Ok a UK comedian / political commentator Mark Thomas has gotten interested in MEP’s and what interests they are declaring to the Euro Parliament.
He went to Brussels and asked to see the members declarations. He got access to them but was told he couldn’t film them or find the info. anywhere but in the room.
He then got a team together and over a no. of days copied all the info. down and created a database and has put it up on the web.
He also has offered a £500 sterling for the first person who finds a MEP that isn’t declaring all there interests.
The Department of Trade and Industry got into a little hot water when it emerged that a civil servant in that departmet had sent an email asking for dirt on Mark Thomas in order to discredit him. Here’s the story from the BBC, with some links to other relevant stories.
Mark Thomas rocks like sheer fury.
There’s a friend of mine who has already found iregularities with one MEP. Dana from Eurovision All kinds of everytime fame is a Irish MEP. She hasn’t registered anything, other than being a recording artist. She has attended several sporting events(most MEP’s have registered their free tickets ) and also doesn’t claim any renumeration for any clerical costs.
He has mailed her(looking for clarifation) and Mark Thomas and the Irish Times with the info.
Another thing Thomas has done, was a few years ago he set up a PR stand in the world largest arms fair.
He then held “fake” interviews with representatives of certain countries , Nigeria and Indonesia where shown.
His ploy was to make them believe that what he was doing was showing them how to answer uncomfortable questions from the likes of Amnesty International etc.
He got a member of the Indonesian Gov. to admit on camera than they tortured East Timoresse people and had sent in planes which they have always denied.
He was so good at the fraud that they asked him to tender for a contract to come to Jakarta and work with all the high ranking people.
FTR, I don’t think Dana is our representative, Yoji. I believe ol’ Rosemary and the Singing Campaign against Contraception is the representative for the West of Ireland.
Niall Andrews and Patricia McKenna (and one other… I can’t remember)are our representatives from Dublin and surrounding areas.
and it looks like their records are squeaky clean.
A useful reminder, yojimbo - I watched Mark T. last night, but had kind of forgotten that checking up on MEPs would be a good game. And, yes, that East Timor thing was wonderful. Interesting to note that the official Channel 4 site isn’t quite so much fun as a couple of other unofficial ones.
Incidentally, is U.K. Channel 4 received in Ireland, or is it taken by an Irish station? No matter, I think he should be compulsory viewing everywhere. (Only joking re. compulsory - not very democratic of me.)
We do get Ch. 4. It has some Irish ad.'s on it but other than that it’s the same. I also recieve BBC 1/2, UTV(ITV in Ulster), Sky1/News, NBC and Nat. Geographic.
This is quite funny on re-reading. She really tries to blow her own trumpet, even though she lost her seat because she just couldn’t accept competition and tried to eliminate De rossa, rather that promote herself.
