Barboo

What exactly do the regulations say, Alex? Can you give me a reference on the European parliament website?

Alex McKee

Whoa there, Barboo! I said apparently
I'm trying to find some reference, indeed.

Niall Warry

All MEP's after just one term receive a pension of £25,000 a year. I wonder how much of that UKIP will get :?:

Jim Smith

At the recent local elections, apart from Dai Llewellyn, the following UKIP MEPS turned out and campaigned in the election period for these candidates out of the 1,000 who stood.


.................................................. ..........

:cry:

tito

The MEPs do give alot to UKIP as it is. Stop making it seem like they are all tied up in the UKIP conspiracy.

Barboo

[b]Alex wrote:

[quote]Whoa there, Barboo! I said apparently
I'm trying to find some reference, indeed.


Well, good luck with that, Alex. The only reference I've ever been quoted is what UKIP's MEPs themselves say, and it would be interesting to see something a little more concrete. You might also visit the website of Lib/Dem MEP Chris Davies and click on 'pay and expenses', where you will find:

"These longstanding travel arrangements for MEPs pre-date the era of low cost airfares and, depending on locations and circumstances, can allow MEPs to make a substantial tax free surplus in excess of £10,000 pa from the allowance. Every British MEP in the last Parliament called for them to be changed. Pending such change Chris Davies pays his travel reimbursements into a separate account which is used to pay for his actual travel costs (including his car, a 5 year old Nissan Micra), to supplement the costs of running his parliamentary office, and for both charitable and political donations".
ends

Note particularly, "for both charitable and political donations". Yet in 2003 Nigel Farage wrote to the West Sussex Gazette: "When I began donating money to victims of the EU, such as the Metric Martyr in Sunderland, there was a full investigation into this by European Parliament officials. The result is that I cannot talk about the source of money that is used for political purposes in the UK without all of my allowances being stopped".

This would appear on the surface to be different rules for different MEPs, however the Summary Income & Expenditure Accounts for year ended 31.8.2000, the only accounts published by Nigel Farage and Jeffrey Titford, show a rather different picture. The MEPs both listed income from secretarial/office allowances and various other sources, plus excess travel and daily allowances of £5,000 in the case of NF and £6,450 for JT. NF's total income on this account was £110,791, balanced by expenditure of £110,791 which included no payments to EU victims or metric martyrs (he showed in a separate note, donations from his 'private accounts' of £250 and £400 to EU victims), but did include payments amounting to £5,420 for by-election campaigns and UKIP promotional leaflets. As I understand it, it is the expenditure on these items which is not allowed under EP rules. JT's total income was £106,220, balanced by expenditure of £106,220 that included £12,691 for UKIP promotional leaflets, grants to regional branches and head office, and by-election campaigns, but nothing to EU victims or metric martyrs. My belief is that the MEPs were hauled over the coals and required to refund their expenditure of disallowed amounts used for the party's benefit, but that the story was 'spun' to appear that they had fulfilled their undertaking to give all excess travel expenses to EU victims. I shall be interested in any factual information that either contradicts or supports my theory.

Niall Warry

No not allegedly this is a fact. :evil:

Niall Warry

and apparently the cost of Dai's campaign was £20,000. Was this money well spent :?:

Niall Warry

Why not if all the indications are that UKIP MEPs are just like all the rest putting themselves first. :evil:

Niall Warry

UKIP MEP Derek Clark recently signed an agreement that the EU should have more authority by QMV over member countries whilst on ajolly in Romania :roll:

Is this what we expected UKIP MEPs to get up to :?: :evil: