eurealist.co.uk

Only Good Socialists Need Apply

It looks to me as if the commission President has blinked first, as the numbers in the EU parliament stacked against the Commision began to mount beyond the certainty of an acceptance of the Commision, incoming President José Manuel Durão Barroso asked for the vote to be delayed so that he can reshuffle the portfolio in his team. Something he has up to now refused to do, and something the Socialists had said they would not accept in any case, but they softened their stance last week, and would now allow the main sticking point, Rocco Buttiglione, to become a Commissioner but only if he changed his job.

Rocco Buttiglione, himself has so far resisted attempts to remove him and is prepared to brazen it out and allow the crisis to develop.

It is unfortunate and somewhat telling, that the EU parliament have chosen to make this particular stand on the issue of one mans right to free speech, free thought and the freedom of his religion, not to accept the socialist view on homosexuality. He has made it clear that his view would in no way influence his actions as a Commissioner, but apparently this is not good enough, he has made himself unacceptable, simply by holding to his religion.

It is worth considering the sort of government we have in the EU when they cannot find it within themselves an acceptance of a traditional Catholic view on life. How many Catholics live in the EU and how are these people going to be represented in a parliament which finds their views so abhorrent that they are prepared to vote down the whole Commision and cause a crisis in the government of the EU simply to prevent this man from taking his job.

They do not seem to mind at all those other prospective Commissioners who are ex Communists they of course would not let their belief influence their actions as commissioner now would they.