Another little Earner for MEP's

MEP's who "retire" or are voted out this Thursday along with those caught with their hands in the very deep pockets of European Expenses and the generalised fraud (anybody signed off their accounts recently?) that characterises the European Parliament can expect to pick up their share of various "pots" of money set aside to make sure that they continue traveling first class on the gravy train that is the EU.

As the Times explains

Den Dover, who was expelled from the Conservative Party for gross misconduct after claiming £500,000 in “unjustified expenses”, has a pension valued at £235,000 and will receive a “transitional allowance” of £59,367.

So after taking us for a cool half-million he still gets a nice pension and a tax free sum, whoever said crime doesn't pay never saw the workings of the European Parliament. Alongside him the Times reports we have

Tom Wise, the former UKIP MEP who faces trial for fraud and money-laundering related to his expenses, has a pension valued at £235,000 and will get a £32,382 transitional payment.

Another jolly into crime paying as long as it's in Europe.

Another (now former) UKIP member Ashley Mote who was jailed for six months has according to the Times

a pension worth £174,968 and will receive a transitional payment of £32,382

Not bad for spending much of his time lazing away inside one of our prisons.

In all British MEP's will share over £20 million in the European payout, true value for money. Unfortunately this may be the tip of the iceberg as in a previous story the Times highlighted that the

generous second pension scheme enjoyed by Members of the European Parliament is likely to be bailed out by the taxpayer after falling stock markets left it with a deficit of €120 million (£105 million).

The best bit is of course the fact that these amounts are for their "second" pensions over and above the standard pension.British MEPs already receive a main pension, which is the same as that for MPs at Westminster. This is worth up to two thirds of their £63,291 salary, depending on length of service.

This "second" pension is, and I loved this bit, paid from a 1/3 deduction from MEP's Ofiice Expenses. This allowance was about £45,000 per annum. The rest was paid for by the EU (Meaning us). MEPs are supposed to reimburse this account but there are no checks and it is accepted widely that many do not repay the money, potentially making the pension an entirely taxpayer-funded perk.

Yet another scandal that is so typical of the wastefulness that characterises the EU.

When you vote on Thursday vote Conservative and let this country have the referendum we were promised by the two other main parties in the UK.


Shamed MEPs take share of £20m payout - Times Online