Dead Parrot

Sumberg pours scorn on Euro cash for 'dead parrot' constitution

North West Conservative MEP David Sumberg today poured scorn on the European Parliament's budgets committee for allocating a staggering £2.4 million of taxpayers' money on information campaigns on the European constitution.

The committee earmarked the money for "informing the public about the work of the Convention, which drafted the constitution, and its conclusions" - despite the constitution's rejection by voters in France and the Netherlands.

"The EU constitution is a dead parrot, it has fallen off its perch so it is frankly absurd and ludicrous to suddenly allocate such a massive sum of cash on a pro-constitution propaganda campaign,' said Mr Sumberg. "But it is worrying that powerful forces within Brussels appear determined not to let the constitution's objectives go.

The Conservatives vow to fight any attempts to impose any of the constitution in an underhand manner."

Mr Sumberg said it should not be forgotten that earlier this year the Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said that "many parts of the constitutional treaty were widely welcomed reforms. If the European Commission were to introduce these by other means, we ought to agree them straight away."

"Why do some politicians still insist on trying to breathe life into this constitution, and with public money to boot? said Mr Sumberg. "Spending taxpayers' cash to promote something that has been so comprehensively rejected in two founding nations of the EU is plainly wrong. People in France and the Netherlands knew what they were voting for. Instead of wasting money this way the EU ought to be prioritising measures that help boost job creation and prosperity in the UK not drive us further into an European superstate."