Euro sceptic blasts president

[tankie]

A British eurosceptic MP branded the new president of the European Council a "damp rag" from a non-country on Wednesday in a personal attack that shocked the normally consensual European Parliament.

To gasps from other members of the EU legislature, Nigel Farage, the enfant terrible of the United Kingdom Independence Party, launched a tirade against Herman Van Rompuy, the Belgian chosen by the 27 EU leaders to chair their regular summits.

Farage said that when the EU appointed its first president last November, it was hoped he would be "a giant global figure" and a "political leader for 500 million people" who deserved a higher salary than U.S. President Barack Obama.

"But I'm afraid all we got was you," said Farage, looking directly at Van Rompuy, a 62-year-old former Belgian prime minister with thinning grey hair and spectacles.

"I don't want to be rude but you know, really, you have the charisma of a damp rag and the appearance ... of a bank clerk," shouted Farage, to heckles from other parliamentarians.

Such verbal abuse is a feature of Britain's adversarial politics but very rare in the EU chamber, where debate is muted partly due to a pro-European consensus but also because it is conducted in 23 languages through interpreters and headphones.

"Is this European democracy?" Farage asked. "You appear to have a loathing of the very concept of the existence of nation states. Perhaps that's because you come from Belgium, which of course is pretty much a non-country."

Van Rompuy, who was little known in Europe before he emerged as a compromise candidate, has faced media criticism for his lack of charisma but won some praise as a consensus builder.

Some MPs urged parliament president Jerzy Buzek to cut Farage off, but the speaker waited until he had finished before saying: "You said at the outset you did not want to be rude. I would ask you to stick to that."

Van Rompuy sat listening via a translation headset, his face calm but his brow furrowed.

UKIP won the second-largest share of the vote on a low turnout in European Parliament elections in Britain last June, ahead of the Labour Party but behind the Conservatives, who are also sceptical towards the EU

[crooks]

Farage makes some valid points, pity he's a racist and a xenophobe.

Van Rompuy is essentially the most expensive paperweight in Europe, it's just a pity no one respectable will openly hold this view because lets face it when Nigel Farage opens his gob the world tones out, which isn't a bad thing.

[PubFather]

Imagine Tony Blair!!! Clinton part deux.... (well, Clinton wannabe)

[kato]

Van Rompuy is essentially the most expensive paperweight in Europe

Nah, that would be the 32 European Parliament seats of the EFD, 13 of which UKIP holds. Although the 54 seats of the ECR, 26 of which the Tories hold, aren't that far behind.

UKIP won the second-largest share of the vote [...] ahead of the Labour Party

Which didn't win them anything, considering Labour has as many seats as them and is at least part of a coalition faction within the EP that actually can move something (S&D), while UKIP (with EFD) and Tories (with ECR) are considered the fringe parties you don't talk to - and those two factions only hold 10% anyway, so you don't need to.

[tankie]

Nah, that would be the 32 European Parliament seats of the EFD, 13 of which UKIP holds. Although the 54 seats of the ECR, 26 of which the Tories hold, aren't that far behind.


Which didn't win them anything,

Ahhhhh but it did , there noses in an expensive trough ;)

[Rumrunner]

Whoops! I read this title to be "Euro SEPTIC blasts president"...I kept looking for the part where the bathroom exploded.

Pretty harsh words about Belgium not even being a country...I dont know too much about the European Union Governance and how it all shakes together, but is this sort of vitriol on the floor of the summit a regular thing? Seems to me to be a little bit of "Questions to the Prime Minister" discourse thrown onto the EU stage.

[kato]

Nigel Farage insults EU president Herman Van Rompuy - Times Online - contains video

Times article on the subject. Interesting read. Apparently Farage is actively trying to get suspended from the EP in order to gain votes in the UK. "UKIP is there in the European Parliament to try and make some waves."

Dunno how Lega Nord (their main partner in the EFD) will respond to this. Could end up in a walk-out like that thing with Mussolini back in 2007.

[pate]

Damn, I misread the title of the thread and thought it said "septic"...

Wow, I almost propose a merging of threads to include politics under one wing... or thread or whatever...

[crooks]

Nah, that would be the 32 European Parliament seats of the EFD, 13 of which UKIP holds. Although the 54 seats of the ECR, 26 of which the Tories hold, aren't that far behind.

Ah come on now - UKIP and the Tories are both democratically elected, so whatever about how noxious or distasteful we may find their politics (as a centre-leftist I most certainly find them awful), they can hardly be called paperweights.

Van Rompuy, appointed by his buddies to a paper position, essentially the biggest paid, illogical and most useless quango position in an organisation that gives it some amount of competition for that title, literally chosen because he's so boring he doesn't offend anyone, is the very definition of a paperweight.

He wouldn't look nice on a desk though, so I suppose he's even worse.

