Which European Empire will we secede from? The one with 47 states or the one with 28??

Which European Empire will we withdraw from :-

• The one with 47 states or

• The one with 28 states?

 

England is currently a sub-state within two European Empires:-

 

 

1) One empire is known as "The European Union" and

2) The other empire is known as "The Council of Europe".

 

Even if the UK withdraws from the EU we will still be a slave state within the empire of the "Council of Europe"!

 

In 2016 there is much talk of a referendum about separating the UK from the European Union. Most people still don't know that even if we withdraw from the EU, we will still be under the control of another super-european government called the "Council of Europe" and that this "Council of Europe" has both a parliament and a court system that most people have never heard of. It has an executive, judiciary and legislature that has power over both our national government and our nation yet hardly anyone has heard of it.

THE "COUNCIL OF EUROPE" IS NOT THE "EUROPEAN UNION"

 

The Council of Europe has *47* member states - including all 28 member states of the European Union and has an estimated population of 820 million.
In contrast, the European Union, (EU) has *28* member states and has an estimated population of over 500 million.
The Council of Europe is NOT to be confused with the European Union  which is a different empire - although:-

• For 40 years they SHARED the same buildings!! (see below)
  The EU parliament has met in its own building called the "Louise Weiss" building only since 1999.
  But before that it SHARED a building with the Council of Europe called the "Palais de Europe" (Palace of Europe) for 20 years - from 1977 until 1999 (see below)
  And, before that it SHARED a different building with the Council of Europe called the "Maison de l'Europe" (House of Europe), for 20 years - from 1958 til 1977 (see below)
  All these buildings are in Strasbourg
• they have shared the same European flag and anthem since the 1980s
• The flag is a blue rectangle with a circle of 12 gold stars on it
• The anthem is Beethovan's "Ode to Joy"
• No country has ever joined the European Union without first belonging to the  Council of Europe.  ALL the countries in the EU are also in the Council of Europe.
• they both work for European integration

THE "Council of Europe" IS NOT THE SAME AS THE "EUROPEAN UNION"

THE "Council of Europe" IS NOT THE SAME AS THE "EUROPEAN UNION"

THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

The Council of Europe has two "houses of parliament" or "chambers"-

• neither of them is like the House of Commons (ie neither has members elected by the vote of the ordinary people) -
• both of them are like the House of Lords - (ie both have members appointed by government officials)

The two chambers of the Council of Europe are:-

1. the Committee of Ministers
    
    
   which consists of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of all of the 47 member states who are represented by their Permanent Representatives and Ambassadors to the Council of Europe. (The current UK Permanent Representative is Matthew Johnson - do you remember voting for him?) The Committee of Ministers is the decision-making body of the Council of Europe it convenes once a year (in May), while ongoing activities are managed by the Committee of the Ministers' Deputies, which meets once a week in Strasbourg.
    
2. the Parliamentary Assembly
    
    
   The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe can NOT create laws - although it has produced more than 200 legal instruments known as "conventions" - international multi-lateral treaties.  It is composed of 318 representatives (and the same number of substitutes) appointed by the national parliaments of the 47 member states.  It generally meets four times a year for week-long plenary sessions in Strasbourg. 

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is NOT the same as the European Parliament.

Parliamentary Assembly (of the Council of Europe)

European Parliament (Of the European Union)

 

The Parliamentary Assembly (of the Council Of Europe) is NOT the European Parliament (which is an institution of the European Union), although

• it also meets in Strasbourg for its plenary sessions and
• it shared a building with the European Parliament for 40 years.

The Council of Europe is also NOT to be confused with either "The Council of the European Union" or "the European Council" because these are both in the EU but not in the Council of Europe.  

 

Here is a list of UK MEMBERS currently in the PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY (of the COUNCIL OF EUROPE.)   There are 18 of them with another 18 as backup. What do they do that is worth the money that it costs?

The most well known of these members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is John Prescott. This is him (now Lord Prescott) about 2 years ago.

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And here is a recent article in the Telegraph about some of these politicians entitled:- David Cameron sparks MPs' protests in the Commons by sacking three 'serial' Tory rebels from Europe body

The Council of Europe has bound 47 countries with 200 legally binding European treaties or conventions - Here is a list of them - ranging from human rights to the fight against organized crime and from the prevention of torture to data protection or cultural co-operation.

You are legally bound by them but you didn't vote for any of them.

 

SECRETARIAT

The Council of Europe has its own "Secretariat" - a civil service of bureaucrats.  The Secretariat of the Council of Europe is NOT the Secretariat of the European Union. 

More jobs for the boys on the gravy train!

The 1800-strong secretariat of the Council of Europe is headed by the Secretary General who is elected for a term of five years by the Parliamentary Assembly and heads the "Secretariat of the Council of Europe".


