The lengths MEPs will go to prevent transparency and usurp democracy never ceases to surprise Guido. The European Parliament is proposing to employ the unusual procedure of a secret ballot to prevent us from knowing which ways MEPs voted. Quite how they can justify not telling the public how they are voting when around £1 trillion of taxpayers’ money is at stake only Martin Schulz knows. Needless to say he is threatening to block the potential budget reduction as well…

Schulz, along with the po-faced Joseph Daub, is the centre-left President of the EP. Despised by colleagues for being one of the only MEPs allowed to claim his allowance without providing evidence he actually turned up for work, Schulz used to lead the Labour grouping in Europe and is still closely allied to the party.

Labour MEPs usually side with him on most matters in the EP,  but will surely they wouldn’t stoop this low? Would they?

UPDATE: Still nothing from Labour, but Dave has criticised the move this afternoon:

“I find it baffling. You send members to parliament, they vote, you see how they vote. I think that’s what parliaments are all about. When it comes to money it’s even more important to see how people are voting…I don’t understand secret ballots, parliaments should be open and transparent and people should be held accountable for how they vote.”