UKIP's attendance record in the European Parliament is worse than that of their counterparts from the three major parties.
UKIP’s attendance record in the European Parliament is worse than that of their counterparts from the three major parties, according to data compiled by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
Happy to sign-in and collect their allowances, UKIP’s nine MEPs have missed around a third of the votes in the European Parliament between 2009 and October 2013. They have also missed almost all of the ‘reports amended’ sessions in which MEPs lay down amendments to legislation.
This was once again demonstrated on Wednesday, when Europe voted on whether its Parliament should continue meeting in both Brussels and Strasbourg, after a long campaign highlighting the fact that it costs European taxpayers €180m to meet in two locations rather than one.
Despite UKIP claiming to be standing up for Britain against European bureaucracy, however, only four UKIP MEPs out of nine bothered to turn up to vote on the measure at all. And those that did turn up abstained – on a measure that would have trimmed spending and cut waste!
And yet despite only four UKIP MEPs turning up to vote on the ‘second seat’ rule on Wednesday, six UKIP MEPs signed in to claim their daily spending allowance.
In other words, some UKIP MEPs signed in and couldn’t even be bothered to abstain!
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66 Responses to “UKIP MEPs laziest in Europe”
Thoughtful Skeptic
UKIP members had the chance to help saving 200 Mio of that “gravy train”, by joining the vast majority of MEPs determined to fight for the right to stop the travel circus. Instead some of them cashed in for the daily allowance but could not be bothered for joining the vote. What was there to loose for UKIPs cause? Nothing, at all. MEPs who can’t be bothered to take part in votes, even if it could make a positive difference (and in the worst case no difference), are hypocrites.
And voters who cheer their MEPs who are active enough to catch the money but too lazy to vote even on matters that could reduce waste of money, are a very peculiar group.
Rallan
“UKIP members had the chance to help saving 200 Mio”
No, they didn’t. Did you not read the replies to your post? The vote was a meaningless and ineffectual PR gesture by a powerless Parliament. This has been clearly explained by myself (French Veto) and Gadfly33 (lack of EU parliamentary power). There was no genuine reform on the table. It was a trick. UKIP abstained in contempt, and were right to do so. And to repeat, UKIP MEPs are not there to fix the EU, and UKIP supporters don’t want them to.
You achieve nothing by simply ignoring our arguments, then calling UKIP MEPs “lazy” and UKIP supporters “peculiar”.
Thoughtful Skeptic
That might be an argument, even if it is a weak one. I am sure voters would see the sense of UKIPers saying they object to that part but voted for a sign against the waste of 200 Mio €. If that were unacceptable abstaining would be an option, but cashing in while not even bothering to vote is lazy behavior of the worst kind and hart to justify.
Thoughtful Skeptic
Haven’t you read my post? I said it could make a positive difference and in the worst case it would not make any difference. The one seat campaign relies on public pressure. It starts of course with a strong sign of the parliament itself that it opposes the current situation. One strong line of defense of the French has been so far to say that the parliament is divided and only some want change. This vote this week killed that line of defense and France is getting to feel the heat.
UKIPs role here was one of an indifferent bystander, hardly helping the case of the British taxpayers. Even if leaving the Union is a priority, taken part in this vote was coming at no cost but with potential benefits for the voters.
Rallan
“I said it could make a positive difference and in the worst case it would not make any difference […] taken part in this vote was coming at no cost”
I repeat, the vote was a cynical, empty deceit intended to make the EU Parliament look good. There was no prospect of it making a difference. UKIP is in the European Parliament to expose it, not to conspire in its deceptions.