baldysblog.co.uk

So today is the Local Elections in some areas and certainly where I live plus the European Elections for MEPs, of these two elections, the least significant is the latter and it will be interesting to see whether there is a difference in turnout between those areas with both elections and those with just the European one.

In theory the European elections should be the most important but in the UK as in many other countries they are not and most likely because the European Parliament is totally the wrong format for elected representatives of EU citizens to control the EU Executive.

The EU is Endemically Corrupt

When I say corrupt, I am not pointing to CAP fraud, MEP expense scandals although they exist, I mean the basic structures of how it works. All the “deals” are done behind closed doors between the individual member States aided and abetted by the EU Bureaucrats but the claim that therefore there is democracy because each Government is directly elected by its own citizens, is total bolloxs.

The purpose of the European Parliament should be to hold this “Executive” up for public scrutiny which clearly it does not, it is a comfy little club. How it should work is that the elected MEPs should start by debating on a national basis and come to an agreed “national position” which is then taken forward into the full assembly and without use of a guillotine fully debated and by division any policy approved or turned down.

Such a vote should be binding upon EU Governments and Brussels with the choice to accept the Parliament’s view or simply, abandon the particular policy altogether. But in order for this to work, the areas of “EU Competence” need to be defined properly which broadly should be on the basis of common interests only not the current constant power grab.

An Interesting Read

Although not one of my favourite journalists, Anatole Kaletsky wrote an interesting piece in today’s Times headed “The great bailout – Europe’s best-kept secret” It is worth a read, URL:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/anatole_kaletsky/article6426565.ece

Gordon Brown

Well it must be certain that Labour is due a drubbing in both elections and with various Cabinet Ministers announcing that they leaving the Cabinet ahead of a mooted Re-Shuffle, Gordon looks rather ‘done for’ but is he ?

The other day I had my following comment published in the on-line version of the Times:

“Welcome to the Dead Duck Deckchair Shuffle featuring a solo by Gordon Brown on the Penny Whistle accompanied on the Bongos by Ed Balls

More options..? As far as talent goes the Labour Party is more like a supermarket in Zimbabwe – full of empty shelves and nothing to fill them with.”

Will He Call an Election ?

Left to himself, Brown wouldn’t, he will hang on in there to the death, the only way he could be made to go early would be via a certain defeat in the Commons which means a Labour rebellion so, will they ?

On the surface a big NO, turkeys don’t vote for Christmas or Thanksgiving and 100 to 200 Labour MPs either know or suspect that they won’t be coming back to Westminster after a General Election so, they will hang on too for the very last pay cheque and pension contribution.

But oddly, they not be able to and public pressure may force the issue because clearly the whole country is now in stasis with nothing happening and insufficient time before the next election for any initiative to be undertaken by the current Parliament, it is simple, an Autumn election is almost inevitable whether Labour like it or not. We shall see how this plays out over the next couple of weeks.