Fortress EU

Hey, Europe! Leave them kids alone!

2006-09-13T12:39:00.000+02:00

"Give me the child until he is seven, and I will show you the man", the old saying says.

Well, the EU appear to have taken this on board. The Gateway to the European Union website, run by the Commission is packed full of exciting fun games to "Make Europe Fun".

This is nothing short of a blatant attempt to brainwash kids into thinking that the EU is cuddly and fun. Taxpayers money is being spent on propaganda aimed at kids, at exactly the same time that the European Parliament is about to reject calls for product placement because it is too underhand, and may unduly influence minors...

The website isn't a total loss, however. There is one good bit !

Mannekin Pis

fortresseu@gmail.com

One Seat: update

2006-09-11T12:22:00.000+02:00

OneSeat , the campaign to rid Europe of the insane monthly trek to Strasbourg (see many posts below) is nearing it's goal of 1 million signatures. Fortress reckons at the current rate they should be home and dry in the next few weeks. The main players are Cecilia Malmstrom , Chris Heaton-Harris and and Alexander Alvaro .

Fortress hears rumours that they were spotted meeting last week in Strasbourg, plotting what to do when the figure reached the maguc 1 million mark. What will be probably more interesting is what the Commission's response is.

Here are some extracts from the Draft European Constitution:

"No less than one million citizens coming from a significant number of Member States may invite the Commission to submit any appropriate proposal"

"A European law shall determine the provisions for the specific procedures and conditions required for such a citizens' initiative."

So, will the Commission keep Strasbourg, and ignore their own precious hanging-by-a-thread Constitution, or will they respect the "citizens' initiative", and wave Au Revoir to Strasbourg...?

Or will they do what they usually do, and just ignore the whole thing?

Mannekin Pis

The Sprout is no more

2006-09-11T10:15:00.000+02:00

Rumour has it that the Sprout magazine (two times winner of "Assistants' Favourite" 2005 and 2006) is shutting down shop. Apparently in its last issue it mentioned yours truly, which will hopefully not give us the kiss of death. Then again, we should be safe because although we may also spout a load of crap, we don't expect people to pay for it!

The Grapevine

an old one, but still....

2006-09-08T13:48:00.000+02:00

I know that Downing Street Fighter is now a bit dated, but with all the recent goings on with Labour, it is still quite fun! Click on the link to play.

The Grapevine

Apologies

2006-09-04T08:07:00.000+02:00

Fortress has been away for a while - there was a beer festival in Brussels this weekend, and the Fortress boys and girls were making the most of it.

Sunday was spent sampling a large and delicious selection of Belgian ales (the girls were on the fruit beer)

Now, the last thing anyone needs to hear when faced with that morning-after feeling is "So, when are you leaving for Strasbourg then?". A 430 kilometre trek with a hangover followed by a plenary session with heavy evening drinking and long, late walks back to hotel rooms. Until Thursday, when Fortress makes the same 430k trip home.

Sometimes I wonder if this whole thing is just one big piss-take...

Mannekin Pis

BIG FORTRESS EXCLUSIVE

2006-09-01T03:06:00.000+02:00

Roger Helmer MEP is going to have the Conservative Whip restored in the next few minutes. Fortress' sources reveal that an email will be sent in the next few moments informing the entire Tory delegation. There will be some very unhappy Tory MEPs in the papers tomorrow.

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST...

Mannekin Pis

EU minimum wage

2006-08-30T19:51:00.000+02:00

The French Europe minister was quoted yesterday saying “We must achieve real coordination of our economic policies, notably within the eurogroup” and also proposed the creation of a minimum European salary.

If I were a Pole whose average recent wage was €6,000 I wouldn't mind a bit, but I am not sure I would if I were a Dane with an average of €44,000 in the same year.

The Grapevine

The only thing worse than being talked about...

2006-08-30T14:30:00.000+02:00

It's nice to know that Fortress hasn't been forgotten. Both the Tories and the UKIP staffers are still intrigued as to the identity of your host, our sources tell us. In fact, in the last few days, certain Tories have been naming their prime suspects.

Fortress learns from recent discussions in the canteen that Mike Wood - now a Conservative candidate for Assembly elections in Wales - and James Holtum, the erstwhile press guru, are top of the hit list.
Nope, it's not them...

