing public sector pay and pensions and cutting back on welfare, while finding £45 million every day for this place and now you want to spend 1.1 Billion euros of hard pressed European taxpayers money on a program to help "Partner Countries" along EU borders. Is this what you mean by "more Europe" or is it an attempt to draw these countries into the EU, sounds like empire building to me and after all Jose Barroso himself called this an empire.

We are told the EU is to prevent further wars in Europe but if you look at the record you will find that these were due to the Empire builders, and now you are doing it all over again. Do you never learn?

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 23rd Sept 2010

Sept 7th 2010 - Debate, Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States.

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Debate, Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States. The only guideline is for the EU to stop interfering.

The Working Time Directive is a disincentive to work, why can't you let people work overtime when they want to, and please don't tell me that this is to protect workers from exploitation when the EU's puppet court, the ECJ, has ruled in favour of companies exploiting groups of workers by paying them less than the minimum wage in no less than four countries.

Are you aware that more than a fifth of newly qualified junior doctors in the UK are turned down because the WTD means they lack experience, and that more are dropping out of training for the same reason. Recently this house passed a report on independent truck drivers which will result in many of them packing it in. In voting today MEPs approved a paragraph in the Bove report which will add a massive reporting burden to SMEs, hours after President Barroso had complained that SMEs were being strangled by red tape.

The EU is the problem, not the answer, as the people of Europe are beginning to realise.

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 7th Sept 2010

June 15th 2010 Speech to Parliament - Strasbourg Plenary

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Speech to Parliament Strasbourg Plenary 15th June 2010 Debate,- Organisation of working time of persons performing mobile road transport activities (ie Self Employed Drivers, why can't they just say so?) "It is essential that Amendment 30, with special regard to para 7(a), be adopted. Self employed drivers would not then be included in these provisions.

It is not a road safety issue, all drivers are limited to driving times and associated work, monitored by the tachograph. Including the self employed drivers will penalise them, especially those who do not use an agency. Company drivers have their schedules provided but true independents spend time preparing their own schedules and bidding for new business. If included in these provisions those tasks will be part of their working week so they will have less time to drive, load, unload and cater for passengers as compared to those commercially employed. Thus will business be lost and unemployment caused in the small business sector.

The big operator will take up the slack and we will have another example of the EU promoting big business at the expense of the SMEs, who employ half the work force. I therefore support the rapporteur in Amendment 30, as well as the commission in this respect, - and you don't hear that often from this part of the house".

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 15th June 2010