The POWER of pensions

Even in the forerunner to this blog, 'Ironies', the insidious influence of the EU's power to withdraw the tax advantageous EU pensions of Commissioners and officials has been stressed as a cause for the insidious nature of the institution having been successfully concealed from the broad public. As I have posted over the past couple of days it has been gratifying to see that Lord Pearson, the UKIP peer, has since this past summeralso been making this a major issue by trying to get such pensions declared as an interest in the Lords and highlighting the disgraceful fact that several such ennobled ex-EU public pocket-pickers will be involved in the consideration of the EU Reform Treaty! It is time to turn this pension weapon against that institution which is bent on destroying our Westminster democracy as the sole authority in the land. The EU now aims to finally remove the right for the people to periodically and bloodlessly remove their leaders, the basic premise of democracy rather than tyranny as defined by Karl Popper. David Cameron, if he is serious about preventing the EU Reform Treaty being ratified or maybe even just allowing the voters their promised referendum on this sweeping Treaty change, should table a Referendum amendment and concurrently commit a future Conservative Government to withdraw the pension entitlements for MPs elected in 2005 on a party platform promising a referendum who then vote against such referendum amendment. This is a blunt weapon which once deployed might be turned against the Tories in the future, but if he restricted the pension loss to that earned to the period from 2005 until the next election it could be seen as perfectly acceptable and not necessarily setting a precedent as the public purse should not continue to be available to such dishonourable MPs. The dire constitutional consequences of the Reform Treaty being ratified must ensure that eventually all perks of the past offices of those who have thus sold out their nation will eventually be placed at risk. (For more background read Christopher Booker's speech to the Bruges Group presently on the EU Referendum blog, linked here). If David Cameron, (presently an almost certain member of the pocketbook pandering Political Class as defined by Peter Oborne in his new book) flunks such a proposal then perhaps enough smaller parties will seize upon the idea to be able to ensure the Tory election majority which seems possible from this morning's polls will eventually prove illusory. These people only understand money!