MEPs propose to hold the EU budget vote by secret ballotSelf-awareness has never been MEPs' strong suit. They have declared repeatedly that they won't endorse any budget proposal for 2014 to 2020 unless it provides for a substantial increase in spending. They're not terribly interested in what the extra spending should go on. It's enough to know that the money is 'for Europe'.Now, faced with what looks like a real terms cut – though there are different ways to measure these things – they have come up with a little ruse. They want to hold the vote by secret ballot. This is partly because they know that their constituents, who are putting up with difficult austerity measures at home, are in no mood to send the savings to Brussels. Mainly, though, it's because they know that, for all their bluster, they lack the cojones to defy their national party leaders. If Angela Merkel, Mark Rutte and the rest call their party delegations and tell them to endorse the deal that the national governments have agreed, MEPs will rush to ingratiate themselves. A secret ballot is, as it were, a double blind, intended to shield MEPs from pressure from above and below.
It's worth reminding ourselves that, even within a lower overall budget, Britain's contributions will continue to rise, largely because of Tony Blair's partial surrender of the rebate seven years ago. The money will still be used to purchase the loyalty of the consultants and contractors who are the EU's chief beneficiaries. The junkets and boondoggles will continue.
10 Feb 2013, 12:06 pm
