European MPs a controlling body of tax-funded autocrats
From: Nick Martinek, Briarlyn Road, Huddersfield.
IT is quite a feat, even by MEP Richard Corbett's low standards, to cram so many
bogus or misleading statements in support of the EU in one letter (Yorkshire
Post, March 30).
He claims that MEPs are "not above the law and they are elected". His claims are
false. In fact, we do not elect 90 per cent of MEPs, or 90 per cent of the EU
Council, or the EU Commission at all. And the BBC states that unless MEPs "are
caught in the act of committing a crime they cannot be arrested or prosecuted
outside their home country".
Further claims by Mr Corbett that the EU "does not … ban political parties …
(or) … control free speech" are equally bogus. The EU intends to adopt a scheme
of taxpayer subsidy for political parties but only provided they toe the EU line
and are trans-national.
This is self evidently designed to bar Eurosceptics from recognition for
funding, preventing any effective opposition to the EU. Michal Kaminski, a
Polish MEP, commented: "This is exactly how the communists maintained themselves
in
power in my country. They didn't ban elections – we had elections every four
years.
They just banned their opponents from contesting the elections."