Also accused were Emma McClarkin, long-time Assistant to Roger Helmer MEP, Keith Newman, the new Assistant for Chris Heaton-Harris MEP, Emma Greenow, fellow Welsh Assembly candidate, and UKIP press officer Gawain Towler.
Wrong again...

But it's nice that we're making an impression.

Fortress EU

Helmer TV

2006-08-29T13:01:00.000+02:00

Roger Helmer MEP, he of the Reinstate Roger campaign, has today launched a DVD to promote his work in the Parliament. Fortress hasn't managed to get hold of a copy yet, but we reckon there must be a real contender for Understatement of the Year in the disclaimer:

"The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of the European Parliament"

You don't say...

Mannekin Pis

Frogs and bicycles

2006-08-28T15:48:00.000+02:00

Fortress was in a meeting today, with several MEPs present and a Commission official who was making a presentation. The Commission official almosr made Fortress choke on his coffee when he said the following:

"incentives need to be put in place to make countries think more 'European'. Countries need to put narrow self-interest aside and work together"

That would be like the unelected, unaccountable Commission that is callously ignoring democracy and forcing through an unwanted European Constitution against the wishes of the people of France and Holland

Anyway, the official in question was clearly a bit crazy as he spent half the time talking about boiling frogs, the merits of panda bears, adn why British bicycles are crap. Fortress isn't kidding: these are the sort of meetings that happen every day in the European Union...

Mannekin Pis

A tip for avoiding police suspicion

2006-08-25T14:09:00.000+02:00

A second suspect has turned himself in for questioning in Tripoli in connection with the attempted bombing of two German trains by Islamic extremists in July.

The man's name is Jihad Hamed. Perhaps a trip to the Deed Poll office would have been a good idea, maybe round about June...?

Mannekin Pis

Immigration...again

2006-08-24T13:51:00.000+02:00

The news recently (particularly in the Red Tops) has been all about immigration mainly from Eastern Europe, including the spectre of Bulgaria and Romania. Britain is one of the few countries to have opened its borders to the rest of Europe (cf my rant on Euro-loving sceptics) and has therefore taken the lion's share of immigrants from Eastern Europe. If the other EU countries were to be good European citizens like the Brits and the Irish, then this 'problem' would be dissipated.

However, this is to assume that it is a problem in the first place. Most of the EU immigrants (migrants?) that have come from Eastern Europe have generally filled gaps in Britain's Labour market. I don't hear many complaints from people who have actually been on the receiving end of services being provided by skilled labourers from Poland. If anything, they say that the services are cheaper, more reliable and better quality than what the local population can provide.

This is not to say that the issue should not be addressed. For example, according to the Express, new immigrants could be elligable to up to £10,000 in tax credits, depending what their previous salary was (which being in Romania or Bulgaria would be on average considerably lower than the UK's).

Fortress is looking forward to accession in January, pushing the belief in a wider and shallower European Union.

The Grapevine

UPDATE

2006-08-22T09:42:00.000+02:00

After Fortress moaned about security yesterday, it actually turns out that the EU are doing somthing about it. A source tells me that in the Commission's Draft Budget for 2007 there is a specific undertaking to 'reinforce the security in the buildings of the Commission in Brussels'.

Well, at least the bureaucrats are well protected...

Mannekin Pis

Welcome Back

2006-08-21T12:46:00.000+02:00

Fortress managed a wry (if slightly nervous) smile today when discovering that, in these times of heightened security the European Parliament are clearly very serious about protecting their MEPs and staff. Any would-be terrorists still have to contend with one sleepy security guard and an open gate (which means you don't even need a pass to get in), as witnessed by Fortress as we walked through this morning.

Whatever happened to the European Area of Freedom, Security and Justice?

Mannekin Pis

Brussels Bad Sports

2006-08-08T17:56:00.000+02:00

Kate Hoey warns of Brussels Bad Sports

Kate Hoey, the former Sports minister, has criticised Brussels for moving into the world of sport. A report by Commissioner Jan Figel has looked at the possibilities of using sport as a method for economic and cultural integration (I didn't realise that sport was an exclusively EU affair. Come to think of it, I am not sure that any culture is). Unfortunately this is nothing new - Romano Prodi, after Britain's success in the Olympics, claimed a victory for the EU and suggested that all athletes carry the EU flag alongside thier own national flag.

