Scoring points, achieving rankings

In my typical environmentally-friendly way, I usually travel into the parliament in Strasbourg, from my hotel, on the tram (carriages built in Derby), so I have plenty of time at the tram stop to observe the street, which is showing signs of urban decay.  Some of the shops are very shabby.  “URBAN STREET; Vêtements Hip-Hop” looks very passé.  “Apiculture Fend” actually appears to have shut, perhaps another victim of the mystery malaise which is affecting bees across Europe.  Only the pâtisserie/boulangerie seems to be doing good business.  It has a bright interior, a warm smell of baking, and a pleasing young lady who serves excellent coffee and croissants around 7:00 a.m.
 
I was drinking my coffee today and thumbing through a copy of DNA (not a new genetic code, but Dernière Nouvelles d’Alsace), when I found news that Marco Cappato, a hyper-active Italian Liberal MEP, has prepared a list scoring all MEPs on their activity levels, covering attendance, voting records, the number of reports they have authored, amendments they have tabled, and so on.  The list (in a rather indigestible format) is available on www.parlorama.eu.
 
Listed in descending order, and in blocks of twenty per page, I found that I appeared on Page 14, so ranking around 270 out of 785 — rather better than I expected.  Of course I would score well on attendance and voting record, but very poorly on reports, and tabling amendments.  I share the view of my good colleague Dan Hannan, that we have quite enough EU regulation already, and that the people who voted for me don’t want me to make any more.  On the contrary, I take a pride in opposing much of the legislation going through the parliament, and in supporting amendments that blunt the impact of over-regulation.
 
Much of my work is directed to delivering the conservative message as widely as possible, through my work in the region, through the media and through my blog and web-site, through my Chairmanship of the Freedom Association.  I see my job not as building the European project, but as taking the lid off Brussels and telling my constituency, and the world, what damage the EU is really doing to our prosperity and our democracy.  That doesn’t rank in Mr. Cappato’s table.