First they burned the books, and then....people

Daniel Hannan, MEP, in a blog on the Daily Telegraph site yesterday, recorded that he and others were shocked on Thursday by the behaviour of the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering.

The President became exasperated by procedures adopted by eurosceptic MEPs, employed in support of their protest at the failure of countries to hold referenda on the Treaty/Constitution. He accepted that everything they did was in accordance with the rules laid down.The measures included requests for electronic voting and a record of how people voted, and the right to make a speech of 1 minute to explain.

The prospect of 24 or so eurosceptic MEPs each making a one minute speech was too much for Poettering, although as Hannan points out the whole effect would have been to prolong the session by no more than half and hour. Mr. Poettering immediately contacted the chairman of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, and asked for an immediate ruling as to whether he could suspend the rules of procedure at his own discretion, if he felt that time wasting was being employed.

In time, doubtless, the rules will be altered to give Poettering what he wants. There is little doubt that there is an intransigent intolerance of any opposition to the EU establishment and the grand project. Kathy Sinnot, an Irish disability rights campaigner was summoned for disciplinary action. He offence ? - wearing a tee-shirt with the word "REFERENDUM" on it.

We have a a largely unelected and unaccountable controlling establishment in Brussels. The only vaguely democratic part is the European Parliament, even if it lacks real power. If this one elected body attempts to stifle views not attractive to the controlling body, then we could be on a slippery slope.

"First they burned the books..." The Nazis began by trying to control dissentient voices and ended in unspeakable horrors. No-one is suggesting that the EU will descend to this. They have, however, shown a complete disregard for whistle- blowers who were concerned only about injustice, and they have used funds to subvert (they would say educate) young minds in all countries to comply with their dream. Now they have tried to silence dissent.

We are accustomed to sleaze, cover up, lies and spin by our elected betters, but this could be an altogether more sinister and undemocratic threat, even if it will never go even half way to the horrors of the 1930s and 1940s. Totalitarian may be strong a word, but the development is worrying all the same.