Good for the Germans! (Not a football posting)

For some time people have commented on the overpaid MEPs who are playing the system in various ways. One has come to a head.

MEPs are paid a daily attendance allowance of £220 or so for each day they attend. (Yes they get this as well as as salaries which are much higher than those our own MPs at Westminster enjoy. They also get reimbursement at first class travel rates, by whatever means they travel. This is normally called a gravy train.)

To obtain their daily allowance they must turn up and register.

The problem is that on Fridays many of them register and stay long enough only to pick up their bags and walk out for the journey home. There are scenes of MEPs arriving with large suitcases in hand at registration.

A German Television company, with their reporter Thomas Meier, has filmed many of these travellers arriving to register, and filmed them scurrying away in guilt. The film was available on YouTube as a video.

To make matters worse, Mr. Meier and his team were apparently marched off the premises, although fully accredited. Finally, presumably from pressure by the EU, the video was removed from YouTube.

They may be engaged in the questionable, and they may have sorted things out with their consciences, but it seems that shame and discovery, and possible non-re-election, are still working effectively forces.

The recent Lisbon Treaty/Constitution may be designed to make the Union work better. It is a pity that a root and branch revision to remove sleaze and fraud was not included.