Beyond Satire: Divided Belgium is EU prototype - Nigel Farage MEP

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► European Parliament, Strasbourg - 7 July 2010

► Speaker: Nigel Farage MEP, UKIP, Co-President of the EFD group.

► Debate: The Belgian Presidency's programme of activities

Transcript:

Thank you President, Good morning,

Well you couldn't really invent what's going on here this morning, could you. The Belgian Presidency takes over its six month term and everybody pretends that it's business as usual.

I was somewhat vilified a few months ago for pointing out that Belgium wasn't really a proper nation. But I think the electors of Belgium have rather proved the point. A separatist party is now the biggest party in Belgium.

We have before us a caretaker prime minister, but we all turn a blind eye and pretend that it's business as usual. It simply isn't. You have no legitimacy here, Monsieur Leterme.

And what an extraordinary irony that a country that's on the verge of breaking into two is telling 26 other member states for the next six months what they should be doing.

But perhaps worse than that, of course, is your own shear hypocrisy in this matter. Standing up this morning; being the good Belgian! Let's just remember that you yourself as Belgian prime minister didn't even know your own national anthem. You famously said, back in 2006, that it was only beer and football that held the country together.

But now I suppose with the trappings of power that's all been forgotten.

But nearly everybody in this chamber is in denial because Belgium is a huge embarrassment to you. It is a prototype. It is a model for the entire European Union and it is on the verge of breaking up. Yet none of you can admit it.

What is going on today inside this chamber, frankly, is beyond satire. I would not have thought that there should be a Belgian presidency of the Union. And wouldn't it be fun, if at the end of the six-month presidency there still wasn't a government in Belgium. I hope you're all very proud.
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► Credits:
Video: EbS - European Parliament
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► EU Member States:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• nigel
• farage
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• ukip
• belgium
• belgian
• laterme
• euro
• eurozone
• crisis
• european
• parliament
• union
• eu
• herman
• van
• rompuy
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• council
• president
• efd
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• griffin

[AurynThePaladin]

I like this guy more and more every time I hear him speak.

[Mackingster]

I wonder how much Mr. Farage will be fined this time? Long live Nigel Farage!

[paulaeire]

Ha - love it , So nice to hear the truth for a change. Wish we had somone like Nigel in Eire.

[benter1978]

The face of number 9: priceless.

[MrGordijn]

am from belgium and i wanna say looooooooooooooooool

tru tru tru tru but the peopel from belgium are so good whit working we dont need a goverment lol.

europe rules (peaseeeeeee)

[HighlyHedged]

MR Farage, you couldn't foresee this, could you! The Scots voted a separatist party... The Scottish National Party is the biggest party in Scotland and they have the CONSENT, POWER AND MANDATE FROM THE VOTERS to DO AN INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM! Is the UK a proper country? NO, IT IS NOT! What a HYPOCRISY MR FARAGE! I SUPPOSE the UK will be the PROTOTYPE of THE EU! 

[slimburg1]

leterme is a fucking dumbass ! 

[whitelighterJo]

@moctuzuma And before you try to insult people you should get an education. Symbolic power in itself is extremely powerful (the Pope, for one). Moreover, the Queen has a lot of powers in emergency situations plus can represent your country. So yeah, no power because we can all do that... So before giving remarks,get a bloody education you arrogant and extremely stupid asshole! Btw, I'm an expert in law and politics (master degree, job, etc..), so I know far mor (facts) than you.

[moctuzuma]

@whitelighterJo before you try to compose an intelligent reply please check your facts, that way you won't sound like such an ignorant twit. No, we do not elect our Monarchs, but we do elect our rulers, Britain has a parliament, which is a democracy, we vote for our Prime Minister and Ministers of Parliament. The Royal Family does not play apart in the runnings of our country, nor do they hold any power. They are symbolic, a tradition continued from an earlier time.

[whitelighterJo]

@moctuzuma Not a lot stronger, and consider this: the euro is an ambitious project aiming to have a common coin throughout Europe, despite the differences in the nations economies. It's doomed to fail (see Ireland, Portugal, Spain,..), and yet it is despite it's inherent failure competing with the pound! And for me, a King or Queen is the best exemple of a non-democratic institution, because they aren't chosen for their skills, but because of a birth right.

[moctuzuma]

@whitelighterJo Yes we have a queen, and what?

We're still a democracy and the pound has gotten stronger, well it's stronger than the euro at any rate (at time of writing comment.)

[BaumerPaulGefreiter]

This proves how weak national governments are (similar things happen in the Czech Republic, in Greece, in Italy, in Portugal...). Europe needs a more stable government.