Home What's New Speeches & Articles Newsletter - Apr 2008 Biography Diary Contact Information Photo Album Parliamentary Highlights Publications Links MEPs' Transparency   Conservative Party Latest News from Conservatives.com Conservative Party Website
		European Political Parties Plenary speech - Tuesday, 13th November 2007 Jo Leinen's report on funding political parties "at the European level" Mr Chairman Let us be clear about Mr. Leinen's report. It is not about democracy. It is about propaganda. It is about using the taxes collected from our reluctant citizens to drive forward the European integration about which they are increasingly uneasy. The Danes voted against Maastricht, the Irish against Nice, the Swedes against the euro, the French and Dutch against the Constitution. Yet their taxes will be used to promote integration. Today in this Chamber President Sarkozy spoke of European democracy. But across our diverse member-states, the common public opinion necessary for representative democracy does not exist. "Democracy at the European level" is a fraud and a delusion. By reserving funding for pan-European parties, Mr. Leinen explicitly excludes euro-sceptic parties which do not seek pan-European status. So tax-payers' money will be channelled to integrationist parties and denied to others. In a Europe that talks about democracy, this is a crime against the people.