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My first half year as an MEP
Posted by Marta Andreasen MEP (@mandreasen) - UKIP
Friday, 8th January 2010
My first months have been very interesting...albeit somewhat difficult...and it has certainly been a steep learning curve.
As a newly-elected MEP you are thrown into the deep end. Before I had time to figure out the implications of being an MEP, I was "up to my eyes" with membership of the two most important committees in the European Parliament – the Budget Committee and the Budgetary Control Committee. Important events unfolded in both Committees in the second half of the year: the Budget committee had to approve a budget for 2010 and the Budgetary Control committee had to deal with the European Court of Auditors' annual report. Whilst I was very early into the budget and the auditors report, I also needed to put aside time to understand the politics and the procedural requirements to deal with these matters – not an easy task!
It was as a member of the Budgetary Control committee that I encountered immediate hostility from "the system" when I was voted down as Vice President thanks to an illicit secret vote. In this committee I openly said what I thought and nobody challenged me. They appeared to ignore me but... I could see how uncomfortable they were from their rictus smiles... they could not gainsay the facts! Some of the members, like the German lady from the Popular Party who led the vote against me, made a show in the meetings of being openly critical of the Commission but then completely let them off the hook when it came to making meaningful decisions - at first I was surprised by this display of hypocrisy, but now I am afraid I view it as typical eurocrat behaviour.
The Budget Committee is led by Monsieur Lamassoure, a Frenchman who reminds me eerily of the Budget Director General at the Commission back in 2002. He has an endearingly patriarchal way with members of his "family" and until recently, I think that he dreamt that he could bring the black sheep back into the fold - alas, I fear that I have disappointed him! I gather that after my speech against his report on the transitional measures for the Lisbon Treaty and more recently after my speech in December against the provisions of the 2010 budget, he has apparently given me up as a lost cause – I am sorry to have disappointed him, but I cannot, as others do, voice a lot of criticism of the Commission and even show anger at Committee meetings but five minutes later vote in its favour..
After almost six months here, I fear that my worst suspicions have been confirmed - this Parliament functions in a way that has nothing to do with parliamentary democracy. There is little difference between what the socialists and the conservatives vote, whatever their nationalities. It is revealing to examine MEP voting records. British MEPs of whatever colour - Labour, Tories and Lib-Dems - have consistently voted against ALL my amendments; for example they ALL voted to exclude from the 2010 budget the huge costs pertaining to the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty. Instead they have voted to deal with these through separate "amending budgets" which will be incorporated through the back door and "lost"; and they have ALL voted in favour of the the 2010 Budget increases including the one to be applied to their salaries!
From all this, many of my dear readers will think that I am completely wasting my time sitting in this parliament...well this is not quite true! Dissidents such as I disturb their peace and I can certainly tell you that I make them very nervous! Few have attempted to treat me with the contempt they usually show to those who question the system. I always try to speak factually – using facts and figures which they have trouble refuting. AND they all know that I started out as a believer in the EC project only becoming a Eurosceptic after my chastening experience as Chief Accountant of the European Commission. They know "that I know" and the numbers usually speak for themselves! Whilst it is at times lonely and sometimes you feel that you are talking to the wind, I believe that I have a duty to my constituents to tell it as I see it – I think that they want the unvarnished truth. That is what I believe I was elected to do...
With the aim of helping certain constituents who have contacted me (as a substitute member of the ECON committee) about the draft Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) directive, I have started to work on it with the objective of minimizing its adverse effects on the City of London; to this end,I have had meetings with some AIF managers. I have also met with staff from the US treasury to understand what the US congress are planning; I am also organizing a visit to the European Parliament with representatives of the City of London – preferably on a day when the ECON Committee meets to take some important decisions on the proposed legislation (February/March). The situation is made more difficult because the rapporteur – a Frenchman (now there's a surprise) – has come up with proposals that ensure that the original EC draft is even more stringent. Unfortunately, the ECON Committee works in a similarly consensual way to the Budgetary Control and Budget committees and I have not seen much criticism so far of the proposals; worse, I am pretty much convinced, after attending several meetings, that few of the Committee have the faintest idea of the real implications of the AIF directive... very depressing but not, sadly, very surprising.
I can tell you that I have had quite a few conversations with MEPs of different nationalities; some of them have expressed their pride in sharing membership of the European Parliament with well-educated and well-connected people some of whom are "ex-prime ministers". I don't want to disillusion them or sound too world weary...but BIG DEAL! I know for certain that some of these people have been kicked out of their own national politics due to their rank incompetence and have only come to Brussels to earn a salary and a pension...that´s all.. The same is true of most of the EC Commissioners. In the Budgetary Control committee I only know of one member that has an accounting and financial background; as for the rest, many are teachers or philologists; but at least I have the comfort of knowing that the Chairman of this Committee is an Italian judge who has been fighting against Italian corruption – I am certainly putting my trust in him! So there is room for a small amount of optimism...
I have also spent time responding to requests from my various constituents. In particular, I have taken to trying to defend those British citizens who are suffering prejudice in respect of their second residences in the Mediterranean Spanish coast. Not an easy job I can tell you as the problem is very much linked to corruption not only on the part of the builders and real estate agencies but also and more importantly on the part of the local governments. The simple reality is that Spain is bogged down with corruption cases and honest Spanish citizens wake up to a new case every day... and what is worse is that the judges fail to prosecute and jail the fraudsters. I am hoping to put a motion to block subsidies to the region and have a reasonable hope that this should go through because a lot of nationalities are being adversely affected and I imagine – perhaps fondly! – that MEPs will not like to be seen to be so "unhelpful" as to vote against such a resolution...but we shall see because to successfully put forward a resolution I need a large number of signatures..(100 or more).
I receive very many requests... hundreds... but I simply cannot deal with them all and so I have to limit my efforts to those whom I believe that I can really help and where I believe that I can have some impact. I am very sorry that I cannot help everybody, but I hope that my constituents will understand.
All this activity has to date prevented me from having the time to set up a proper organisation to help me do the best possible job; I have been operating with only one assistant. Ries Baeten (he is a Dutch/Belgian, and I have hired him because he has been working in the European Parliament for 10 years, knows how to get things done efficiently in that environment and has followed and supported my case for years) and I am very grateful to him for his hard work thus far; but as from January I will be recruiting two more assistants; one will be a researcher to help me put together specific evidence of fraud in a number of cases that I am investigating and the other will help me with my involvement in the ECON committee. Recruiting the right person for the job is not an easy task: education and background are important, but efficiency and loyalty are of utmost importance.!
Thank you so much for your support over the last 6 months - I really appreciate it. In my next blog, I will speak about the challenges for the future ... as Lord Pearson likes to say - Onwards, Upwards and Outwards!
PS. I am appalled to learn that UKIP will not be included in the BBC national election debates. Don't the Governors of the BBC realize that whoever gets to Downing Street will not be governing the country???? At present 75% of the laws come from Brussels....and shortly it will go up to 90%...so frankly...who cares what Cameron, Brown or Clegg have to say...there is only one party that can change all that - UKIP - and the BBC are denying this party a voice - a complete disgrace.
