|
|
  |
LETTER FROM
EUROPE
September 2010 |
|
GILES
CHICHESTER CONSERVATIVE MEP
for the South West of England
and Gibraltar |
|
|
|
Good news for vegetarians
Travel logistics are never far from the minds of MEPs. We do so much
travelling that organising it and coping with the inevitable crises
and delays can make us sound a bit obsessional about it. So here is
a little good news story, a little victory. I do most of my travel
by train as I like the old slogan let the train take the strain.
That means a weekly commute on Eurostar. So far so good. But I have
been trying to get them to supply vegetarian meals for some time
with distinctly mixed results. At last a system seems to be working
and for the past two weeks a veggy meal has arrived without fuss. I
am so pleased that the fact the TGV from Paris to Strasbourg arrived
45 minutes late seemed almost inconsequential.
Strike problems
The French are having lots of strike problems which reminds me of
the bad old days at home when militant trade unions made a serious
business out of strikes, disruption, secondary picketing,
intimidation and what used to be known as Spanish practices all
under that outrageous euphemism industrial action in the 1970’s. A
35 hour week and retirement at 55 on very generous pensions are but
two of the challenges facing Mr Sarkozy and his government. It might
tempt me to feel rather smug but, what’s that you say, there was a
strike on the London underground and our unions are promising an
action campaign against cuts. Mr Brown, remember him, has a lot to
answer for!
Hit them where it hurts?
The early talking point in this session was the notice sent out to
MEPs over the weekend to tell us that if we did not attend all two
plus hours of the debate on the so-called State of the Union debate
led by European Commission President Barroso on the Tuesday morning
we would have our daily allowance docked. Some might say that would
be a small sacrifice to pay for the pleasure of not having to sit
through a lot of euro drivel but I confess I was outraged at this
stupid, authoritarian and doomed attempt to force attendance.
Stereotypical Germans from former times?
Just so you know the idea came from a bossy, Green, German MEP and,
surprise surprise, was supported by the German Leader of the
Socialist group. He was once teased by Berlusconi as behaving like
someone who would look the part in a concentration camp guard’s
uniform. The authorities of the Parliament realised how foolish they
would look and rescinded the sanction before mayhem had a chance to
break out in the Chamber. Ironically when I looked in briefly the
attendance was unusually high for Mr Barroso early on. Maybe
colleagues hadn´t heard the news. |
Unconventional gas production
That evening I chaired a dinner debate of the European Energy Forum
on the subject of unconventional gas. This comes in several forms
known as tight gas, shale gas and coalbed methane and until
relatively recently has been regarded as too difficult and too
expensive to extract by comparison with conventional natural gas
such as we find in the North Sea. The names indicate the type of
structures in which this gas occurs. The point being that the
Americans have development the technical knowhow to flush this gas
out in useful quantities and now it provides up to half the demand
in the USA.
A temporary glut of gas or fundamental change?
This means they no longer depend on imports and that means a
fundamental change in world gas markets as the one third of Qatari
gas output previously shipped as LNG (liquefied natural gas) to the
USA is available for other markets. Qatari policy was to send one
third each to Japan, Europe and the USA. The prospects for
unconventional gas production in Europe are not as good as in
America but are well worth pursuing as a means of reducing
dependence on imports from Russia.
Unanimously adopted
On the Wednesday we voted on a Motion for a Resolution on Sakineh
Mohammadi-Ashtiani, the woman who has been held in prison in Iran
for five years and has been sentenced to death by stoning for
adultery. The resolution condemned this barbaric treatment and
called on the Iranian authorities to exercise mercy. It was adopted
unanimously by 652 of us voting in favour. This is the same Iranian
regime that many believe rigged the last presidential election to
keep Mr Ahmedinejad in power. He it was who expressed his
determination to wipe Israel from the face of the earth. There is
plenty of evidence that they are intent on developing their own
nuclear weapons and long range missiles to deliver them. A
resolution isn’t much in the face of that but we don’t do things
unanimously very often.
Freedom of movement and speech
On the Thursday, the Parliament divided on a vote over a motion for
resolution about freedom of movement. In shorthand this was about
the Roma and was no doubt promoted by French Socialist MEPs to have
a go at what the Sarkozy government has been doing recently. The
left won the vote amid scenes of a rowdy return to student politics
and placard waving. I wouldn’t fancy the chances of anyone
criticising the regime in Teheran like that!
|
Promoted and Published by Giles
Chichester MEP, Longridge, West Hill, Ottery St Mary, Devon EX11 1UX
Tel: 01404 851106 Fax
01404 850752 Email:
giles@gileschichestermep.org.uk
www.gileschichestermep.org.uk
Lobby and Interest Groups list September
|
|
|
|
|
Date of contact |
Name of lobbyist(s) |
Organisation/company |
|
|
|
|
|
03-Sep |
Chris Burley |
Emerson Process
|
|
03-Sep |
David Jeffries |
J +
S Limited
|
|
03-Sep |
Terry Newby |
SPP
Pumps
|
|
03-Sep |
Mark Pickering |
Warwick Manufacturing Group
|
|
03-Sep |
Andrew Smith |
Numatic International
|
|
03-Sep |
Clive Turner |
EEF
South West
|
|
03-Sep |
Paul Johnson |
Knorr Bremse
|
|
07-Sep |
Fernando Naredo |
Westinghouse UK
|
|
08-Sep |
Hans Korteweg |
FORATOM
|
|
08-Sep |
Representatives |
European Contact Group of Accountants
|
|
13-Sep |
Karin Metzlaff |
Euro.Plant Science Org.
|
|
14-Sep |
Tina Sommer |
FSB/ESBA
|
|
22-Sep |
Representatives |
Tech America/American Chamber of Comms
|
|
22-Sep |
Representatives |
Norstream
|
|
29-Sep |
Representatives |
UK
Research Council
|
|
29-Sep |
Kathryn Oakley |
BT
|
|
29-Sep |
Jean-Pierre Berger, Hans Korteweg, Berta Picamal, Santiago San
Antonio, Christian Taillebois, Wener Zaiss |
FORATOM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sten Kjellman, Jenny Rees, Carl Sommerholt |
Svensk Karnbranslehantering AB |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lucie Horova, Zuzanna Krejcirikova |
CEZ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Michael Kirst, Fernando Naredo |
Westinghouse UK |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Arnaud Meert, Serge Vanderperre |
Tracetbel Engineering |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Isabelle Babak |
EWE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fabrice Brouard |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patrick Clerens |
EPPSA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Martin Garcia |
IBERDROLA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gael Glorieux |
EURELECTRIC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alain Huchet |
EDF |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kaija Kainurinne |
Teollisuuden Voima Oyj |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jean-Claude Perraudin |
CEA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Roberto Zangrandi |
ENEL |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Giuseppe Zollino |
Consorzio RFX |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patrick Charrault |
CIS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Erika Neeft |
COVRA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter Palinkas |
Former EP |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bertrand Rodrique |
Province Namur |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter Sennekamp |
EWEA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heiner Sobottka |
Kaesler & Colleagues |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul Wouters |
Belgian Nuclear Society |
|
