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[OOMV6]

Cannot help but have a little chuckle when the "Brussels" or "Brussels bureaucracy" phrase is used. I guess the press created this. I doubt it is common knowledge how many MEPs there are from each member state, or the fact it is based on population of the country. Therefore UK has 3rd or 4th greatest number of MEPs.
And although Brussels is the headquarters, Luxembourg and Strasbourg also have loads civil servants too, but somehow never get a mention. And yes, it is a bit of a gravy train.

[Olympia5776]

Vote UKIP
simples 

No UKIP option for us in Spain. In fact due to a cruel trick played on immigrants (i.e. me) I can vote in local elections or MEP elections but not for the government of the country I pay taxes to. We are stuck with a Cameron/Osborne lookylikey who is hell bent on toeing the Merkosy line and imposing austerity like you haven't seen on citizens. New tax on electricity of 7% for the government and 5% on gas for the government. That will be a nice increase in the cost of living for the countries poor!

I sympathise with you as I am in the same situation here .
Like you we are about to be stung by new taxes that will impact on disposable income severely.
A new household tax which although initially set at € 100 is openly admitted by the government to be raised considerably to circa 800 -1000 in a YEAR's time .....
Water pricing of circa €1000 per annum as well as the initial charge of € 350 for the meter and then a rental charge per annum.......
Sewerage charge to have the system inspected , charged again to have the house and system registered with the council and have to have the system serviced and emptied each year at a cost of circa € 800 and because you will be registered they will be able to check if it has all been done by a certified shit tank emptier and if not you will be severely fined.
I honestly believe the Irish are being dry raped by their government who care nothing for the dilema faced by millions daily.

[Dishevelled Den]

Cannot help but have a little chuckle when the "Brussels" or "Brussels bureaucracy" phrase is used. I guess the press created this. I doubt it is common knowledge how many MEPs there are from each member state, or the fact it is based on population of the country. Therefore UK has 3rd or 4th greatest number of MEPs.
And although Brussels is the headquarters, Luxembourg and Strasbourg also have loads civil servants too, but somehow never get a mention. And yes, it is a bit of a gravy train.

Yes, I use it in the generic sense of that largely unelected and unaccountable body which lies outside the curtilage of our own (supposedly) sovereign parliament at Westminster.

[Dishevelled Den]

I sympathise with you as I am in the same situation here .
Like you we are about to be stung by new taxes that will impact on disposable income severely.
A new household tax which although initially set at € 100 is openly admitted by the government to be raised considerably to circa 800 -1000 in a YEAR's time .....
Water pricing of circa €1000 per annum as well as the initial charge of € 350 for the meter and then a rental charge per annum.......
Sewerage charge to have the system inspected , charged again to have the house and system registered with the council and have to have the system serviced and emptied each year at a cost of circa € 800 and because you will be registered they will be able to check if it has all been done by a certified shit tank emptier and if not you will be severely fined.
I honestly believe the Irish are being dry raped by their government who care nothing for the dilema faced by millions daily.

being dry raped by their government who care nothing for the dilema faced by millions daily

Quite so Don - that's what happens when a country cedes its national independence to others for the convenience of its leaders being able to 'govern' (with all the financial benefits and stature it implies) without having to assume real responsibility, all while having the luxury and convenience of being able to blame the faceless unelected officials in 'Brussels' for the effects of unpopular legislation.

Those in the Republic of Ireland have sold their souls in this way and furthermore, I had the distinct displeasure to see the horrific Enda Kenny (their Taoiseach or Prime Minister) parading about Northern Ireland a few days ago spouting absolute ballicks about the worth of the EU.

Dαil Eireann and appendages, along with their sordid inhabitants, deserve all they get as a result of this arrangement but the people of the Republic of Ireland – the people they are meant to represent - most certainly do not.

[Rods2]

Sadly, like the end of the USSR, I think it will have to get to the stage of either no food in the shops or the majority of the population is starving, where they can't afford the food in the shops, before the EUSSR collapses. Then like the communists in the USSR the EU ruling thieving scum will do everything they can to save their own necks, careers and lifestyles, all at our expense. 

In the USSR many people paid 100% tax, ie had to work for zero wages, including my mother in law. You might ask well why bother to go to work? They solved that one by making it compulsory to work, you went to jail with forced hard labour if you didn't. 

With taxes and phony money making schemes like, electricity tax, gas tax, water tax, sewage tax, how long is it going to be in one or more of PIIGS countries before you have got the government consuming all of the GDP in tax? 

When a significant part of the population of the PIIGS reach the point through unemployment, falling living standards and vastly increasing taxes, that they feel they have nothing to loose by trying to change the system, society will breakdown with a European Spring / Summer. I fear in some countries that point is getting very, very close. 

[Varche]

Vote UKIP
simples 

No UKIP option for us in Spain. In fact due to a cruel trick played on immigrants (i.e. me) I can vote in local elections or MEP elections but not for the government of the country I pay taxes to. We are stuck with a Cameron/Osborne lookylikey who is hell bent on toeing the Merkosy line and imposing austerity like you haven't seen on citizens. New tax on electricity of 7% for the government and 5% on gas for the government. That will be a nice increase in the cost of living for the countries poor!

I sympathise with you as I am in the same situation here .
m inspected , charged again to have the house and system registered with the council and have to have the system serviced and emptied each year at a cost of circa € 800 and because you will be registered they will be able to check if it has all been done by a certified shit tank emptier and if not you will be severely fined.
I honestly believe the Irish are being dry raLike you we are about to be stung by new taxes that will impact on disposable income severely.
A new household tax which although initially set at € 100 is openly admitted by the government to be raised considerably to circa 800 -1000 in a YEAR's time .....
Water pricing of circa €1000 per annum as well as the initial charge of € 350 for the meter and then a rental charge per annum.......
Sewerage charge to have the systeped by their government who care nothing for the dilema faced by millions daily.

Yikes. I can see us being bled dry here then.Septic tanks are a nice "green tax" thing to latch onto in a country the size of Spain. I believe that one of the first taxes the Greeks got was 1000 euros if you had a swimming pool. Luxury maybe but not everyone who has one is "rich". I agree with Rods 2. This austerity milarky will end in tears for the ordinary folk. I had to laugh . "Brussels" (sorry OOMV6) have told the member states to promote growth. Like I said 2 years ago, how are they going to do that when they are still reducing the number of public sector employees. Mind you they can do like they did with my mate who works for the government promoting healthy eating. He was made redundant and then employed straight back on part time hours and went on an EU beanfeast to compare notes with how other member states promote healthy eating. What a waste of money.

[Rods2]

This septic tank is issue applies to ALL EU countries as part of a clean water directive. I managed to avoid it so far with my house in France where I haven't been using it, but the 80+ year old widow over there who looks after it for me, has had to find £7000 (last of her savings) to upgrade her septic tank, as it was deemed too small for the size of her house, the fact only she lives there was irrelevant. 

The EU / French Socialist model is killing western Europe.  The French have survived so far by getting massive subsidies from CAP, playing the EU game to their advantage, but it won't be long before they join the PIIGS. If Hollande gets elected on 6th May, then they will be taking a major step in that direction.

The trouble is I convinced that France will quite happily bring down the rest of the EU, Germany is strong enough to survive the rest of Europe including the UK (with our massive debts (public, private, corporate and banking sector)) isn't. Having said that Germany will take a massive hit as the Eurozone has an Interbank lending system called TARGET2, Germany has so far lent €620bn to other Euro countries, when the Euro collapses, they probably won't see much of that back, their banks will need bailing out and their industries will have few European customers. 

TARGET2 lending to Italy and Spain is going up exponentially where their is capital flight from these countries.