Democracy comes off worst in a bruising EU encounter
A boorish and xenophobic attack on the Czech president unmasks the European Parliament’s disdain for democracy
It's not the rudeness that grates, nor even the smugness. It's the hypocrisy. Last week, the leaders of the various groups in the European Parliament met the Czech President, Vaclav Klaus. One of them, the former soixante-huitarde, Danny Cohn-Bendit, had lined up various journalists to talk to immediately afterwards.
As he arrived, Cohn-Bendit, who now leads the Euro-Greens, plonked an EU flag in front of the startled president, declared: "I am not interested in your opinions," and proceeded to hector him boorishly about the virtues of the Lisbon Treaty, which Klaus opposes.
Klaus, who is a ceremonial head of state, was understandably shocked. No one, he said, had spoken to him in such a tone since the old days of Czechoslovakia. He appealed to the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, to keep the tone civil.
Mr Crowley now denies his words, and small wonder: they are factually wrong
Now Mr Poettering is normally a stickler for courtesy. When a group of MEPs demonstrated in the chamber in favour of a referendum last year, he fined them, claiming that they had disgraced the assembly in the presence of the Prime Minister of Portugal. Now, though, he struck a very different tone, inviting Cohn-Bendit to carry on and sanctimoniously telling President Klaus that MEPs could ask whatever they liked, and that he should not make comparisons to the Communist era.
Then came Brian Crowley, the leader of Fianna Fail. He excoriated President Klaus for having had the effrontery to meet leaders of the 'No' campaign in Ireland as well as supporters of the Lisbon Treaty.
This is how the transcript, released by the Czech presidency, records his comments:
"I am from Ireland and I am a member of a party in government. All his life my father fought against the British domination. Many of my relatives lost their lives. That is why I dare to say that the Irish wish for the Lisbon Treaty. It was an insult, Mr. President, to me and to the Irish people what you said during your state visit to Ireland. It was an insult that you met Declan Ganley, a man with no elected mandate. This man has not proven the sources from which his campaign was funded."
Mr Crowley is now denying those words, and small wonder. Quite apart from the xenophobia, the arrogance, the discourtesy, the contempt for democracy and the non sequitur, they are factually wrong: his father, also a Fianna Fail MP, was born 13 years after independence, which makes it hard to see how he can have spent his life fighting the British. Crowley is now saying that he never mentioned his old man. Really? A scribe in Klaus's office just happened to know that Crowley Senior had been a Republican politician, and made up the whole thing?
In the chamber this week, I invited the Speaker to place on the record that the European Parliament recognised all points of view, including those opposed to the Lisbon Treaty, and that it respected the office of the Presidency of the Czech Republic. He declined. 
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It is high time the E U was disbanded and european affairs managed by a council of members nominated by national governments.
Posted by Peter at 11:08am on December 19, 2008
Interesting piece. It might have been improved by a clear reference to where the information came from; did all of it emanate from the Czechs or just the piece following 'this is how the Czech President's office transcript reads'. If it was witnessed by Daniel Hannan, it would make for a stronger piece, if all came from the Czechs, well one would have to view it as possibly 'their angle'. But it does all seem to revolve round the Lisbon treaty, [a renamed constitution however much they deny it] which the europrats have been trying to foist onto us for some time now, and as for democracy, when did any of these people feel a commitment to it? They are all petty dictators on the Euro-gravy-train and the electorate are at best an inconvenience to them. Interesting that the Irish refusal to accept the rejigged constitution is causing such hostility, the rest of Europe's electorates should also be allowed to reject it. I'd be interested in what this circus costs each European taxpayer, it must be a huge slice of our income as this monster has grown and grown over the years.
Posted by Peter Simmons at 2:12pm on December 19, 2008
This is not a transcript of the meeting. It is what Klaus released and it has been challenged as being inaccurate. Klaus objected to foreign MPs, as he regarded them, asking questions about his policies. He refused to answer Cohn-Bendit's. Poettering quite properly insisted that the President of the country that is about to assume the EU Presidency should answer questions from representatives of the groups present in the European Parliament. Klaus's little-Bohemia, pro-Russian views are bizarre and his contempt for those who disagree with him is well known. It is a great pity both for the Czech Republic and for the European Union that the country assumes the Presidency with Klaus rather than the great Vaclav Havel as its own president.
Posted by John Presland at 2:14pm on December 19, 2008
I want to thank you very much for being a voice of sanity in the maelstrom of EU politics. Actually, you use the word "funny". I must confess that I am, actually, very angry about all this travesty of government.
Posted by prziloczek at 7:27pm on December 19, 2008
Europrats have always wrapped themselves in democracy when it suits and acted like fascists when thwarted. Danes vote No in referendum - told vote again to say yes. Irish vote No told to vote again twice! Austria elects democratically right wing politicians EUprats undemocratically reject vote. Europrats give democracy a bad name. Europrats are I think the new fascists.
Posted by Philip Gosling at 7:33am on December 20, 2008
I have read several accounts of this meeting and it is obvious to me that the EU is now becoming a monster not unlike Hitler's Germany or Stalin's Russia.We must be on our guard against these evil people who seek to control us.
Posted by ROBERT BOYD at 11:19am on December 20, 2008