Hoey has put forward good arguments, such as the successes of Wimbledon and the World Cup in Germany which both managed to do perfectly well without EU assistance. Fortress would welcome sharing of best practice for sport promotion, and schemes to help the disadvantaged (not through legislation, but again through best practice and information sharing), but is dubious about the real motives behind this white paper.

The EU should beware - the general public maybe disinterested in politics, but they are certainly not disinterested in the politics of sport and any action will be noticed this time.

The Grapevine

End of term review

2006-07-18T10:54:00.000+02:00

And so here we are, the end of the Parliamentary year at last. The EU is supposedly still in shock from the no votes from the Netherlands and France last year, but it does not seem to have deterred our friends in Brussels and Strasbourg from forging ahead and providing fortress with much entertainment.

The issue that our beloved MEPs here in Brussels seemed to get most hepped up about this year was the whole EPP issue, and whether the Tories should stay or go. I have never seen so many people get so worked up about the issue, believing it to be a vote winner/loser depending on the point of view – supposedly the issue that will make or break Cameron’s honeymoon as Tory leader. When the issue finally came to a long awaited climax, the papers gave the “pledge fulfilling” decision to leave in 2009 the same amount of column inches as "Minor Earthquake in Peru, 3 injured”

The Parliament also said goodbye to North West MEP and all round good guy Terry Wynn after 17 years of loyal service. His recent send off in Strasbourg would not have been amiss in an all singing, all dancing performance of Cabaret. Not only was Europe minister Geoff Hoon spotted singing karaoke to the tune of New York New York, he was flanked by a mix of Tory and Labour MEPs kicking their legs in tune. However, the winner of Comedy Moment of the Evening, must surely go jointly to Roger Helmer and Sir Robert Atkins; the latter was seen desperately scurrying around trying to get a snapshot of the former singing his heart out to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.

The Parliament starts its six week recess this week, with MEPs safe in the knowledge that they can never be criticised for excess holiday, while their constituents toil away with 24 days a year, as the Westminster recess still beats it by double.

In September I look forward to more comedy moments from UKIP, such as Thomas Wise (who everyone knows is wise by name… er)and Mike Natrass coming up to the Tory 14th floor shaking their fists at and chasing a certain UK MEP assistant who was alleged to have been leaking top secret information, hic, that he overheard in the Mickey Mouse bar to blogs in Westminster. Luckily for the hapless chap, he was not there and our two heros were pacified by other assistants; more self-absorbed moments from the Tory MEPs as they never seem to realise that no one in Westminster really cares about what they think (“When I was a minister...) – note how many MEPs didn’t manage to get places on Cameron's new policy groups; more conceited Labour MEPs such as when they tried to give the Tories advice on the EPP issue, and fell for the trap of thinking that a) the Conservatives would actually listen to them, and b) that any papers were actually going to publish any more about this horse that had been flogged ad nauseam. Give me Terry Wynn’s leaving do any day; Finally, please no more Lib Dem leaders emailing their Jewish constituents telling them to "wallow in their own filth".

But in the meantime it is time for holidays generously sponsored by Greek shipping magnates and titled party donors.

The Grapevine

Someone needs media training...

2006-07-04T18:15:00.000+02:00

A Press Release has just been released from Conservative MEP Edward McMillan-Scott in Brussels, with a first line that probably should have been better thought out:

"I am involved with several cases of child abduction in the UK"

Obviously, the press release goes on to state that our Ed is involved doing lots of great work to try and sort out these tragedies, but I think the Tories probably need to work on their language skills - this sort of thing can make a serious issue sound very silly...

Mannekin Pis

Euro-loving sceptics

2006-07-04T14:04:00.000+02:00

I have been in and around the European Parliament for quite a while now, and some things, no matter how much I hear them, still annoy me. Mainly the French and their annoyance with the Brits 'ruining' everything for the rest of Europe with their nasty scepticism. "If you don't like it here, why don't you just cut your losses and leave?" Sometimes I am tempted. But it is not the French themselves that annoy me, it is the look of disgust I get when I criticise the EU project.

