My Plenary Speech Sept 10th 2013

Mr. President,

The European Council is at least seeking to exercise some budgetary restraint.  Meantime we in this House call on our voters for austerity, while we ourselves practise extravagance.

€200 million to commute to Strasbourg.  €150 million for Mr. Poettering’s “European House of History” (or was it “House of Horrors”?)

And now we read that we’re spending €6 million on a pre-election propaganda campaign.

Mr. President, I’ve seen the commercial.  We say we want to listen to the people.

So let me tell you what my four million constituents in the British East Midlands are saying.

They say they’ve had enough of the European Union.  That they’re sick to death of paying for it.  They’re sick to death of its petty rule-making and interference.  They believe it does more harm than good.  The believe they would be Better Off Out.

Colleagues, as Oliver Cromwell famously remarked, “You have sat here too long for any good you may be doing.  In the name of God, GO!”