The current Secretary General is the former Prime Minister of Norway, Thorbjørn Jagland, who took office on 1 October 2009. He was reelected for five new years on 24 June 2014. Prior to him it was Secretary General Terry Davis (SOC, United Kingdom), former Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly and former President of the Socialist Group of the Assembly.

 

Its Ordinary budget was 197,214 ,00 euro in 2007. Presumeably extorted from taxpayers, who don't know that they are funding two super-states, one of which is impotent. The "General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Council of Europe" grants the European Council diplomatic immunities. Salaries and emoluments paid by the Council of Europe to its officials are tax-exempt.

The European Council has a web site: -http://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/home

ORGANISATION CHART OF THE SECRETARIAT GENERAL OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Look how many civil servants you are paying for!! These people have their greasy fingers in many, many pies! They are claiming the right of government to interfere in ALL of these areas of human life.

Other Institutions of the Council Of Europe

The best known institution of the Council of Europe is the European Court of Human Rights, which enforces the European Convention on Human Rights.

Based in Strasbourg, this is the only truly judicial organ established by the European Convention on Human Rights.  It is composed of one Judge for each State party to the Convention.  Its job is to enforce the  the "Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms", commonly referred to as the European Convention on Human Rights. The Convention on The European Court of Human Rights was adopted within the context of the Council of Europe and thus The European Court of Human Rights is NOT part of the European Union, and neither is the European Convention on Human Rights.

 

Congress of the Council of Europe:- (another Institution of the Council of Europe)

 

 

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (of the Council of Europe) (The Congress of the Council of Europe) is a pan-European political assembly, the 648 members of which hold elective office (they may be regional or municipal councillors, mayors or presidents of regional authorities) representing over 200,000 authorities in 47 European states.

 

It was created in 1994 and comprises political representatives from local and regional authorities in all member states. (ie another way to bypass and undermine National governments like the one in Westminister)  It pays special attention to the implementation of goals described in the  European Charter of Local Self-Government which entered into force in 1988 and has been ratified so far by the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe (including Russia). It also pays special attention to the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities of 1980.

 

It provides a forum where local and regional elected representatives can express their views to governments. It also advises the Committee of Ministers (not the EU) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (not the EU) on all aspects of local and regional policy.

 

The Congress is made up of two chambers:

• The Chamber of Local Authorities (not in the EU)
  These "local authorities" are cities rather than nations or regions. (Another way of bypassing and undermining national governments)
  The Chamber has a permanent Secretariat located at the Palace of Europe in Strasbourg, which is headed by its Executive Secretary, currently Jean-Philippe Bozouls, appointed by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe
   
   
• The Chamber of Regions (not in the EU)
  The Chamber of Regions consists of representatives of "Regions" - ie authorities that act between the local and central levels of government.
  The Chamber is the voice of regional authorities in the Council of Europe. ( ie not national governments and not local governments, Another way of bypassing and undermining national governments) It consists of 318 representatives and substitutes from the Council’s 47 member states, who either hold a general regional authority mandate from direct elections or are politically accountable to a directly elected assembly. The UK has 18 members - did you vote for any of these people to represent you in Europe?
   
   The Chamber of Regions (of the  Council of Europe)  is NOT to be confused with the Committee of Regions ( of the EU )
   
  The work of the Chamber is organised around four statutory committees.
• The Institutional Committee is in charge of the issues of regional self-government, it issues reports and draws up recommendations.
• The Culture and Education Committee works on matters related to culture, education, media, youth, sport and communication.
• The Committee on Social Cohesion is responsible for employment, citizenship, migration, inter-community relations, social and gender equality, and solidarity.
• The Committee on Sustainable Development deals with environmental concerns.

The two-chamber assembly has 318 full members and 318 substitute members, each of whom is an elected representative from one of over 200,000 local and regional authorities in the Council's member states.  (DID YOU VOTE FOR ANY OF THESE GUYSs???  They are being payed-for by some taxpayers somewhere!!)  

The "Commissioner for Human Rights" is an independent institution within the Council of Europe, mandated to promote awareness of and respect for human rights in the member states.

Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe
(http://www.coe.int/T/NGO/default_en.asp)

 

The Conference of INGOs represents the civil societies of CoE countries. It is composed of over 300 international non-governmental organizations. The body reflects the role of civil society in CoE countries, engages NGOs in the Council's activities, and encourages NGO dialogue with government bodies, parliamentarians and local authorities. Note that this means that NGO's have access to the power and authority of GOVERNMENT! (Another way of bypassing and undermining national governments)  Taxpayers are paying for NGO's to jump on the gravy train.

The Council of Europe and NATO

The Council of Europe was created in 1949 by the Treaty of London, two years before the first stage of the EU which was the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) set up by the Treaty of Paris.

The Congress of Europe which met in The Hague in the Netherlands on 7-10 May 1948 was presided over by Winston Churchill (who was no longer the British prime minister) and brought together important political figures from 17 countries,

NATO was founded under the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed in Washington DC on April 4, 1949.  The original twelve nations that signed it thus became the founding members of NATO
The Council of Europe was founded on 5 May 1949, in St James’s Palace, London, by the Treaty of London.  That treaty was signed by ten countries: Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, accompanied by Ireland, Italy, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The first major convention was drawn up: the European Convention on Human Rights signed in Rome on 4 November 1950 coming into force on 3 September 1953.

The Council of Europe was an intergovernmental organisation, and signatories did not transfer any of their sovereign power to it.  It was expressly excluded from dealing with matters of defence, which were supervised by NATO, itself set up one month earlier by essentially the same ten countries under the leadership of the US.

NATO has its own Parliamentary Assembly  which consists of 257 delegates from the 28 NATO member countries.[2] Delegates from 13 associate countries; the European Parliament; 4 regional partner and Mediterranean associate member countries; as well as parliamentary observers from 8 other parliaments; 3 inter-parliamentary assemblies also take part in its activities.
Delegates to the Assembly are nominated by their parliaments according to their national procedures, on the basis of party representation in the parliaments

The headquarters of the Assembly’s 28-strong International Secretariat is located in central Brussels

More about NATO's Parliamentary Assembly  ANOTHER parliament that taxpayers have to pay for.

Comment.

YOU COULD CALL THE Council of Europe THE "OTHER" EU - THE ONE THAT WE WON'T WITHDRAW FROM EVEN IF WE WITHDRAW FROM THE EU!!!

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The European Union

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of *28* member states that are located primarily in Europe. It began on 1 November 1993, when the Maastricht Treaty became effective, but it didn't obtain a consolidated legal personality until 1 December 2009 when the Treaty of Lisbon came into force.  It still does not have a constitution after a 2004 proposal was adbandoned. Its capital city is Brussels in Belgium

  The Logo (and Flag) Of The EU which currently has 28 member countries

The EU has several institutions. They are, (as listed in Article 13 of the Treaty on European Union): 

• the European Council,
• the Council of the European Union,
• the European Parliament,
• the European Commission,
• the Court of Justice of the European Union,
• the European Central Bank, and
• the Court of Auditors.

The EU has three "houses of parliament". One is like the House of Commons because it has members who are elected by ordinary people - it is called the "European Parliament"

The other two are like the House of Lords because they are NOT elected by ordinary people but are instead appointed by the government.
They are called the "Council of the European Union" and the "European Council."

Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament, as confirmed by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992 and the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997.

The European Parliament,

The European Parliament is the parliamentary body of the European Union which comprises 766 European Members of Parliament of the 28 European Union countries, elected by universal suffrage (the vote of ordinary people).

The European Parliament (which meets in Strasbourg for its plenary sessions) is NOT The Parliamentary Assembly (of the Council of Europe) which also meets in Strasbourg.

The European Council,

 

The European Council

The European Council does NOT have any formal legislative power. It is a summit of the heads of state or government of the member states.  Its members are:-

• the heads of state or government of the 28 EU member states and
• the council's own president and 
• the President of the European Commission.

Held at least twice a year, it was established as an informal summit in 1975, and formalised as an Institution in 2009 upon the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon. The current president of the European Council is Donald Tusk.  It meets in the same building as the Council of the European Union (the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels Belgium) but has a different logo. (The European Council should not be confused with the Council of the European Union or the Council of Europe


 The Council of the European Union

 

The Council of the European Union DOES have formal legislative power. Its primary purpose is to act as one of the two chambers of the EU's legislative branch , the other chamber being the European Parliament and consists of members of the executive governments of the EU's member states. It is still often referred to as the "Council of Ministers", It is based in the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels, Belgium.

It also holds, jointly with the Parliament, the budgetary power of the Union and has greater control than the Parliament over the more intergovernmental areas of the EU, such as foreign policy and macroeconnomic co-ordination.

 

The Council is assisted by a Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper), comprising member state officials holding ambassadorial rank, and a Secretariat, with a staff of about 2000.  (Thousands more on the gravy train! You are paying for all of this!)  

 

(The Council of the European Union should not be confused with either the Council of Europe or the European Council)

 

The Council of the European Union - is based in the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels, Belgium. The EU parliament building is in Brussels at the "Espace Leopold" complex located in the Place du Luxembourg, Brussels.  

 

The Judiciary of the European Union The EU court system obtained its current name the "Court of Justice of the European Union" with the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009 - when the highest court of the CJEU was renamed the "Court of Justice".  So the Court of Justice should not be confused with  the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Court of Justice of the European Union

 

Based in Luxembourg (not Strasbourg or Brussels) it ensures compliance with the law in the interpretation and application of the European Treaties of the European Union (not the Council of Europe).  

