Another UKIPper asleep on the job

FactCheckEU, which provides factual information about the European Union even if it occasionally hurts the case for membership, investigated the case of retiring UKIP MEP Trevor Coleman. He had stated that the European Parliament “has no power, it can't make or change legislation”. After refuting this assertion, FactCheckEU's report concludes:

According to Votewatch, Mr Colman has only taken part in half of all votes during his five years in office (ranked 751st out of 766) and has admitted that one of the reasons he attends the sessions in Strasbourg and Brussels is to secure the allowances. He has only tabled two parliamentary questions and made 17 speeches in plenary since 2009. His limited involvement in the EP might explain why he knows so little about how legislation is made in the European Union. A well-deserved "Insane whopper"!

(There is a photo of UKIP MEPs earning their allowances on the Huffington Post.)