LETTER FROM EUROPE
October 2004

GILES CHICHESTER MEP
for the South West and Gibraltar

Party Poopers

That was the week that was (TW3), when the new Commission was supposed to have been confirmed by a vote in the October plenary session of the European Parliament.  A brief digression of explanation for any reader who was not around in the sixties when we all stopped partying on Saturday nights to cluster round the telly to watch TW3 with David Frost & co satirise the events and people of the week. 

New Chairman for EEF

On a different level, a vote to elect a new board, president, vice-presidents and treasurer for the European Energy Forum (EEF) took place in its General Assembly immediately after the Commission non-vote on the Wednesday.  Having had a hand in all the preparation and a very direct interest in the outcome, I am pleased to report a smooth succession and another new job for me to get my teeth into.  Modesty almost prevents me revealing the identity of the new President (Chairman to us) but a quick visit to the European Energy Forum website would reveal my smiling face!

Colour-blind Coalition

There was plenty to satirise in the hypocrisy of the left liberal green communist tendency.  They objected to one of the candidate commissioners because he had the cheek to be a Catholic who believed in his Church’s views on homosexuality and marriage yet undertook to honour and implement EU law in such matters, while on the other hand they were content to completely ignore the active communist past history of a number of candidate commissioners from the new member states.  They also were willing to overlook the sheer lack of competence of at least one of their socialist candidate commissioners (the one interviewed by my committee).

Amending the Draft Budget

Back to the chamber and an important vote that did take place, namely first reading of the draft budget.  We Conservatives voted for amendments to stop tobacco subsidies; to remove subsidies for live exports of animals to third or non EU countries; to oppose using EU funds to subsidise promoting a yes vote in countries holding a referendum on the draft European constitution; and to oppose subsidies to trade unions or similar so-called social partners.  However, it has to be admitted we gained no famous upset victories!

Left awaiting further developments

In the event, the Commission President Designate, Mr Barroso, sensed which way a vote would go and pre-empted it by withdrawing his proposal thereby leaving us with nothing to vote on.  Some observers have suggested that MEPs declined to vote but it was not so.  Under the treaty, the Commission has the sole right of initiation, ie to make proposals, and that includes the right to withdraw any proposal so as to stop the procedure.  We now await further developments which may include more than one replacement candidate commissioner, a reshuffle of portfolios and, therefore, more hearings.  I was disappointed to miss out on watching all the Labour MEPs voting against their own man Peter Mandelson!

The ego has landed

At the beginning of the brief debate following the announcement of withdrawal by Mr Barroso, one of the UKIP MEPs, recently described by publicist Max Clifford as a legend in his own mind, known to me as Mr make-up-man and to some as orange permatan, stood up and make an exhibition of himself trying to make a point of order.  The equally incompetent President (speaker) of the Parliament (a Spanish socialist with no previous experience of our procedures wished onto us by a political deal) fumbled the situation thereby giving the awful Kilroy-Silk several openings to jump up and down shouting to attract attention before finally being given the floor (ie the microphone) whereupon it became immediately apparent he just wanted to make a speech and hadn’t a clue which rule of procedure he was raising.

Permatan tranquilliser

An Italian woman MEP stood up next and, quoting chapter and verse from the rules of procedure, made a valid point of order showing the excitable ex-Labour MP how it should be done.  Indeed, the champion of wrecking the Parliament got so het up that Mr Schulz, German leader of the Socialist Group, displayed an unusually quick wit in suggesting the Parliament medical services should give Kilroy-Silk a tranquilliser.

Kilroy WAS here

The sequel to this was Mr Permatan flouncing out of the UKIP group, renouncing their whip and announcing his intention of sitting as an independent from now on.  In the last Parliament, one of three UKIP MEPs did the same thing.  In less than four months of this Parliament since mid-July they have expelled one and lost another MEP.  Lady Bracknell (pace Oscar Wilde) might have something to say about such a sequence but at this rate they won’t last out the full term before they self-destruct.  Any Conservative who voted for this shower last summer should think very carefully about the hard choice to come in the next election.

Promoted and published by Giles Chichester MEP, Longridge, West Hill, Ottery St Mary, Devon EX11 1UX

Tel  01404 851106 Fax 01404 850752 GilesChichesterMEP@eclipse.co.uk www.gileschichestermep.org.uk