However, what I really don't understand is why they don't like the sceptics so much. In many ways, I see us free-market Europsceptics as more 'Europhile' than the Euro-loving French. In my opinion the overarching aim of the EU is to provide an internal/common market, with no barriers to the free movement of people, goods or services - great! We need to trust that our neighbours can produce the quality goods and services that we require, and if they don't, then the market will weed them out. I sign up to this part of the EU wholeheartedly. This is what the EU should be all about.

Yet when it comes down to it, the greatest barriers to this were the French and German elites, and still they have the nerve to whinge about the Brits being Eurosceptic and not signing up to the project. If I remember correctly, the British Tories were one of the few componants of the 'centre-right' EPP who actually voted for the undiluted Services Directive (no one followed our lead), whereas the old European States, who are also the most Europhile, watered it down. If the old Member States want to protect their markets, fine - I believe in the competition of ideas as well as the competition of businesses - just don't then complain when we want to protect our sovreignty from the harmonising straightjacket that is the EU.

I apologise for this post/rant, but I recently got into an argument with a very sleazy Frenchman and I felt that I needed to get this off my chest!

The Grapevine

Patriotism, French-style

2006-06-23T12:42:00.000+02:00

FE has got hold of the breakdown of signatures on Written Declaration 33 which is doing the rounds asking for the insanity of the Strasbourg trip to be abolished.

So, leading the way are Swedish MEPs, with an impressive 57.9% signing the declaration; Britain is a close second with 56.4% (although, given how f****** impossible it is to get to Strasbourg from anywhere in the UK, one wonders who are the 42.9 who HAVEN'T signed??).

Anyway, the real story is who has been whipped by their governments not to sign. Let's see: France 0.0% of MEPs have signed. What a shock. Also, they got to their neighbours pretty quick: Luxembourg 0.0%; Spain 1.9% and Belgium 8.9% are all amongst the lowest signatories.

As a quick aside, if anyone from Slovakia, Malta or Greece reads this: what have the French offered you in exchange for none of your MEPs signing this? Answers on a postcard (or in the comments box)...

Mannekin Pis

UPDATE: FE now knows why Slovakia are siding with the French: they just feel sorry for them!

'Super Regulators' are here to save us

2006-06-23T10:58:00.000+02:00

Why does the Commission exist if not to create regulation? It is certainly not there to get rid of it, if that were so then the cafés and restaurants in the EU Quarter in Brussels would all be out of business.

According to the European Voice, the Commission are proposing a new 'Super Regulator' that would iron out differences in the single market. Apparently this will not lead to the dissolution of national regulators, however, Fortress EU is suspicious - so many times have we seen a moderate idea put into the EU sphere only to see the regulators take the ball and run with it taking it too far.

This idea was rejected by the Member States a few years ago as it was rightly felt that Member States' own regulators were more in tune with the needs of their own citizens. The Commission believes that regulation is now needed with the arrival of barrier-breaking broadband. What the Commission doesn't seem to recognise is that the internet is the ultimate regulation breaker as companies can, and will, simply move outside the EU. We will be left with a level playing field with no European players

The Grapevine

Career opportunity

2006-06-22T15:10:00.000+02:00

FE knows that the Labour Party is in trouble, what with the TBs not talking to the GBs and no-one at all talking to John Prescott, but we thought that the Labour MEPs had escaped all of that internal bickering and childish sulking.

Well, apparently not, as the Labour Party are hiring someone to teach MEPs and MPs how to talk to each other.

Didn't realise things had got that bad...

Mannekin Pis

Boring invitation of the week...

2006-06-20T12:39:00.000+02:00

This has to be a contender for most boring event of 2006 - a "Dinner Invitation from the Packaging Federation", including such highlights as "a presentation from the EU steel packaging association", a chance to "assess the impact of deposit systems on beverage containers" and an update on a study undertaken for the DTI - Packaging in the Third Millennium.

Mouth-watering stuff - FE's place has been reserved already!

(Note: in deference to both the Packaging Industry and Caroline Jackson MEP who is hosting the event, it seems only fair to point out that the packaging Industry are known to lay on some of the best free food and booze around. They know their industry is boring as s***, and they make up for it with spectacular drunken jollies. We salute them!)

Mannekin Pis

Lib Dems get web savvy - at a price

2006-06-14T13:20:00.000+02:00

Some Parliamentary staff obviously have far too much time on their hands.

