Okay, now I am annoyed. We have just voted on four interim commissioners - individuals who will serve the remainder of the term of the Commissioners elected to the European Parliament. Each has gone through a (shortened) interrogation by the relevant committee. After interrogation, one candidate for Commissioner was deemed so ill equipped to take up the post that MEPs from across the chamber were troubled. A colleague on the interrogating committee stated that despite the fact that she possessed a law degree, she showed a woeful ignorance of the law in general and her portfolio in particular. She read scripted answers (badly), irrespective of the question. Eventually, she submitted a letter conceding that she would need the assistance of the Parliament if she was to do justice to her portfolio. Martine Reicherts is now the new Commissioner for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship. Read the above paragraph once again. You will ask, how could the whole parliament endorse such a candidate? Well, it was decided, in what appears to be a wholly unnecessary stitch-up by the big parties, that a vote would take place not on each candidate but upon all four candidates together. A vote against one would therefore be a vote against all. Our group, the green group, even the UKIP group asked for individual votes. We pushed the request to a vote but were defeated. And so we have a Justice commissioner ill-qualified to exercise her brief. Justice done, literally. You will also be pleased to know that each new Commissioner, despite serving only three months, will be entitled to the full benefits of office - pension, perks and all. Money well spent, I am sure you will agree. Did someone say, reform?
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 07:48:01 +0000
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