We were due to have our meeting with Caroline Spelman MP today to discuss the MEP selection process but it was postponed. We can all guess why.
Let's just remind ourselves - again - why all this matters. The process was engineered by the party leadership to protect incumbent MEPs from any scrutiny by the grassroots. Grassroots members had the vote taken away from them. Hustings were banned. Other candidates were prevented from asking hostile questions of any other candidate and so on. We are all paying the price now of that anti-democratic selection process.
We noted briefly yesterday that there is a considerable overlap between those MEPs who are most committed to the European project and those facing ethics questions. It's not a perfect relationship but it's very much there.
Here is some related evidence on that.
All seven of the MEPs who, in October 2005, supported the Fox/ Cameron policy of leaving the EPP have answered Open Europe's questionnaire on transparency*.
And of those thirteen who supported staying in the EPP, nine haven't answered Open Europe's questions:
- Sir Robert Atkins MEP
- Christopher Beazley MEP
- John Bowis MEP
- Philip Bushill-Matthews MEP
- James Elles MEP
- Malcolm Harbour MEP
- Caroline Jackson MEP
- John Purvis MEP
- Struan Stevenson MEP.
* Martin Callanan MEP answered yesterday.
