Forum Topic

Brexit Party MEPs excel themselves

Turning their backs on Beethoven's Ode to Joy (but not, of course, to their fat salaries, the hypocrites!) was an infantile stunt that merely made them look foolish, but Anne Widdecombe has really excelled herself in a ludicrous speech to the EU Parliament by referring to the EU as "oppressors" like slave owners, feudal barons and colonialists: "There is a pattern consistent throughout history of oppressed people turning on their oppressors, slaves against their owners, the peasantry against the feudal barons, colonies against their empires and that is why Britain is leaving.  "It doesn’t matter which language you use, we are going and we are glad to be going," https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/07/04/ann-widdecombe-compares-eu-slave-owners-maiden-european-parliament/  (paywall)

Richard Carter ● 2687d12 Comments

Turning their backs during the anthem was shameful and indeed extremely childish. Anne Widdecombe's remarks in her maiden speech in the European Parliament are terrible and certainly unacceptable.  She has really lost it.

Ivonne Holliday ● 2687d

Equally infantile and embarrassing were the t shirts the lib dems wore with Bollox to brexit emblazoned on them. Was there any need for such language? We all know they are anti Brexit without the need to swear.of course they could have said bollox to the 52%

Andy Pike ● 2687d

Ok, I can see the Brexit  party wanted to make a protest during the European anthem as they feel the UK should have left the EU by now, although it comes over as rather childish and it's ironic that the Philharmonic Society of London originally commissioned the symphony #9 in 1817. Widdecombe's rant is objectionable and ignorant. The UK decided to remain in Europe after a democratic referendum in 1975 and has participated in all EU decision making until the 2016 referendum. Slavery was an evil, illegal transportation of people against their will pure!y for the economic advantage of the colonial nations and some local collaborators.

Michael Ixer ● 2687d

I wasn't too impressed by the LibDems either, but that pales into insignificance compared with the reaction to the anthem and, especially, Widdecombe's appalling speech.

Richard Carter ● 2687d

A bit like esperanto the anthem is pretty meaningless.  Widdicombe I agree was outrageous and pretty damn stupid .but lets not try and underplay the lib dems infantile t shirts.

Andy Pike ● 2687d

Well at least the Lib Dems were proclaiming their wish to remain in the EU, however clumsily they did it!

Caroline Whitehead ● 2687d

Don't worry too much about our MEPs, they won't be in the EP for long.

Sue Hammond ● 2687d

As Lib Dem Martin Horwood MEP said after Ann Widdecombes speech: '(The Brexit party) does not represent the views of everyone in the United Kingdom...Brexit is not inevitable...opinion is shifting in Britain, otherwise we would not be here.'

Clare Noeken ● 2687d

Well he would say that, wouldn't he? ....😉

Sue Hammond ● 2686d

The Time is reporting that the three Remain-oriented parties in the Brecon & Radnorshire byelection on 1st August are uniting behind a single candidate. The Green and Plaid Cymru parties are standing aside to give the Lib Dem candidate, Jane Dodds, the Liberal Democrat leader in Wales, a free run at the seat.https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/remain-pact-in-brecon-radnorshire-by-election-could-cut-new-pm-s-majority-to-three-7nnccxwzh (Paywall)

Richard Carter ● 2686d

I think the clue is in the word "anthem".  Why does the EU have an "anthem"?  Are they a country? A state?  Bit scary if you ask me to choose to have an "anthem".  Bit different from the Olympics.

Bunny Payne ● 2686d

Hello bunny @18.29The question should also apply to football clubs which do have anthems.But I did look it up and learn that it was adopted in 1972. It has no lyrics, it represents brotherhood, European ideals of freedom, peace and solidarity.  More importantly, it does not replace national anthems.I found similar information in Wikipedia and, please do read the text below, which I found in  https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/symbols/anthem_en  "The anthem symbolises not only the European Union but also Europe in a wider sense. The poem "Ode to Joy" expresses Schiller's idealistic vision of the human race becoming brothers - a vision Beethoven shared.In 1972, the Council of Europe adopted Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" theme as its anthem. In 1985, it was adopted by EU leaders as the official anthem of the European Union. There are no words to the anthem; it consists of music only. In the universal language of music, this anthem expresses the European ideals of freedom, peace and solidarity.The European anthem is not intended to replace the national anthems of the EU countries but rather to celebrate the values they share. The anthem is played at official ceremonies involving the European Union and generally at all sorts of events with a European character."Thank you for making me look it up and I hope you find the information helpful too.

Ivonne Holliday ● 2686d