[kato]

Both factions don't really participate in EU politics as political parties, ie as members of the opposition. Only one worse regarding political participation is the fascist block within the EP, which self-destructs more often than the Italian government (and that's saying something).

And especially for the Tories that's rather shameful. Plitically, they'd work quite well with the similarly conservative EPP, and we can blame David Cameron and William Hague in full for the Tories quitting the EPP last year - hell, Cameron has been riding on that ticket for five years.
They've moved themselves into their current position of complete meaninglessness on a EU level. The funny part about it is that when they formed their own party, the Tories actually thought they could carve out a significant faction with at least 100 seats, and bring the EPP down to a number of seats where they'd be tied with the socialists in the EP (meaning they could then step into some sort of coalition with the EPP). They ended up at half their goal, and stepped down to "paperweight status".

As for UKIP, any vote for them in European Elections is a throw-away vote. Just like for any other of the fringe right-wing parties throughout Europe. No one will ever work with them.

[crooks]

Both factions don't really participate in EU politics as political parties, ie as members of the opposition. Only one worse regarding political participation is the fascist block within the EP, which self-destructs more often than the Italian government (and that's saying something).

Sometimes outside is the best place to be.

And especially for the Tories that's rather shameful. Plitically, they'd work quite well with the similarly conservative EPP, and we can blame David Cameron and William Hague in full for the Tories quitting the EPP last year - hell, Cameron has been riding on that ticket for five years.
They've moved themselves into their current position of complete meaninglessness on a EU level. The funny part about it is that when they formed their own party, the Tories actually thought they could carve out a significant faction with at least 100 seats, and bring the EPP down to a number of seats where they'd be tied with the socialists in the EP (meaning they could then step into some sort of coalition with the EPP). They ended up at half their goal, and stepped down to "paperweight status".

The Tories are both conservative and Eurosceptic, so from day one they were out of kilter with the rabid pro-integrationist's of the People's Party, which isn't even really a conservative grouping so much as a slightly right of centre grouping that wants its fair share of the gravy train.

Take Ireland for example, where Fine Gael is the local EPP party (and largest following the 09 election) - they ran on a platform mainly of squeezing as much subsidy for farmers out of Europe as possible, while at the same time arguing they are the party of fiscal responsibility at home.

Now I'm not a conservative, in fact I find conservatism in all forms revolting (voted for Sinn Féin, Of EUL-NGL because of their solid Euroscepticism and leftist outlook, and in national elections I vote for the more moderate Labour of S+D of which I am a member) but if I was why would I vote EPP?

They're a bunch of REAL crooks :), and if I were a Conservative I'd be glad the Tories are varying my ballot up a bit.

As for UKIP, any vote for them in European Elections is a throw-away vote. Just like for any other of the fringe right-wing parties throughout Europe. No one will ever work with them.

The fact that a vote for anyone is a waste shows how broken Europe is, and the best way to tackle the far right is to integrate them, leave them to rot on the fringe and eventually people will listen.

[kato]

Now I'm not a conservative, in fact I find conservatism in all forms revolting (voted for Sinn Féin, Of EUL-NGL because of their solid Euroscepticism and leftist outlook, and in national elections I vote for the more moderate Labour of S+D of which I am a member) but if I was why would I vote EPP?

Here in Germany, it's basically just an extension of what you'd vote for otherwise - at least for most people. Fringe parties get a bit more (both right- and left-wing), but for most, they'd vote EPP because they're voting for CDU/CSU. Or S+D because they vote for SPD etc.

It'd be far more interesting if we'd all vote directly for the "European parties" btw, i.e. having S+D, EPP etc all on the ballot by name instead of their local "representatives".

The fact that a vote for anyone is a waste shows how broken Europe is

The basic concept has worked for 60 years in Germany.

And quite seriously - integrate say Alessandra Mussolini anywhere? Jean Marie Le Pen? Robert Zile (of TB/LNNK, who is part of ECR with the Tories)? Athanasios Plevris (of LAOS, part of EFD)? Jaroslav Paska (of SNS, also EFD)?

[crooks]

Here in Germany, it's basically just an extension of what you'd vote for otherwise - at least for most people. Fringe parties get a bit more (both right- and left-wing), but for most, they'd vote EPP because they're voting for CDU/CSU. Or S+D because they vote for SPD etc.

Oh that's very true here as well - I'm just much more Eurosceptic than my party (though we have a very large Eurosceptic wing the mainstream leadership is very pro-Europe) so in European elections I give Sinn Féin my number 1 (in national elections I wouldn't dream of giving them my number 1).

I come from a pretty steeped Labour background and I've been a member of the party since I was 16, my brother works as an S+D aide in Bruxelles, I'm very much loyal to the party and it's work to make Ireland better, I just won't vote for Eurofederalism or anything approaching it.

Most Irish people just vote for the same party in all elections as well.

It'd be far more interesting if we'd all vote directly for the "European parties" btw, i.e. having S+D, EPP etc all on the ballot by name instead of their local "representatives".

It'd certainly be more realistic, but then it gets to the tricky part, do the people who would stand (FG in EPP, LP in S/D, FF in ALDE) in certain corners according to their party automatically go for the 'endorsed' europarties or do they have a choice?

Could we see a Labour person running for ALDE, for example?

It would have a lot of overlap - in some ways its much simpler to just have national parties run.

The basic concept has worked for 60 years in Germany.

Yeah and there's no doubt it has some merit as a concept when supplimented with actual constituency votes, which is as it works in Germany yeah?

And quite seriously - integrate say Alessandra Mussolini anywhere? Jean Marie Le Pen? Robert Zile (of TB/LNNK, who is part of ECR with the Tories)? Athanasios Plevris (of LAOS, part of EFD)? Jaroslav Paska (of SNS, also EFD)?

In a word, yes - if they have to roll up their sleeves in coalition governments their wacky ideals soften, they get to see what power is really like, and they become mainstream conservatives.

They can't pander to racists or homophobes while at the same time holding office that demands interaction with and working for ALL the people, power is the great moderator, cordon sanitaires don't work and are undemocratic.

[tankie]

My my , he,s a bounder and a cad ,or so it seems

A British MEP refused to apologise on Tuesday for calling the European Union president a "low-grade bank clerk," saying if anything he should say sorry to bank clerks.
MEP Farage waves a British flag during a debate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg

Nigel Farage, a eurosceptic member of the UK Independence Party, verbally savaged Herman Van Rompuy in a parliamentary debate last week, saying the former Belgian prime minister was from a "non-country" and had the "charisma of a damp rag."

The personal attack, addressed to Van Rompuy as he sat a few metres away listening on a headset, caused offence across Europe and led the president of the parliament, Jerzy Buzek, to call Farage in for a dressing-down on Tuesday.

After the meeting, Farage, who is well known for his vitriolic denunciations of Europe and its institutions, said he had been asked to apologise but was not prepared to do so.

"I've had a short period of time to reflect and I've decided that I will make an apology. But the only people I'm going to apologise to are bank clerks the world over: if I've offended them, I'm very sorry indeed," Farage told reporters.

"I'm not going to apologise to Herman Van Rompuy, I'm not going to apologise to the European Parliament, and I'm certainly not going to apologise to the people of Belgium."

As a result, Buzek said he would fine Farage, making him give up 10 daily allowances, which for an MEP amounts to about 3,000 euros (2,727 pounds) -- the highest penalty imposed so far.

"His behaviour towards Mr Rompuy was inappropriate, unparliamentary and insulting to the dignity of the house," Buzek said in a statement.

Farage, a 45-year-old former commodities broker, was unrepentant, saying he attacked Van Rompuy for a purpose.

"I am not going to apologise if I have sparked off a debate about vital issues such as who governs the European Union and are they democratically accountable," he said.

TROUBLEMAKER RAISES QUESTIONS

While Farage's assault may be designed to draw attention to his eurosceptic cause ahead of a British election expected in May, it touches on important issues about how the EU functions.

Last December, after years of negotiation, the EU's 27 member states brought into law a reform treaty supposed to make the union work more effectively and give the bloc of 500 million people a bigger role in global affairs.

It created Van Rompuy's position and strengthened the role of the EU high representative for foreign affairs, held by Britain's Catherine Ashton.

There is also a European Commission president, a European Parliament president and the leader of whichever country holds the EU's rotating six-month presidency, meaning the European Union now has more top decision-makers than it did before.

When it comes to acting quickly and boldly on the world stage, the EU is finding it tough to negotiate its own structures, undermining its very influence, analysts say. That shortcoming is now being highlighted by Farage.

"If the president had been somebody of stature, then the EU's promise to put in place a president who had the ability to stop the traffic in Beijing and Washington may well have been true," Farage said of Van Rompuy. "But I don't think this bloke would stop the traffic in Brussels, quite frankly

[pate]

...A British MEP refused to apologise on Tuesday for calling the European Union president a "low-grade bank clerk," saying if anything he should say sorry to bank clerks.
MEP Farage waves a British flag during a debate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg

Nigel Farage, a eurosceptic member of the UK Independence Party, verbally savaged Herman Van Rompuy in a parliamentary debate last week, saying the former Belgian prime minister was from a "non-country" and had the "charisma of a damp rag."

The personal attack, addressed to Van Rompuy as he sat a few metres away listening on a headset, caused offence across Europe and led the president of the parliament, Jerzy Buzek, to call Farage in for a dressing-down on Tuesday...

Exactly the septicism I wish we had back home where I come from... Heck, call them as you see 'em....

No hateful catchfrases(sp) like bigot or "hater" just straight up call 'em as you see 'em... Love it.

As for

Sometimes outside is the best place to be.

Right on, brother! Keep living in the good fight...