Today in the European Parliament the moderators of the session decided to pick the pettiest of fights with British MEPs. First they took issue with disillusioned Green MEP Magid Magid for wearing a hat, then they had a go at Scottish Brexit Party MEP Louis Stedman-Bryce for using the word “rubbish”. Seriously…
Neither of them were prepared to take it lying down, Magid laid into them and even had the Brexit Party MEPs applauding in support, before Stedman-Bryce pointed out the blatant hypocrisy of proscribing “rubbish” when the Lib Dems swanned around with “bollocks to Brexit” plastered all over themselves. Naturally they just cut his microphone off, EU democracy in action…
German satirist and slam poet turned MEP Nico Semsrott interrupted the EU Parliament’s session this morning to argue that MEPs should have to wear the logos of the companies that donate to them. He was wearing a prototype for what it could look like, naturally the EU honchos weren’t impressed…
Semsrott was elected to the European Parliament in June, after his satirical party ‘Die PARTEI’ received 2.4% of the vote. Should have been more.
In his first speech in the new Parliament, Nigel Farage hit out against EU Commission nominee Ursula von der Leyen before MEPs vote to confirm her in post. Which they will because the whole thing was stitched up beforehand…
“She wants the European Union to take control of every single aspect of our lives. She wants to build a centralised undemocratic updated form of communism… where the state controls everything, where nation state parliaments will cease to have any relevance at all.”
Punchy.
They say you should never meet your heroes, new Green Party MEP Magid Magid appears to be having exactly this experience in Brussels after discovering that the EU that he was passionately in favour of just a few weeks ago is actually a bureaucratic hellhole dominated by stale old white men stitching everything up behind closed doors. Brexiteers did try to warn him…
Magid even suffered the indignity of being asked to leave the Strasbourg Parliament by someone who assumed he wasn’t meant to be there because of the colour of his skin – the UK remains the only country to send ethnically diverse MEPs to the European Parliament in any significant numbers. He’s written a refreshingly honest account of what he actually found in Strasbourg and Brussels:
“Next to nobody in Brussels has any clue what the European Union truly stands for — beyond a flag and an anthem — and more crucially, where it is heading. And that includes the EU leaders and senior officials soullessly waddling through the corridors of power. When I arrived in the EU capital, I expected to find it brimming with activity and potential answers to these questions. Instead, I felt duped: Making a tangible impact on constituents’ lives is apparently not what being an MEP is all about.”
“In Brussels in particular, we need more transparency in the way we make decisions. Our institutions are plagued with convoluted customs, hidden handshakes and backdoor bargaining. I’ve seen it first hand already. How can we reject the accusations leveled against the European elite that we are out of touch, when the top dogs in our Parliament and Commission are chosen through obscure quid-pro-quo arrangements agreed over Champagne and truffles in Brussels’ finest hotel lobbies?”
“In Brussels, the go-to answer to a failed system is superficial; try a fresh coat of paint on crumbling walls. We have to be ready to burn down the house if necessary, to rebuild it in such a way that every citizen from Mansfield to Milan truly feels part of and represented by the EU.”
Looks like the Brexit Party could make it up to 30 MEPs before their term in the Parliament is done…
Staffers who were working for Nigel Farage’s transnational EFDD European Parliamentary group are now on redundancy pay until November 2nd after the Brexit Party leader failed to form a new group with his old partners in the Italian Five Star Movement. Having no group means Farage loses money and even more crucially speaking time, and his front row seat, meaning we won’t be seeing a typical barnstorming EU election victory speech any time soon. It will also leave the new set of Brexit MEP’s with no support, guidance or clue as to the workings of the Parliament…
Going forward Guido hears that some staffers will be offered Accredited Parliamentary Assistant contracts to keep them in the Parliament, however these contracts will be less than what they earn now in monthly redundancy pay. Who would take less money for the same length contract and more work..?
