THE editor of The Citizen is to be congratulated upon providing an opening forum on the Letters pages of the newspaper but I fear that his sense of humour must be getting the better of him. A joke is a joke, fair enough, but the efforts of a one 'Chris' (Whether Christopher or Christine is unknown,) Davies to make the 'European parliament' a subject of passionate debate amongst your readers have ceased to be funny and become silly. And you, Mr Editor, are in danger of destroying the will to live amongst your loyal readers. You simply cannot go on allowing Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms. Davies to go on insulting our intelligence in this way.

Does he/she really believe that MEPs provoke any sentiment at all in the majority of their constituents other that complete contempt? They do not, and this is demonstrated by the fact a miserable 11per cent turned out to vote in one recent 'Euro' election. These 11per cent are not to be blamed. They probably thought that they were playing bingo when they had to draw crosses on sheets of paper!

It would be in the interests of 'Chris' to keep his head down and enjoy his ride on the gravy-train while he can. Otherwise people might start to ask questions that demand real answers. Such as: when 'duty free' was abolished for such plebs as make up your constituents, did you, 'Chris,' think it right that it should be retained for MEPs? And when the French government subsidise their haulage industry by reducing the tax on fuel (subsidies being illegal in the European 'free market') and thereby help their haulage industry put British hauliers out of business, what is 'our representative,' the gallant 'Chris' going to do about it? And it is not true, 'Chris' that it is perfectly legal and considered proper for an MEP to travel to Brussels and Strasbourg by cadging a lift from a long distance lorry driver if he likes and then to claim the first class air fare as expenses? And do you think it right that viscous British criminals who defy the law by selling 'a pound' of carrots should be liable for imprisonment? And, in view of the fact that it is an open secret that French cattle is riddled with unreported BSE, what is 'Chris' doing to do to get French beef imports banned?

You and your kind are, quite rightly, regarded as an entirely irrelevant joke by the British public, Chris. And, what's more a joke in rather bad taste! My advice to you is to make hay while the sun shines, enjoy your ride on the gravy train and keep your head down.

As for the well-meaning but deluded U.K. Independence Party representative who keeps writing to you, my advice is to stop wasting your time. There was massive public opposition to the abolition of the death penalty, to closure of our coal-mining industry, to mass immigration from the 50s to the 70s and to rail privatisation. None of it made the slightest difference. The political classes, shysters to a man, or woman, make up their mind what is going to happen and bring it about by one means or another. And by 'the political classes,' I don't mean tuppenny-ha'penny gravy train hitch-hikers I mean the people who really run things and, as Disraeli said, they are not the ones you see! We, as ordinary people, should concentrate our efforts where we still do have some power. Like making sure that those who cost us over £2m through the ridiculous Mr Blobby episode pay full price.

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