Godfrey Bloom launches tirrade against EU 'parliament'

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100065308/a-ukip-mep-is-expelled-for-making-nazi-comparisons-oddly-no-one-complained-when-the-man-he-insulted-used-the-same-language-about-eurosceptics/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1332703/British-MEP-kicked-parliament-Ein-Volk-ein-Reich-ein-Fuehrer-jibe-German-colleague.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11828319

http://www.godfreybloommep.co.uk/


http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/files/2010/11/bloom1.jpg

Godfrey Bloom (right) in the demonstration that made Martin Schulz 'think of Hitler'



Godfrey Bloom was thrown out of the chamber of the European Parliament today after being gratuitously rude to the Euro-Socialist leader, Martin Schulz. Irked by Shulz’s complaint that the UK was standing in the way of European integration, the UKIP MEP burst out “Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer!” There are times when British Eurosceptics cringe at the behaviour of one of their countrymen, and this was one of them.

Bloom was out of order: whatever else he is, Schulz is no Nazi. But the parliamentary authorities then reacted extraordinarily. The acting Speaker, Edward McMillan-Scott, told his fellow Yorkshire MEP that if he didn’t apologise, he’d be escorted from the room. Bloom replied that the only people who had the right to remove him were his constituents.

McMillan-Scott then called for a vote on whether to eject the red-faced former territorial. The motion was overwhelmingly carried, and Bloom was marched out, wearing with a thunderous expression. Several aspects of this episode should alarm us. First, there is the democratic objection. Surely it is up to the electorate to decide who sits in a legislature. If Bloom can be denied his place by his fellow MEPs, what is to stop the federalist majority voting to expel every Eurosceptic?

Then there is the liberal objection. In a free society, the right to say what you will trumps the right not to be offended. We should allow people to be ignorant, ill-mannered, obnoxious; to condemn themselves by their boorishness.

Above all, though, there is the sheer one-sidedness. I’ve blogged before about the way in which Euro-integrationists routinely dismiss their opponents as Nazis.The leader of the European Liberals, Graham Watson, has said that Eurosceptics put him in mind of “the National Socialists in the German Reichstag”. In the run-up to the French referendum on the European Constitution, Margot Wallström, then Sweden’s Commissioner, travelled to the Theresiendstadt concentration camp to and told “No” voters that this was where their ideology would lead (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1490024/Genocide-argument-is-the-last-resort-of-the-Euro-zealots.html). Only last week, Herman Van Rompuy, the Euro-President, said (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100063305/herman-vab-rompuy-euroscepticism-leads-to-war/) “we have together to fight the danger of a new Euro-scepticism. Fear leads to egoism, egoism leads to nationalism, and nationalism leads to war”.

Indeed, it wasn’t so long ago that one MEP, furious because Eurosceptics were calling for a referendum, said this:
“During the Weimar Republic, some pursued a strategy of trying to shout down their political opponents. That was how Adolf Hitler behaved, and it was how I felt today”.

The author of those words? Martin Schulz. (You can watch him speak them here (http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/2991)).

Now Mr Schulz was being silly as well as rude: calling for a referendum is not the same thing as bringing down the Weimar Republic. But no one suggested that he should be forced to apologise, let alone expelled from the hemicycle. Freedom, after all, includes the freedom to make stupid comparisons. Good manners can’t be enforced by rules; they should be natural. So let me end – since I have Ireland on the brain (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100064000/there-is-a-way-out-for-ireland-and-britain-should-stand-ready-offer-it/) – with a piece of advice from Godfrey’s bowler-hatted lookalike and namesake, Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of Joyce’s Ulysses:

—Force, hatred, history, all that. That’s not life for men and women, insult and hatred. And everybody knows that it’s the opposite of that that is really life.
—What? Says Alf.
—Love, says Bloom. I mean the opposite of hatred.

UPDATE:Thanks for drawing my attention to this clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyBuiyN_KHQ), in which Schulz can be heard calling a Dutch MEP a fascist because he, er, asked President Barroso to publish his receipts online. I mean, sauce for the goose, and all that...

A lengthy video so i'll put in the times;

See: 8:30 to 9:05 for Bloom rip into the shower of hypocrites;
& 11:20 onwards for Farage's response;



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb8r6rvcgxA


This decision generated heavy protest from Barry Madlener (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Madlener), a representative of the Dutch Freedom Party (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partij_voor_de_Vrijheid), who noted that Schulz had himself recently referred to fellow MEP Daniël van der Stoep (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dani%C3%ABl_van_der_Stoep) (also a member of the Dutch Freedom Party) as being ´a fascist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascist)´ for which Schulz himself was not removed. At the same day, Bloom published the following statement at his web page: "'My father spent 5 years of his youth fighting the ideals of the fascist Schultz. I need make no apologies on behalf of my late father or myself for telling the truth.'"

Well while Bloom went over the top with the comments and was rather rude, it's only what gets directed at UKIP, some Conservative and many other MEPs who are against the European Union almost weekly and it goes without punishment. Martin Schulz himself dismisses referendums when the people of Europe have their say and almost always say no to the EU and he himself has used the word fascist (the irony being that Schulz dismisses democratic results consistently). One rule for them, another for those who disagree with them - strikingly similar to when Nigel Farage was fined for ripping into the unelected and corrupt EU President Herman Van Rompuy.

Thoughts?

[Eoin247]

Seems like he went a bit too far over the top with that nazi reference i think, and he should have apologised at least.

However the same rules should indeed apply to all. Anybody making these types of statements shouldn't go unpunished.

[FlyingJesus]

Whilst the comment itself doesn't bother me, I can see why it would cause quite a bit of discomfort in a room full of European leaders, so I can't in any way defend his actions. However, the way it was dealt with simply doesn't fit with how all of this is supposed to be run - giving him a suspension until a true vote from his constituency would have looked far fairer and still had the same result most likely, as people do tend to not like Nazi comments. All they've done here is give the Euro-sceptics more ammo

[Neversoft]

Haha, great video. UKIP make parliamentary debate fun.

"Mr. Bloom, I am going to invoke rule one five two!"

[Jordy]

Whilst the comment itself doesn't bother me, I can see why it would cause quite a bit of discomfort in a room full of European leaders, so I can't in any way defend his actions. However, the way it was dealt with simply doesn't fit with how all of this is supposed to be run - giving him a suspension until a true vote from his constituency would have looked far fairer and still had the same result most likely, as people do tend to not like Nazi comments. All they've done here is give the Euro-sceptics more ammoI agree with what you're saying but I disagree it gives Eurosceptics more ammo. It's these sort of remarks which mean UKIP aren't taken seriously yet and aren't a formidable political party, they carry on about how they've changed but the fact is they're not full of serious and proper MEPs yet.

I've little doubt my post will be countered by an attack on both the Conservatives and the European Union but the fact is, I'm not taking UKIP seriously yet as it is indeed still full of loonies and fruitcakes. That's not to say there isn't a few in the Conservatives but they're a very small minority and don't make anywhere near as much noise :)

[-:Undertaker:-]

I've changed my mind on this actually, fascist is just another word for 'nasty' and is thrown around so much - Bloom was spot on.

Somebody needs to stick it to these people, and looking around on Youtube/the Mail the public seems to largely agree.


I agree with what you're saying but I disagree it gives Eurosceptics more ammo. It's these sort of remarks which mean UKIP aren't taken seriously yet and aren't a formidable political party, they carry on about how they've changed but the fact is they're not full of serious and proper MEPs yet.

I've little doubt my post will be countered by an attack on both the Conservatives and the European Union but the fact is, I'm not taking UKIP seriously yet as it is indeed still full of loonies and fruitcakes. That's not to say there isn't a few in the Conservatives but they're a very small minority and don't make anywhere near as much noise :)

So when Cameron says "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists" that's ok is it? Mr Bloom may not have a group of spin doctors working on his image, but at least he doesn't make unprounded attacks on opposing political parties. Bloom says facist, Cameron says racist - should we take Cameron seriously?

Mr Schulz is undemocratic and you can very well regard him as a fascist (if you subscribe to the view that the word fascist means dictatorial, personally I think it's lost all meaning in the modern day and is simply another word for 'nasty'). Bloom can back up what he says, Cameron cannot.

[Jordy]

I've changed my mind on this actually, fascist is just another word for 'nasty' and is thrown around so much - Bloom was spot on.

Somebody needs to stick it to these people, and looking around on Youtube/the Mail the public seems to largely agree.



So when Cameron says "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists" that's ok is it? Mr Bloom may not have a group of spin doctors working on his image, but at least he doesn't make unprounded attacks on opposing political parties. Bloom says facist, Cameron says racist - should we take Cameron seriously?

Mr Schulz is undemocratic and you can very well regard him as a fascist (if you subscribe to the view that the word fascist means dictatorial, personally I think it's lost all meaning in the modern day and is simply another word for 'nasty'). Bloom can back up what he says, Cameron cannot.Not really the point I'm making though is it, I have to say but I agree with Camerons statement and see nothing wrong with it, Nazi outbursts however I do have an issue with. I also have an issue with how they democratically elected to get rid of him but that's another kettle of fish.