The European Parliament: now with balls!

[DAVOUT]

Originally posted by Spiffor
I think the following Consensus will be this:
Buttiglione remains in the Commission.
Buttiglione becomes Commissioner of Fishing, or something like that.

Considering that to sin and to fish are homophonous in French, you made a delicious bilingual play on words

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by DAVOUT
Considering that to sin and to fish are homophonous in French, you made a delicious bilingual play on words

And it wasn't even on purpose. That was my innate genius speaking

[alva]

Update:

Buttiglione pulled from EU team

The Campidoglio hall in Rome

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said he will replace his controversial nominee to the European Commission, Rocco Buttiglione.

Mr Buttiglione has been at the centre of a storm over his comments on homosexuality and women.

Incoming Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso withdrew his entire team amid fears it would be vetoed by the European Parliament on Wednesday.

The furore overshadowed the signing of the EU constitution on Friday.

EU leaders took it in turn to sign the text in a lavish ceremony in Rome - in the same room where the Treaty of Rome was signed to establish the EU in 1957.


The EU constitution
But as the event progressed, Mr Barroso was holding hurried talks with EU leaders to seek support for his planned changes to the commission.

Italy concedes

Mr Berlusconi told reporters on Friday that Mr Buttiglione would most likely be replaced as Italy's nominee to the new commission, but remain a minister in the Italian government.

Rocco Buttiglione

"It is useless to deny that this is the most likely outcome," Mr Berlusconi said.

Mr Berlusconi has called a news conference on Saturday morning where it is expected the decision will be formally announced.

The Italian premier gave no indication of whom he would propose as a candidate to replace Mr Buttiglione.

The BBC's David Willey in Rome says one name that has been frequently mentioned is Mario Monti, who has already served in Brussels as Competition Commissioner.

Mr Monti, a former economics professor, is widely respected by his peers as an impartial and very competent candidate, our correspondent says.

Mr Buttiglione, a close friend of the Pope, caused outrage when he said homosexuality was a sin and single mothers were not very good people.

Opposition to Mr Buttiglione gathered pace, and on Wednesday Mr Barroso was forced at the last minute to withdraw his team amid fears it would face an unprecedented veto from the European Parliament.

United front

On Friday, EU leaders gathered to sign the new constitution in the Renaissance splendour of the Campidoglio, the city hall inspired by Michelangelo in the centre of Rome's historic district.


As music played in the background, each leader and foreign minister stepped up in alphabetical country order to sign a giant tome. They shook hands with each other, with a beaming Mr Berlusconi, and then progressed along a line of dignitaries.

Europe's leaders put on a united front despite the threat of crisis, the BBC's Tamsin Smith reports.

And the celebration of a treaty designed to bring Europe closer to the people took place behind a formidable police cordon, she says.

Up to 7,000 police and security forces were on Rome's streets to protect EU leaders, while a squadron of F-16 fighters enforced a no-fly zone over the city centre.

Despite the signing of the constitution, member nations still have to ratify the document individually before it comes into effect - either by referendum or parliamentary vote.

A number of countries, including France and the UK, will hold public votes, with the first vote expected to take place in Spain in February.

The constitution intends to make the union function more smoothly.

But plans for an EU president overseeing the co-operation between member states, and a change in the voting system, have caused divisions in EU states.

The new treaty also sees a big expansion in the number of policy areas where countries will lose their national veto, and includes the creation of a foreign minister's post.

[Spiffor]

Wow, fist the Commission, now a Member-State is forced to back down. Things are moving fast. And I love it

[Atahualpa]

I am always wondering why people complain about single mothers, but not about fathers, who make them single mothers in the first place.

[alva]

Being a single mom is often a choice , no?

[laurentius]

This is good news

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Atahualpa
I am always wondering why people complain about single mothers, but not about fathers, who make them single mothers in the first place.

Because it is normal for a man to thrust his sex pretty much anywhere without bothering with responsibility, while women are supposed to keep pure and to have sex only to have kids.
Because it's a natural drive for the man to go see elsewhere, and if the man leaves, it means the woman was unsuccessful keeping him

[Pekka]

Spiffor, yes in your case it is normal.

in my case.. can you say 'Watergate'?

[Atahualpa]

Originally posted by alva
Being a single mom is often a choice , no?

In most cases a choice between two people

[Atahualpa]

Originally posted by Spiffor

Because it is normal for a man to thrust his sex pretty much anywhere without bothering with responsibility, while women are supposed to keep pure and to have sex only to have kids.
Because it's a natural drive for the man to go see elsewhere, and if the man leaves, it means the woman was unsuccessful keeping him

thx for expressing what I wanted to imply

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Spiffor
I thought the very role of your Senators was to protect the interests of their State (also read: obtain as much pork) as possible. That they are supposed to care for their State's interests, while the House cares for the general interest?

In a nut shell. Yes.


They both work hard to bring home the pork though.