Euronotes - The latest from Brussels
WORKERS, DEC 2007 ISSUE
The rush to sign
Despite being warned by the Labour-dominated European Scrutiny Committee of MPs that its "red lines" were not met and would "leak like a sieve", the government did not push for any further changes to the text before signing up.The revived Constitution – now the Treaty of Lisbon – will be formally signed at a ceremony in the Portuguese capital on 13 December. Brown will then try to rush it through Parliament as quickly as possible. He hopes that by giving little time for discussion, he will be able to quell growing demands from Labour MPs for a referendum.
Caucus cracks
The European Parliament's neo-fascists, and their friends, are united by a hatred of foreigners. And divided, too.
This mutual hatred has led to the demise of the parliament's first official ultra-right caucus. It needed 20 members to get official status, with the accompanying perks and funding, and with the entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the EU they managed it this year.
Then Mussolini's grand-daughter, an Italian neo-fascist MEP, went and called all Romanians criminals. So out went the Romanians, down went the number below 20...and goodbye to the caucus.
Go on, move to China
TRADE COMMISSIONER Peter Mandelson is up to his unpleasant tricks again. He wants to change EU law so that European companies with factories based outside Europe are excluded from trade tariffs.
Italy is among those opposing the move. It says the plan would legitimise "dumping of imports from companies with European capital which have relocated". It would also encourage even more capital to move abroad.
Cornish poll
The EU has ruined the fishing industry around the coasts of Cornwall. So it is no surprise that people in the Illogan area of Redruth felt compelled to organise their own "parish poll" asking whether a national referendum should be held – the district council had refused to organise or fund one. Ninety-six per cent were in favour of a national referendum when they voted in early November.