THIS time of the year is supposed to be about peace and goodwill to all but there is precious little of either in the European Parliament. The EU's contempt for democracy is pretty well known because of its disgraceful treatment of the Irish, following their `no' vote on the Lisbon Treaty.

Jeffrey Titford MEP

Intolerant

EU must

be curbed

By Jeffrey Titford

THIS time of the year is supposed to be about peace and goodwill to all but there is precious little of either in the European Parliament. The EU's contempt for democracy is pretty well known because of its disgraceful treatment of the Irish, following their `no' vote on the Lisbon Treaty.

What is less well known, because most of the mainstream media failed to cover the story, is the playground bully-boy tactics used by MEPs and the President of the Parliament, Hans Gert Pottering, when they held a meeting with President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic, earlier this month. This meeting of the Heads of the Groups within the European Parliament took place at President Klaus's palace near Prague and was ostensibly to discuss the Czech Republic's turn to take over the rotating presidency of the EU, in January.

President Klaus, who has openly criticised the EU, particularly over the Lisbon Treaty and the preoccupation Brussels has with climate change, was probably expecting to be treated with the respect due to a head of state in his own palace but not a bit of it. The leader of the Green MEPs, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, with malice aforethought (he briefed journalists about what he was going to do in advance of the meeting) used the occasion as an opportunity to brow beat the President about his views on these subjects, using contemptuous language like 'I don't care what you believe' or 'you can believe what you want' and he openly reprimanded the President for meeting with the leader of Ireland's `no' campaign.

Most shamefully of all, the president of the parliament, failed to intervene when President Klaus politely suggested that it might be time for someone else to be given the opportunity to speak. Instead, Hans Gert Pottering positively encouraged Cohn-Bendit to continue with his insulting tirade.

Visibly taken aback, President Klaus said: “Nobody has ever spoken to me here in this tone. I have never heard anything so insolent in this hall” and went on to suggest that he thought this sort of behaviour had ended with the fall of communism, 19 years ago.

Alas for the president and the rest of us, dissenting opinion is not tolerated in the EU. Even heads of state, who don't entirely toe the line, are treated with complete contempt. Far from being contrite about the appalling behaviour of its representatives, the parliament is now attempting to castigate President Klaus for having the temerity to release the minutes of the meeting!

This behaviour is symptomatic of an increasingly intolerant EU that is rapidly becoming the enemy of democracy and freedom of thought. It is a malignant cancer on the face of Europe. How about a New Years Resolution to get out of it, as soon as humanly possible?

Readers interested in more information about Jeffrey Titford MEP or UKIP can find it on www.jeffreytitfordmep.co.uk