Strasbourg EU Parliament........a waste of money?

[mrpink]

The Strasbourg shuttle is estimated to cost 203m euros (£177m; $286m) a year. Each month more than 700 MEPs, plus about 3,000 aides and numerous documents, have to travel the 454km (280 miles) from Brussels to Strasbourg, to attend the week-long plenary sessions

France insists that MEPs must stick to the 12 Strasbourg sessions a year that are required by the EU's Lisbon Treaty and all 27 member states would have to agree to a change of location.

Seems like the French are able to dictate to the EU about time the UK did the same!!! Surely even the most ardent Pro Europeans must admit this is a complete waste of money?

sooner we get out the better in my opinion:-)

[zbc]

I think the EU is great.

But this is the most stupid irritating idiotic thing possible.

I know a few Eurocrats and almost without exception they hate it too.

Whilst stuff like this goes on I have no problem with anyone finding the EU a ridiculous waste of time and money depsite my personal opinion.

[mrpink]

Guam said:

This is purely the tip of the Iceberg, try to find out and add in the costs of each of the key personel being subsidised to keep homes in both locations <plus funding for their domestic property in their country of Origin>. Basically 3 properties per Funded by all of us!

That hadn't occurred to me......jeez that will be a lot of money!!! Knowing the EU accounting procedures I doubt the information will be readily available somehow???

[Puggit]

Yes, the entire EU is a waste of money.

[The Don of Croy]

I seem to recall a story a few years back revealing that the city of Strasbourg had actually been over-charging since the year dot, too.

Complete farce - but more than typical of the mindset that believes it can weld disparate peoples together.

[The Don of Croy]

The Don of Croy said:

I seem to recall a story a few years back revealing that the city of Strasbourg had actually been over-charging since the year dot, too.

Complete farce - but more than typical of the mindset that believes it can weld disparate peoples together.

In fact a bit of googling brings up a whole report based on the madness of two bases;

http://www.euractiv.de/fileadmin/images/Seat_repor...

Fill yer boots!

[mrpink]

The Don of Croy said:

The Don of Croy said:

I seem to recall a story a few years back revealing that the city of Strasbourg had actually been over-charging since the year dot, too.

Complete farce - but more than typical of the mindset that believes it can weld disparate peoples together.

In fact a bit of googling brings up a whole report based on the madness of two bases;

http://www.euractiv.de/fileadmin/images/Seat_repor...

Fill yer boots!

Boots are overflowing..wonder what % of the UK electorate know all of this?

[speedy_thrills]

To be fair most of the electorate seem to grasp how wasteful government can be when it comes to top end civil servants and politicians.

[brenflys777]

In the case of the Strasbourg/Brussels commute I have never heard any explanation which makes sense. France required this - so it happened? Can anyone who is Pro-EU provide a good reason for this? All the UKIP threads are full of pro-EU posters who doubt the logic and reasoning of anti-EU sentiment but in this case why has this waste become acceptable to so many people?

[mrpink]

brenflys777 said:

In the case of the Strasbourg/Brussels commute I have never heard any explanation which makes sense. France required this - so it happened? Can anyone who is Pro-EU provide a good reason for this? All the UKIP threads are full of pro-EU posters who doubt the logic and reasoning of anti-EU sentiment but in this case why has this waste become acceptable to so many people?

the only explanations I have seen are.

" France had blocked the establishment of new EU bodies until Strasbourg was declared to be the Parliament‟s Seat".

and some sentiment resulting from war issues.

this is interesting though:

There is no conceivable justification left to maintain the present arrangement…Nick Clegg 2003

[mrpink]

as the chinless wonder would say.....disgusting!!!!!!!

between 1998 and 2004 the European Parliament paid about €6 million in rent for an empty building, the Belliard complex in Brussels. In early 2006 it was revealed that the Parliament paid between €32 and €60 million too much to rent property in Strasbourg.

lots more where that came from

[odyssey2200]

Not to worry, the usual bunch will be along shortly to tell us how wonderful the EU is and then proceed to call us.

Little Englanders
xenophobic
Kippers
Racist
etc, etc.

HTH

[mrpink]

odyssey2200 said:

Not to worry, the usual bunch will be along shortly to tell us how wonderful the EU is and then proceed to call us.

Little Englanders
xenophobic
Kippers
Racist
etc, etc.

HTH

they must all be having PC probs as they not been about as yet.

got a few more facts for them when they eventually roll up

[odyssey2200]

mrpink said:

odyssey2200 said:

Not to worry, the usual bunch will be along shortly to tell us how wonderful the EU is and then proceed to call us.

Little Englanders
xenophobic
Kippers
Racist
etc, etc.

HTH

they must all be having PC probs as they not been about as yet.

got a few more facts for them when they eventually roll up

They are probably still in bed. In my experience teenagers tend not to surface until midday on a Saturday.7

[brenflys777]

odyssey2200 said:

mrpink said:

odyssey2200 said:

Not to worry, the usual bunch will be along shortly to tell us how wonderful the EU is and then proceed to call us.

Little Englanders
xenophobic
Kippers
Racist
etc, etc.

HTH

they must all be having PC probs as they not been about as yet.

got a few more facts for them when they eventually roll up

They are probably still in bed. In my experience teenagers tend not to surface until midday on a Saturday.7

How spooky... not even the glossyone has shown up on this or the EU Cypriot savings robbery thread...

[mrpink]

perhaps this will entice them out to play?

The European Parliament recently spent €830,000 replacing filing cabinets to transport documents during the seven hour trek from Brussels to Strasbourg, because the old ones tended to fall over and injure the removal men.

[brenflys777]

Is it worth repeatedly bumping this to the top, in case any of the people who normally label anti-EU posters racists, fruit looms, etc feel the urge to explain why we should be in the EU when they can't find a remedy to something this absurd?

[craig7l]

I will bump it everyday at 7:30 if someone can do the 8:30 bump.... Hehe

[anonymous-user]

odyssey2200 said:

mrpink said:

odyssey2200 said:

Not to worry, the usual bunch will be along shortly to tell us how wonderful the EU is and then proceed to call us.

Little Englanders
xenophobic
Kippers
Racist
etc, etc.

HTH

they must all be having PC probs as they not been about as yet.

got a few more facts for them when they eventually roll up

They are probably still in bed. In my experience teenagers tend not to surface until midday on a Saturday.7

Probably trying to empty their Cypriot bank accounts..............

[eharding]

...and welcome back.

Obviously, the EU parliament shuttle is an absurdity, a long distant pact to keep the French sweet. Even the Frogs can see it doesn't make much sense, but one of those things that they'd be loath to give up, on principle.

Much, whisper it, like the UK's EU rebate.

Which will probably have the 'kipper's brain-pans exploding all over their copies of the Daily Mail.

Seriously though, chaps - the only way you're going to get any headway on the UK pushing through EU reform is through a Conservative government. It might be slow, it might be like watching paint dry, and it might not grab the attention of those with an attention span of a concussed bumble-bee...but that's how - if it happens at all - it's going to be.

Otherwise, you can froth as much as you like. Even a 'kipper wet dream of a result in 2015 would simply split the right-of-centre vote - I know we keep banging on about this, and make no mistake we will keep banging on about it - and you're going to get an even more EU-phile party in power.

The "Better Red Than Light Blue" 'kipper brigade should take note from the UKIP MEP sentiment:

'kipper MEP said:

Our first instinct, given the choice between two bad outcomes, is to vote for the less bad option.