Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-05-04-Speech-1-038"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20090504.14.1-038"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, we have often deplored the supposed lack of information for the public in the run-up to the European elections. I would submit, after the recent intervention from Mr Mote, that the greater problem is the wilful misinformation, if not downright lies, that are peddled before the public.
In my country at the moment the so-called UK Independence Party – the party that Mr Mote was elected for – has posters across the country claiming that the European Union costs us EUR 400 million per day in membership. That would be EUR 15 billion per year – a figure that is actually five times higher than the factual figure, which you can get from the House of Commons library. Not to be outdone, their donor, Stuart Wheeler, has said it costs GBP 120 billion per year, some 36 times the real figure.
But the truth is that the European budget, anyway costing only EUR 3.3 billion, is a simple 1% of GDP. It is a rather small budget, quite small when compared to the huge economic benefits, which amount to some EUR 2 000 per family in my country – an enormous benefit, well worth the price of membership, well worth the benefit of mentioning.
As you yourself said, Mr President, the price of freedom is the right for some people to give misinformation and to tell lies. We have to pay that price, but we must be vigorous in defending the truth."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples