Another year comes to an end with a ‘light’ Strasbourg session where not too much voting took place. However, it was interesting for two reasons: Corus and the budget vote.

On Tuesday, I was given Nigel Farage’s slot and I had the opportunity to put a one-minute question to the Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso. He has one minute to respond, I have thirty seconds to respond to his response and then he has a further thirty seconds to respond to mine. All in all, it takes three minutes. A wonderful exercise in democracy … I’m sure you would agree?

Following lengthy discussions with our press team, it was decided to go for Corus, the steel works plant that is due to be ‘moth-balled’ on Teeside. As we knew the EU had its ‘mucky fingers’ all over the closure, it seemed to be an open goal. It was.

The interesting point in Barroso’s answer wasn’t the fact that he urged the Chairman of the IPCC and railway engineer Dr. Pachuri to take me to court, it was that he admitted that the ‘moth-balling’ of the Corus plant was merely a “consequence” of the EU’s carbon emissions policy. Fine and dandy Jose Manuel, but try telling that to those poor lads and lasses who’ve lost their jobs because of your outlandish policies.

On Thursday we had the budget vote, which was like ‘pulling teeth.’ It was difficult sitting there watching the Euro-fanatics put their hands up at the right time to increase the budget of the EU and milk more from the ‘golden cow’ that is Britain. The 2010 budget was signed to great fanfare… music, clapping, the lot really. It was galling to see the Euro-fanatics welcoming a budget which means that the British will be handing over even more dosh to pay for Romanian motorways, Polish underground systems and the subsidising of French farmers. A complete and utter disgrace and those British MEP’s who voted for this should hang their heads in shame.

The question I’d like to ask is, wouldn’t our money be better spent on our schools, our hospitals or even giving our boys in Afghanistan decent equipment? In fact, couldn’t even use the extra money to keep Corus open?

Paul Nuttall MEP. www.paulnuttallmep.com