Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-09-14-Speech-2-135"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"1999-09-14"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Statement by Mr Prodi (continued)2
dcterms:Language	"en"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.19990914.5.2-135"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:1999-09-14-Speech-2-1362
lpv:speaker	lp:David Sumberg2
lpv:spoken text	"Madam President, this is the first or maiden speech that I shall make in this Chamber and in the tradition of the House of Commons from which I came, I should normally spend a great deal of time talking about the beauty of my area. But time does not permit it and I shall simply content myself by thanking those who sent me here for doing so and saying that I will try and serve their interests as best I can. I shall not vote for the Prodi Commission. Firstly, despite my fondness for my former parliamentary colleague, Neil Kinnock, my party and I made a commitment at the European elections that we would not support any Commission which had within it previous members. Although I do not expect anybody else to support that, I hope those who disagree will understand that in a democratic society when you make a commitment to people who elect you, you try and comply with that commitment when you get elected. Secondly, I shall not vote for this Commission because I do not believe that in real substance anything has changed in the last few weeks as a result of the hearings which we have had. We have not had enough time to question Commissioners; we have not had enough time to follow up with an interrogatory process. There has been not one individual vote in any committee on any Commissioner, not one Commissioner has been forced to withdraw as a result of the questions as to his suitability and not one Commissioner has accepted any sort of responsibility for the events of the past. Because we cannot vote for individual commissioners tomorrow and because I cannot individually record my vote in this Chamber that my colleague Mr Patten would make a fine Commissioner for External Affairs, I am left with simply no choice but to vote against this whole Commission in order to send a message to Mr Prodi and his colleagues that if and when they are elected they will respond to this Parliament; they will accept that it can no longer be business as usual and that we have to change our ways if we are to give the people of Europe the confidence they must have in this Parliament and its institutions."@en1
lpv:spokenAs	member; EPP-ED (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3 vice-chair; Delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China (1999-07-22--1999-10-06)3 unknown; Conservative and Unionist Party (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"Sumberg (PPE )."1

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