Tory staffer, and all-round techno-geek, Mike Wood seems to have found the flaw in the Bromley Liberal Democrats' cunning plan to buy Google Ads for searches done on the name of their opponents.
If you click on the Ben4Bromley advert that comes up when you search for Bromley, it will cost the Lib Dem campaign 39p, but if you click on the advert that comes up when you search for Bob Neill, the Liberals have to cough up a painful 92p per click.
A few of those and they'll have to find another £2.4m donor (if the FBI doesn't find them first).

Fat Boy

Constitution: the rise of the undead

2006-06-14T12:28:00.000+02:00

Communication from the European Commission to the European Council, June 2006, with the heading "Europe in the World" was sent around today. That title alone makes FE nervous.

But it's ok. The Commission makes it very clear that the document "is not intended to re-open a debate on the future of the
Constitutional Treaty or to redefine the respective responsibilities of the different institutional actors". Phew, that's settled my nerves.

As you are all very busy, high-powered people with better things to do than read this gumf, FE has provided a few juicy extracts, which clearly are nothing to do with the Commission forcing the Constitution through using the back door:

"Proposes that Member States and the EU work together to address...how to develop and implement a European external policy" (Hmm, wasn't there something in the rejected Constitution about a European Foreign Policy and Foreign Minister...?)

"We have however yet to resolve the question of EU representation in international economic and monetary institutions."

"The completion of the European area of freedom, security and justice, together with the fight against terrorism, are vital to our internal security" (Hmm, that sounds a lot like a demand for a European Police Force. Wasn't there something about that in the rejected Constitution...?)

"the governments of the Member States must consider what is more usefully achieved at the level of the EU" (I won't even bother with a sarcastic remark. I think we all know the answer to this one.)

"Appropriate arrangements should be further developed for EU Special Representatives" (Aha, the EU diplomatic corps we are all so fond of...)

And then, near the end, finally, we get some honesty about what this document is all about: The objectives of the Constitutional Treaty remain valid and would increase the scope to address the challenges for the EU’s external policy.

Yep, they were hoping you'd got bored and had stopped reading before you got to that bit. The back-door Constitutional movement is alive and kicking, and they're winning.

Mannekin Pis
fortresseu@gmail.com

Whodunnit?

2006-06-09T14:06:00.000+02:00

The FE boys and girls were out in Place Luxembourg last night, and from what we hear the Conservative Assistants are very keen to find out the real identities of the FE bloggers. I'm afraid they're going to have to continue what I was told was a "witch-hunt" around the Parliament's corridors yesterday, but it's nice to know that people have been reading.

Sadly, FE's sources in the Lib Dem delegation report that there wasn't quite the same level of interest amongst the Liberal assistants. But then they were probably too busy helping their bosses ruin the country...

Mannekin Pis

Westminster Vacancy

2006-06-08T18:34:00.000+02:00

In case any of you Euro Parliament staffers out there are bored with Brussels and fancy a change, FE has found a fantastic job opportunity going in Westminster.

Just make sure you don't take any shit from your new boss...

Mannekin Pis

Breaking booze news

2006-06-08T15:05:00.000+02:00

Ever willing to break the REAL big news on the day Al-Zarqawi died, FE has discovered that the Commission want us to stop drinking!

It's true - not content with depressing smokers using messages about their sperm and their lungs, the Commission now want to depress innocent binge-drinkers with the same on alcohol bottles (though it will probably be less about sperm counts).

Health warnings on beer: that's going to be unpopular in, let's see, Germany, Britain, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, and well that's enough to ensure that this will never happen. Have the Commission gone mad?

Or are they just trying to put Place Luxembourg out of business?

Mannekin Pis

Nationalism Alive and well in the Parliament!

2006-06-08T09:57:00.000+02:00

What joy to see all the virtues of nationalism at work in the recent European Parliamentary football tournament!

National stereotypes abounded as the Germans arrived ridiculously early, complete with a mini marquee, the Italians refused to play the Cypriots with a Greek referee, the Irish got disqualified for having too many foreigners and the English forgot to turn up for their Quarter Final because they were all in the pub watching the real England game!

It was great to see that parliamentary staff forgot about all this pan european identity claptrap and wear their national shirts with pride! Arguments abounded, insults were thrown and at least once, blows exchanged!

Ah, the joys of European integration! Well at least we can rely on sport to bring us all together!