The Brexit Party has struggled to find allies in the new parliament after the centre-right collapsed in favour of Le Pen-aligned parties that Farage refuses to work with. Farage’s old EFDD allies the Five Star Movement don’t want to form a group that would collapse following the UK leaving in October. If an extension were to happen, as many in Brussels expect, there will be a much better chance of Nigel pulling a group together – which he can at any time. Maybe it #HasToBeHunt and his ‘short’ extension for the EFDD to make a comeback…
Silly season has officially begun with the Brexit Party’s 29 MEPs turning their backs to the EU’s ‘national anthem’ as it played to open a new session of the Parliament in Strasbourg this morning. The Eurocrats were really not happy, with a viably miffed EU Parliament President hitting out at the new MEPs saying “You stand for the anthem of another country.” Getting a bit ahead of himself there, the EU isn’t a country quite yet – despite the best endeavours of those who run it…
Meanwhile the Lib Dems’ 16 MEPs arrived wearing T-Shirts sporting the slogan “Bollocks to Brexit.” Big student politics vibes across the board…
Catchily titled ‘Change UK- The Independent Group’ have unveiled a new logo, and new MEP candidates. Among them are…
- Rachel Johnson
- Boris Johnson’s sister
- Stephen Dorrell
- Former Tory MP
- Neil Carmichael
- Former Tory MP
- Jessica Simor
- QC who tweets a lot
- Gavin Esler
- ex-BBC man who tweets a lot
Compare this to the Brexit Party’s credible lineup of non-politicians. Less ‘Change UK’ more ‘Keep UK the same”…
New polling released today shows the Eurosceptic vote would be heavily split if European Elections were to be held, with Labour holding its vote together better than any other party. More significantly than split votes, the poll found that just 37.8% of leave voters said they were certain to vote, compared to just 46.9% of Remain voters. An almost 10 point enthusiasm gap…
18% of Leave voters on the other hand rated their likelihood to vote at just 1/10, compared to just 6.8% of Remain voters saying the same. Leave voters are demoralised and are more likely to stay home than be enthused to give the establishment another kicking…
The enthusiasm gap means that even in terms of share of the vote, the Eurosceptics fall far behind the Europhiles, who combined make up more than 58% of those who say they will vote. The splitting of the vote makes the complexity of forecasting the outcome a fool’s errand. The challenge for the Brexit Party is immense…
For reference, Guido can provide how the Eurosceptic and Europhile parties fared in 2014. Back then the Eurosceptics achieved 55% of the vote, today’s poll shows that has fallen to 40%. Bullish Eurosceptics should be worried…
David Lidington has today written to the Electoral Commission to instruct them to prepare for European Parliament elections. He says the Cabinet Office will reimburse “reasonable spending by Returning Officers on contingency preparations.” Read the letter in full below:
The Independent Group confirmed to Newsnight last night that they are in discussions with the Electoral Commission in order to become an official party and field candidates at the European Elections if the deal is voted down today. European elections are just about the best thing that could happen to the Tiggers, giving them more EU resources and a slither of electoral legitimacy…
Interestingly serial flip flopper Sarah Wollaston took a shot at proportional representation as being to blame for the disconnect between the British people and the EU. Guido isn’t so sure PR proponent and Tigger-in-Chief Chuka will be happy she said that…
UPDATE: TIG is applying to register as a political party with the Electoral Commission under the name ‘Change UK’. Guido isn’t sure what pro-Brexit campaign group Change Britain will have to say about that…
The EU’s internet-killing new Copyright Directive has become mired in a fresh layer of controversy after it emerged that multiple MEPs were “tricked” into voting the wrong way on it. Guido understands that an extra vote was inserted into the voting list at the last minute which threw most MEPs’ voting lists out of sync. Unlike the Commons where MPs have to physically make the decision to walk through lobbies, MEPs just robotically press buttons according to a long voting list handed out to them. A clear warning of the dangers of electronic voting…
At least 13 MEPs have told the European Parliament they accidentally voted the wrong way. Now the EU has modified their individual voting records but has refused to revisit the result of the vote, despite the fact there was a majority of just 5 MEPs. The EU also rejected a direct request from MEPs to stage the entire vote again. This blocked MEPs from voting on any amendments, including on the meme-banning Article 13…
Brexit Party MEP Bill Etheridge tells Guido “it’s appalling, but that’s how this place works on a regular basis. It’s only come to people’s attention this time because it’s a high profile issue”. Etheridge says his group’s staff were sharp enough to spot the switch but many other groups weren’t, he knows several ECR and other MEPs who are “mortified” after voting the wrong way on it. Now the internet-killing law has been passed the EU simply doesn’t care. “Democracy” EU-style…
Tory MEP boss Syed Kamall had a punchy exchange in the European Parliament this morning, when he hit back at socialist MEPs for their focus on right wing nationalism. Kamall reminded German SDP MEP Udo Bullmann that extremism can also come from the left…
“When you talk about right wing extremists we have to remember that nazis were national socialists.”