It should NOT be confused with the European Court of Human Rights which is a supranational court of the Council of Europe (not the EU) which is also based in Strasbourg  

 

The Committee of Regions

The EU has a Committee of Regions which is NOT to be confused with The Chamber of Regions (of the  Council of Europe)

The CoR has 350 full members and the same number of alternate members. The number from each EU country roughly reflecting the size of its population.

Its members are locally and regionally elected representatives including mayors, regional presidents and councillors.

 

The CoR was set up to address two main issues:-

Firstly, about three quarters of EU legislation is implemented at local or regional level, so it makes sense for local and regional representatives to have a say in the development of new EU laws.

 

Secondly, there were concerns that the public was being left behind as the EU politicians steamed ahead. Involving the elected level of government closest to the citizens was one way of closing the gap. (Another way of bypassing and undermining national governments)

 

The Treaties oblige the Commission (of the EU) and Council (of the EU) to consult the Committee of the Regions whenever new proposals are made in areas that have repercussions at regional or local level. The Maastricht Treaty set out 5 such areas - economic and social cohesion, trans-European infrastructure networks, health, education and culture. The Amsterdam Treaty added another five areas to the list -

• employment policy,
• social policy,
• the environment,
• vocational training and
• transport

which now covers much of the scope of the EU's activity  

 

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The Parliamentary Buildings of the EU and the Council of Europe.

The "Palais de Europe." Strasbourg. Home of the Parliamentry Assembly of the Council of Europe. It was SHARED with the EU Parliament for 20 years - from 1977 until 1999 Then the EU Parliament moved to another building in Strasbourg called the "Louise Weiss" building.

The "Louise Weiss" building in Strasbourg - One of the two main buildings of the EU Parliament.  The other one is in Brussels.

The Brussels building of the EU Parliament is called the "Espace Léopold"

The "Justus Lipsius" building in Brussels, Belgium where the Council of the European Union is based.

 

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PROBLEMS with the EU that will NOT be discussed by either the UK press or the politicians.

 

In 1999 the entire European Commission resigned when every kind of fraud and corruption had come to light thanks not least to a Commission whistleblower called Paul van Buitinen.  Paul van Buitinen, was the auditor whose revelations forced the resignation of the entire Santer Commission on the night of 15 March 1999.

"The Santer Commission was the European Commission in office between 23 January 1995 and 15 March 1999. The administration was led by Jacques Santer (former Prime Minister of Luxembourg).

The body had 20 members and oversaw the introduction of the euro. It was cut short when the Commission became the first to resign en masse due to allegations of corruption." (source Wikipedia ).

After the resignation, Van Buitenen said:-   "Despite everything, I can't see any change in Brussels,"

 

So ... No change there then.

 

And again in 2009  - again from the Telegraph :-

A look in the EU's unbalanced books"  By Christopher Booker Daily Telegraph 09 May 2009 "a shocking new book, published tomorrow, entitled Brussels Laid Bare, by the EU's sacked former chief accountant, Marta Andreasen. The outline of her story has long been familiar. In 2002, as the first qualified accountant to be given the job, she was appointed to sort out the EU's accounts, which for six years running had not been cleared by the EU's Court of Auditors due to a maze of "irregularities"." 

"Thus began a horror story only too familiar from the experience of previous whistleblowers, from Van Buitinen to Bernard Connolly, (who ran the monetary affairs unit of the European Commission, whistleblowed and was then fired and ostracised) He wrote a book called "The Rotten Heart of Europe" – except that Miss Andreasen insists she was not a "whistleblower" but merely trying to do her job. 

Her telephone was bugged. She was followed outside the building. In desperation she sought an interview with Neil Kinnock, the Commission Vice-President charged with fighting fraud, but she describes how he treated her with "bullying" contempt. At Lord Kinnock's instigation, she was first suspended and consigned to a tiny office without a telephone, then dismissed, finally to face disciplinary proceedings, 

Thus her life descended into a five-year nightmare, as she faced one tribunal or court after another, all finding her wholly to blame. At one point she had to appear before all the Commissioners, like a naughty child, only one appearing to listen to her while Kinnock made grimacing signs to indicate that she was mad. 

Her book reads like a chilling cross between two Kafka novels, The Trial and The Castle. Yet this is the organisation to which our politicians have surrendered much of the power to decide how Britain is governed, and to which British taxpayers now hand over some £13 billion every year with no control over how it is spent. "  

 

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Andreason went on to become an EU MP, here she is in 2009 talking about the EU finances.

 

Comment:-

2009 is 7 years ago and yet there is no evidence of any correction of  the massive fraud and corruption in the EU reported by high ranking officials from within the EU. Nor will anybody talk about it in public. The silence is deafening.!!!!

 

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