Hairy Canary

Britain: crap

2006-06-06T10:37:00.000+02:00

A dashing young Swedish MEP called Cecilia Malmström has started a campaign to get rid of the Strasbourg Parliament.

The idea, apparently, is to get 1 million signatures from across Europe who are in favour of scrapping the monthly trip to the Alsatian city, and then present it to the Commission, whilst reminding them that 1 million signatures equalled a "citizens initiative" according to their beloved yet (alas) dead constitution. So, a citizens initative to get rid of part of the EU - these pesky voters just don't know what's good for them.

Anyway, Fortress has discovered that Britain is lagging way behind the rest of Europe in signatures on this petition - pretty shocking given that we're probably the most Eurosceptic nation out there. So, FE issues a call to arms: get yourself down to oneseat.eu and sign up - don't let the Germans beat us at this!

Mannekin Pis
fortresseu@gmail.com

He's alive!

2006-06-06T10:13:00.000+02:00

FE is hearing unconfirmed reports that Robert Kilroy-Silk actually turned up to the European Parliament last week. And a quick glance at the Written Questions page on the Parliament website confirms that he has even been asking some Parliamentary Questions!

Is Kilroy actually thinking of doing some work - such as cutting down on the Brussels champagne and limousine MEP lifestyle like he promised to? Or, alternatively, judging by the content of the questions:

To ask the President of the Commission: "Which national leader was he referring to when he claimed that they 'don’t give the EU institutions the means to achieve' the goals agreed at summits?"

...is he just turning up to collect his paycheck, and indulging in some Blair-bashing by proxy?

Mannekin Pis
fortresseu@gmail.com

La vie est belle for some

2006-06-05T17:15:00.003+02:00

Q. What do Belgians and the European Union have in common?
A. Both seem to take every available opportunity not to work.

Over the last 5 or so weeks, there have been a total of 5 bank holidays. Some are just Belgian holidays, which the Parliament follows, but others are European ones that they add on top.

On one occasion a couple of weeks ago, one holiday happened to fall on a Thursday, and as I turned up to work in the Parliament on the following day, I found all the lights off. The Parliament decided to get one up on the rest of Belgium by making a long weekend of it.

On top of this, much of the European Parliament and Commission civil service don't have to work Friday afternoons, they pay minimal income tax of around 6%, take long paid holiays and have a job for life. One doesn't have to think too hard as to why those who manage to get a job and make all the regulations are institutionalised and love the project, yet can't understand why there is a problem of communication between the EU and joe Public.

The Grapevine
fortresseu@gmail.com

Vote Blue, Go Greenow!

2006-06-05T16:57:00.000+02:00

According to FE's sources, Emma Greenow, assistant to Welsh MEP Jonathan Evans, has made it onto the candidates list for Bridgend.

Whilst the last candidate Alun Cairns was beaten by Labour in 2003, Greenow will be hoping to make the most of the current surge in popularity of the Tories and the mayhem that seems to be occurring in the Labour Party.

At 23 years of age she is making the most of Cameron's policy to encourage young women in the Tory party. She obviously made an impression on the local Tory association, the question now is whether or not the locals will be immune to her pink charm.

The Grapevine
fortresseu@gmail.com

Priestley gets tough!

2006-06-01T19:03:00.000+02:00

Finally, the European Parliament has decided to start trying to solve the genuine problems experienced by ordinary folk during their day-to-day working lives. This Communication from the Secretary General lays down the law for those low-life reprobates who abuse freedom of speech, force others to take notice of them, and generally leave a bad taste in the mouth. That's right: spammers.

The S-G is going to get the bastards! No more will you have "Babysitter Needed for My Goldfish"; "Train ticket Brussels-Addis Abbaba for Sale"; Written Declaration on the treatment of political prisoners by the Queen of Hearts"; or "Appartment to rent in unknown Brussels s***hole miles away from the Parliament".

From today, no more of that, the S-G says. Well, we at Fortress Europe commend the man. He has our wholehearted, unreserved support. Except it won't work. One of the many examples that got through today (supposedly the first day of the new regime):

"Hello everybody,
sorry for spamming, I really am sorry, but I lost my wonderful earring today, thus if anyone has found it, please let me know!
It is in the shape of the butterfly, not too big, full of coloured crystals.

thanks for help,
Have a nice day everybody
Ivana K."

Sigh.

