Possibly, he said cautiously – because it is a close-run thing – the level of blind ignorance exhibited by that moronic excuse for a prime minister is exceeded only by the destitution of the cerebrally challenged Telegraph leader writer. This is the paper that has the headline "David Cameron softens on EU budget", which is hard enough to believe, as the man is so soft in the head that any softer and he would melt away.
But for incomparable imbecility, we have as a prize specimen, the breathless statement in the leader:
At this week's EU summit, our most instinctively Eurosceptic Prime Minister for 20 years faces a tricky set of challenges. The easiest to bat away will be the European Parliament's risible demand for a 5.9 per cent budget increase for the Commission next year.There is so much wrong here, it is difficult to know where to start. First, it ain't a summit. And no, that isn't pedantry. It is a meeting of the European Council, an institution of the European Union. And the European Council does not have any jurisdiction over the budget. That is handled by the Council of Minister.
Second, Cameron ain't a eurosceptic, instinctive or otherwise. He is a "One Nation" Tory, in the manner of Heath, which makes him dyed-in-the-wool euroslime. Third, the budget is not a European Parliament "demand", risible or otherwise. It is an EU Commission proposal, made in accordance with the Treaty procedures.
Fourth, Cameron cannot bat it away. It is a matter for the conciliation committee, as I explained earlier, over which he has neither jurisdiction nor control, the decision in any event being QMV, with the final arbiter the EU parliament.
Thus, no wonder Cameron is "softening". He has no option, because he has no power. And the turds-for-brains in the Telegraph can’t even be bothered to learn the procedures before they write their unmitigated garbage.
Even The Independent has more brains – a measure of how low the Cameron/Telegraph axis has descended.
But when neither of them seem to have the first idea of how our government is run, there is every reason to be very angry indeed. It is fools like this who got us into this mess in the first place, and now we are having to pay for their stupidity and their venality. They treat us like fools, but they are the fools, and worse.
We really need to treat these malign pustules accordingly. I am sick to the back teeth of them, their posturing, their pretences, their vanity and the ease with which they feel they can take the piss and get away with it. At a time when they have the unmitigated gall to call for austerity, these ocean-going d***heads are lumbering us with even more expense.
The only thing wrong here would be to say that shooting is too good for them. And that's because shooting is too good for them. Something much slower, and altogether more painful is called for.
Then you have dear little Norm wittering on about avoiding "Vichy-style" surrenders. He means well does our Norm, but he really doesn't get it. Oddly enough, Petain's final surrender to Hitler camealmost exactly 70 years ago, but he surrendered because he had to. Cameron will surrender because he wants to. The approval of the "colleagues" means much more to him than the approval of the British people.
Budget1 Parliament fails its first Lisbon test:
It submits ILLEGALLY to Council secrecy about
citizens’ money.
The European Parliament conducts its plenary Budget debate in public. It is obliged by Treaty articles, even if did not want to. Its Budget Committee is also open to the public. That is defined by the Rules of Procedure. There are many other meetings that Parliament holds, all usually in public.
Parliaments feel that they have a responsibility to have their meetings openly. It is the basis of democracy. They also feel like the local tennis club that everyone has a right to see that money is collected and handled properly. The EU should be based on the same principle.
The Lisbon Treaty FEU article 15.2 says: “The European Parliament shall meet in public“. Why? Because the other party to an open debate is the public. If any meeting is open it means that the public, even if it is represented by one lonely journalist, is also present. That is healthy when it comes to public’s own money.
The Council on the other hand likes to do things in secret. This is especially the case when it comes to money. Whose money? Not their own money but the public’s money. Why should the public’s money be a matter of secrecy? If ministers are doing nothing improper, what motive would they have to close the doors? Should not public servants — government ministers (minister means servant) — be open and frank about other people’s, that is, their master’s money?
So which attitude do you think is correct? The Parliament where the budget is discussed in public or the Council’s where they do what they like in secret and tell the public what the Council are doing with the public’s money?
Under the Lisbon Treaty we have a new situation. Both institutions have a say in the EU budget. If there is no agreement, the budget is discussed in what is called a Conciliation Committee.
So whose rules will succeed? Will the Parliament make the Council be more democratic? Or will the Council force the Parliament to close the doors of its committee room and cut a deal away from the eyes and ears of the public and the cameras and microphones of the press?
Are Parliament’s democrats strong enough to stand up to such obvious undemocratic practice?
Today, 27 October 2010, we found out. Parliament’s President Jerzy Buzek and Alain Lamassoure, chairman of the Budgets Committee, met with Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme plus a score of other officials, including those from the Commission.
The Parliament closed its doors of room 5G3. Parliament officials patrolled the corridors to see no one from the public snook in. Shame on them! Any journalist asking entrance was refused. He was told the meeting about public money was private.
The Council faced out the Parliament. And the Parliament blinked.
It is worse than that. Both the Parliament and the Council are bound by the same Treaty law. They are bound in the same sentence to be open and have open sessions on the budget.
Let me now quote article 15.2 in full: The European Parliament shall meet in public, as shall the Council when considering and voting on a draft legislative act.
If the Budget is not a legislative act and the Conciliation Committee is not involved in drafting that legislative act, what is the Treaty talking about? Money is the source of nearly all legislative acts.
At this time the public is undergoing vast programmes of austerity, cut backs and reforms. Thousands of employees are being thrown out of work. Why? because of budget mismanagement and plain fraud in high places. Massive demonstrations on the streets have rocked several European capitals. Acting in almost total oblivion of this, the Council and Parliament want massive increases in the budget. The public should be fully a partner and at least an observer of the draft legislative acts of the budget. It is its right.
Who is thumbing their noses at law of the treaty? Whose money is it any way?
hot air
TO ALL THE MEDIA
YOU REALLY OUGHT TO RESEARCH EU -BEFORE YOU ENGAGE YOUR MOUTHS -OTHERWISE ALL YOU SHOW IS YOUR IGNORANCE== BIAS== STOOOPIDITY.
YOU GUYS IN THE MEDIA ARE AS BAD AS THE DISGUSTING POLITICIANS
Hot air -
Cameron is pledging that he will block the six percent rise in the EU budget which is set to cost us an extra £900 million this year.Can he do that? Well ... the short answer is no.
Basically, what happens is that the Council looks at the proposed budget and agrees a "common position".
Supposing by some miracle he get his majority ... not that he will ...
A conciliation committee is then formed to hammer out a joint text.
If the European Parliament approves the joint text whilst the Council rejects it, the European Parliament may, within fourteen days from the date of the rejection by the Council and acting by a majority of its component members and three-fifths of the votes cast, decide to confirm all or some of the amendments referred to in paragraph 4(c). Where a European Parliament amendment is not confirmed, the position agreed in the Conciliation Committee on the budget heading which is the subject of the amendment shall be retained. The budget shall be deemed to be definitively adopted on this basis.
Basically, the power has shifted to the EU parliament, through the Lisbon treaty ... the one Cameron wouldn't give us a referendum on. It is very difficult for the Council to block the budget. As for any member state, without a supporting majority on the council, and again on the conciliation committee, that cannot be done. So, without the support of the other member states, there is nothing Cameron can do.
But then, in the small print, Cameron is not saying he will block the budget. He is actually saying he will "lead a rebellion" against the budget increase.
When you think about it though, it is more than "hot air".
And then they wonder why we look at their posturing with nothing other than undisguised contempt.