eurealist.co.uk

Some interesting background on the spat between the EU Parliament and the New Commision from EURSOC.
As an EUsceptic I do not care who causes problems for the EU, so am torn between what I see as a clear case of discrimination towards Rocco Buttiglione, which I despise, and the fact that this will cause problems for the EU itself, which if it happens I would celebrate, but I am not ordering in the Champagne just yet, these things seem to work themselves out in the end.

EURSOC: Fancy That!: “Fancy That!

The leader of the European Parliament’s Socialist bloc says he is confident he can muster a majority to vote down the entire European Commission unless the new president reconsiders his
position on controversial Italian Rocco Buttiglione.”
Martin Schultz, who leads the parliament’s 200 socialists, claims he can count on 88 liberals plus 150 greens, communists and Eurosceptics to overturn the appointment of the commission.

Such a rebellion by MEPs would doubtless provoke a constitutional crisis.

snip

But it might be more helpful to look to the personalities behind the crisis. The civil rights committee rejected Buttiglione, though their recommendation would not normally lead to the toppling of the entire commission. Buttiglione was put forward for the job by Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s prime minister. Berlusconi and those newspapers he owns or influences have been the most vocal critics of the committee vote.

So let’s go back to the Socialist leader who decided that this row could be used to overturn the entire commission. Why, Martin Schultz of course. Sounds familiar? Schultz was the heckling MEP who Berlusconi said would make a convincing concentration camp capo should anyone make a film about the war.

Schultz, who had been leading a rabble of Socialists disrupting the prime minister’s speech to parliament, reacted as if Berlsconi had abused his mother live on stage. The German, whose gang had been bandying about Godfather and Mafioso slogans to attack Berlusconi, whinged like a wronged schoolboy when Berlusconi served up some of his own medicine.

So of course Schultz has a grudge - despite rising to the dizzy ranks of EU parliament socialist leader thanks to his little publicity stunt, he still hasn’t forgiven Berlusconi for his jibe.

The EU Parliament is Trying to force the Constitution
EUOBSERVER
MEP`s have called on member states to hold their referenda on the European Constitution within the same week next year in a bid to reduce the chances of a no vote.

The days running up to the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War - 5-8 May - were chosen by MEP`s for their “symbolic value”.

The resolution, passed on Thursday (14 October), goes on to call for the ratification process in all member states to be completed by June 2006.

This has been muted before; The EU Parliament is trying to convince themselves and everybody else that a Europe wide referendum on the Constitution is taking place. They of course would like the votes in Spain and or France to count towards the votes in Britain but the whole reason for each country deciding separately is because each country must decide on its own if it wishes to give the Central EU government these powers. The EU itself must have no say whatever in this matter. They have come up with a plan which we all have to agree, otherwise their plan fails.

The MEP`s also call for the Constitution to be presented in “as clear, fair and comprehensive a way as possible”. Yes I think we can all agree to that just as long as it is fair and comprehensive.

With the formal signing of the Constitution to take place in a little over two weeks - 29 October - the European Parliament is hoping to become the first parliament in the EU to state its position on the Constitutional treaty.

The EU Parliament will not be the first parliament because it is the EU parliament, there are 25 countries in the EU not 26, and the body which came up with the plan cannot pretend that its parliament which is asking the 25 individual national members for the power is also a member state with equal voting rights.