Mannekin Pis
fortresseu@gmail.com

The truth about who makes the decisions...

2006-05-31T17:35:00.000+02:00

This was sent around to all MEPs today, with an attachment:

"Please find attached the decisions taken by the Commission at its meeting on 01/06/2006"

The attachment contained information about the EU Budget; Taxation and Customs Union; and Competition Policy, and about the decisions that the Commission has taken on these policies in tomorrow's meeting.

Indicative of the level of debate generally allowed in the European Union, that decisions taken at a meeting are announced 24 hours before the meeting has even started.

Mannekin Pis
fortresseu@gmail.com

EU taxes on texts and emails

2006-05-31T11:58:00.000+02:00

Despite not having the mandate to do so, the EU, led by supposedly centre-right French MEP Alain Lamassoure, is looking into the possibility of levying a 10% tax on every text message sent as well as 0.00001 euro cents on every email sent. Quite how he expects to do this, Fortress has no idea - I'm sure Hotmail, the world's biggest, and as it often states, free email provider would have something to say about this! Whatever happened to the Lisbon agenda, making the EU the most technologically advanced place in the world by 2010?

As the plan is to plough the revenue back into the EU coffers, I am sure the French farmers, who continue to take up 44% of the EU budget, will be pleased with the advances in the Lisbon agenda...

The Grapevine
fortresseu@gmail.com

Strasbourg's cunning plan...

2006-05-29T18:41:00.000+02:00

The recent furore over the City of Strasbourg overcharging the European Parliament on rent for the Parliament's buildings in the City has achieved something remarkable - it has united British MEPs.

Nearly all the parties have condemned it, notably Labour's Terry Wynn, the Lib Dem's Sajjad Karim and Conservative Chris Heaton-Harris and, of course, all of UKIP. Bizarrely, ultra-sceptic Dan Hannan is in favour having Strasbourg as the single seat, in order to avoid the creation of Brussels as capital city of Europe, thus keeping Europe's 'federal' nature rather than creating a superstate.

There has been mounting pressure on the institutions involved to produce all the paperwork but, understandably, they weren't keen for everyone to find out just how big a cock up/rip off this really has been for the past 25 years.

Fortress EU has learned that the documents in question are now available to MEPs - including, of course, the British MEPs who shouted the loudest about this scam - but by some freak occurrence all the documents are only in French! How bizarre that an organisation that works in 21 languages doesn't have duplicates of these potentially incriminating documents in English, which is after all one of it's two official working languages...

Mannekin Pis
fortresseu@gmail.com

A Tory consensus on Europe?

2006-05-26T15:50:00.000+02:00

Could it be that if Cameron does eventually lead the Tories into power next election, it will be one of the most eurosceptic Tory parties that we have seen for a very long time? Last year's new intake, including former MEPs Robert Goodwill and Theresa Villiers, were on the whole young and eurosceptic reformers. If the A-list is anything to go by, then this trend will more than likely continue until the next election.

This could mean at the age old Tory problem over Europe will no longer exist as there will be a new youthful eurosceptic consensus. Maybe it might actually make the news the next time Bill Cash puts through an amendment to repeal the European Communities Act with the support of the entire Tory Parliamentary party!?

The Grapevine
fortresseu@gmail.com

A-Listers

2006-05-26T13:05:00.000+02:00

More gossip on the Tory A-List. The reliable wisdom is that there are only four current Tory MEPs on the A-List: Martin Callanan, Dan Hannan, Chris Heaton-Harris, and Syed Kamall. Could it be a mere coincidence that these are four staunchly Eurosceptic members of the Conservative group in the European Parliament, and they all support Cameron's pledge to leave the EPP-ED grouping as soon as possible? Look to me like Dave is looking to shore up the Euroscepticism in the Westminster Party...

Even more interesting are the rumours of Tory MEPs who didn't make it on to the A-List - most of the names are too Euro-friendly for Dave's tastes. Payback for criticism of his policy to leave the EPP-ED, perhaps? Either way, it must come as a blow to have represented your Party in the European Parliament, and then find yourself behind Adam Rickett in the queue for a Westminster seat.

Mannekin Pis
fortresseu@gmail.com

Welcome to Fortress EU

2006-05-22T14:04:00.000+02:00

Welcome to Fortress EU,

The EU, what's all that about?

FE.