Through the MPs' expenses scandal, one occasionally heard noises off from our European "partners" who seemed to be amazed that there should be so much public outrage about what is, in other climes, perfectly normal behaviour. Now, it seems, the Germans are having their own version. Social Democrat Health Minister Ulla Schmidt has raised a storm of protest after it emerged that she had flown out to Spain on holiday while instructing her official chauffeur to drive he ministerial limousine down from German to meet her at her holiday destination.

View full article here

http://www.bild.de/BILD/politik/2009/07 ... rlaub.html

Tee Hee

The Bild Zeitung today says, the whole affair has stressed her so so badly, that she has had to go on holiday AGAIN today, she is spending time with her family in Germany, it is not known whether she took an official car or not.... diddums..

My heart bleeds.

I remember reading this piece in the Economist's Charlemagne column: The worst of times, the best of times

It suggested that...



The fallout in Germany from this scandal may test that theory.

I had thought to mention Ulla's 'magische Dienstreise' & the PZKW a few days ago...but there was no vehicle for the posting.
Politicos & Politicas are similar the world over...no surprizes.
But it astonishes me(not) that these arrogant folk see no connection between "I acted within the rules" & "I was only doing my duty"..." I was obeying orders"
These are excuses sometimes accepted from foot-soldiers & hoi polloi...but not from those in whose hands the business of order-giving lies.
By contrast, also in Germany, a female supermarket cashier with 30 years service behind her was dishonest enough to pocket €1,30 worth of returned bottle chitties. Read the whole story here:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/bus ... 83,00.html

I am sure all readers and contributors to this blog know that the thieving and fraud in the EU makes out beloved little sock puppets in Westminster look like kids nicking sweets from Mr patel's corner shop. Perhaps some enterprising paper here might like to 'out' a few MEPs 'little expenses.' Public anger when times are tight with politicians living high on the hog at our expense can work wonders in turning people's attention to the gold plated trough that is the EU and possibly even getting the great British public angry enough about the institution to put it on the public radar?

This car scam is quite routine ... driving down to Strasbourg, we often used to see Commissioners' cars on the motorway being driven down from Brussels to meet their masters at the airport. The same applies to MEPs. They have a luxury bus, based in Brussels, which is driven down for the Strasbourg week (empty of course) to do the shuttle between the airport and the parliament building. At least they do not do with with the chauffeur-driven limousine fleet. They have one fleet, plus dirvers, based in Brussels (Mercedes) and another entirely separate fleet in Strasbourg (high-end Renaults).

Our domestic media, however, does not seem to care. Unless a story has a "union jack" on it, it rarely makes the news pages.

here is a summary of what Sarkozy has at his 'command', I guess S-class Ulla can hide herself (as well as Merkel, I think, compared to this):
http://www.bild.de/BILD/politik/2009/07 ... ellte.html

When he travels privately, an empty airplane must accompany him, so that in urgent cases he can fly back to Paris.

61 cars, 2 Airbus, 6 Falcon jets, the newest one for 60 Million EUR was named Carla

1 Million Eur for drinks yearly

Nearly 1000 employees (double the amount of the Queen, I guess they mean your's), 44 chauffeurs, 87 cooks.
The chef cooks can take whatever they want from the wine cellar of the Elysee, their lunch is served.

Carla or Sarkozy can order food around the clock, the kitchen never closes...

The only positive part is that as far as I know, the cars are actually not bought, but given/on loan from the manufacturers (Renault/Peugeot/Citroen), they see it as a free advertising of their 'luxury' cars.

Hmm, the 'carbon footprint' of all those planes and nasty, nasty cars surely the greens in the EU must be concerned enough to raise the issue eh? I am sure they must only use bicycles and swim to the 'save the planet junkets' the EU attends.

Raenorth, doubltess plenty of British MEPS are head and shoulders deep in the trough. Surely someone can dig up the dirt on them, given the fearless crusading British press' reputation for exposing corruption at all levels.

I am sure the totally impartial BBC would love to get on the case as well.

I'm sorry she is dead. I was only obeying my instincts.

There are many 'troughing' videoclips on YOU TUBE, see this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU55TEOJXGo

...and others. Certainly enough to fill a modest capacity DVD.
I gave up being shockable many years ago but my eyebrows were raised by one MEP who, on being questioned by an RTL reporter why he was claiming attendance fees when he was clearly leaving the city, said: "Es geht sie nicht an!" (It's none of your business)...and another running to try & hide in the lift, squarking: "Eine Unverschämtheit!" (an impertinence)........Incidentally, the investigating German RTL team were 'thrown out' of the building, to which they have legal access, by EU security guards
If there are any members, or friends of members. of 'Taxpayers Alliance' reading this thread, I would ask you to consider making a DVD...from YOU TUBE and researched elsewhere...and mailing it to every household in the country...and you should encourage Euromainland affiliate associations to do likewise
I have yet to meet anyone who will not, out of sheer curiousity, open & play a 'freebie' DVD
Surely we have had enough of this outright dishonesty & theft at home without having to bear a second, and far more expensive, layer of Schweinekot in Brussels...not to mention the duplication of duplicity in Strasbourg.

I think you're picking on the wrong folk...the French are different, didn't you know...they've told us often enough but we never listen...to anyone.
Our neighbours across 'la Manche' are probably the least 'green' people in the world, having seen, very early on & unlike les Bosches & Anglo-Saxons, what an unbelievable scam AGW really is.
Thus are contrails regarded as beautifying & they are up to their 'aisselles' (no, it isn't )in Nuclear Power stations...ensuring that when we morons are eventually fumbling around in self-imposed darkness...Paris will remain the City of Light.
I did not say that the French were averse to scams...only that they recognized them and, as far as they're concerned, there's only one decent scam in town...it's called the CAP