In a supposed effort to “bring the debates, discussions and opinions of MEPs into the homes of those that will be affected by their decisions”, the European Parliament has launched its very own internet television channel. Despite the €40 million price tag, this is a website Eurosceptics could well grow to love for the ease of access it provides to a plethora of Euro-absurdities.
To date, my ‘favourite’ video on the website is the debate on the ‘use by Parliament of the symbols of the Union (new Rule 202a)’ led by a Heseltine-haired Spanish socialist by the name of Carlos Gonzalez Carnero. Syed Kamall MEP has the background to the issue here.
Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, who sits with the British Conservatives inside the federalist EPP group, speaks of "getting a bit emotional when he sees the European flag flying outside a building or hears the Ode to Joy”. Play the world’s smallest violin. Later, when directly addressing a DUP MEP, Méndez de Vigo makes reference to the staunch unionist’s "compatriots" who wore "the tricolour and the colours of the revolution". Lib Dem Andrew Duff labels the speeches of Eurosceptic MEPs from former communist countries as "strange" and "tragic". Finally, Cypriot MEP Marios Matsakis doesn’t miss his chance to have a pop at Turkey; criticising the presence of a “mammoth sized Turkish flag on the side of the Kyrenia mountain range”.
Joking aside, EuroParl TV is an infinitely better resource than the British Parliament’s woeful offering, Parliament Live. It is easy to navigate, informative and, for the EU, refreshingly open. You can watch it online by clicking here.