“It a strain of socialism. It is a left wing ideology. They want the same things as you. You don’t like the truth do you? C’mon its national socialism.”
“I’m telling you it is a left wing ideology. Don’t pretend!”
Get this guy in the Commons…
Bodil Valero, the MEP in charge of setting out the European Parliament’s position on EU support for NGOs has this afternoon laid out plans for a billion Euro spending splurge on NGOs which support “European values” in order to combat rising anti-EU sentiment. Funding sock puppets to shift their propaganda…
The European Parliamentary report states that “The promotion of a greater sense of belonging to the Union and of Union values is particularly important.” It also emphasises the importance of creating “a sense of belonging and a European identity.” The EU is so confident in itself that it’s using our own money to advertise itself to us.
Arron Banks issued a legal letter to Guy Verhofstadt last night ordering the European Parliament Brexit co-ordinator to retract a tweet accusing him of being a “Putin cheerleader”. Banks’s lawyers say the bizarre tweet from arch-Europhile Verhofstadt defames him and that Verhofstadt’s allegations “are false.” Verhofstadt also accused Nigel Farage, who Guido understands is thinking hard about his options in response. Tough claim for Verhofstadt to defend, he’ll surely have to retract…
Top investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr has told the European Parliament she is unaware of any allegations of the Remain campaign breaching spending rules during the referendum:
“I am unaware of any issues on the Remain side. There is none that I have come across. There is none that I understand the Electoral Commission has come across… if there are then I very much hope that journalists uncover this and it will be investigated.”
Carole must have missed the dossier of evidence about Remain cheating handed to the Electoral Commission this weekend. And the fact that the Electoral Commission has said they are looking into it. Guido is glad to hear Carole’s commitment to exposing Remain campaigners as well and looks forward to reading about it in next weekend’s Observer…
Two Tory MEPs have left the Conservative Party’s affiliated group in the European Parliament and moved to Jean-Claude Juncker and Michel Barnier’s centre-right caucus. Julie Girling, MEP for South West England and Richard Ashworth, MEP for South East England, left the European Conservatives and Reformists group to join the European People’s Party. They said in a joint statement:
“We wish to inform you that we will be leaving the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) and joining the European Peoples Party Group (EPP) in the European Parliament with immediate effect. It is our intention to remain members of the Conservative Party in the UK as we believe the activities and approach of the EPP will more effectively further the prospects of achieving the best possible future for our constituents. We will continue to work for our constituents from inside the largest and most influential group in the European Parliament.”
Girling and Ashworth had the whip withdrawn last year after the voted to block Brexit. Bye…
Since 1988 the European Parliament has awarded an annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The prize is awarded to individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to the fight for human rights across the globe, drawing attention to human rights violations as well as supporting the laureates and their cause.
Today it has been awarded to the Democratic Opposition in Venezuela: National Assembly (Julio Borges) and all political prisoners as listed by Foro Penal Venezolano represented by Leopoldo López, Antonio Ledezma, Daniel Ceballos, Yon Goicoechea, Lorent Saleh, Alfredo Ramos and Andrea González.
Jeremy Corbyn is a friend and supporter of the corrupt Maduro dictatorship in Caracas. This award will only increase Jeremy’s latent euroscepticism…
Last week Guido reported on the two Tory MEPs, Julie Girling and Richard Ashworth, who voted against the British position and with the EU to postpone the next phase of Brexit talks. The Sunday papers say they have had the Tory whip withdrawn.[…] Read the rest
