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[Lime]

In case people didn't know, some of the far-right anti-EU parties are now under investigation for misusing money from the EU to finance their own national campaigns and party events. This is quite hypocritical of them since they have been against the corruption in the EU and the wasteful spending of money by the 'bureaucrats' in Bruxelles:

One European parliament vice president said Ukip had clearly broken the rules. Ulrike Lunacek, a German Green MEP, said: “Ukip has spent years accusing the EU of being corrupt and of wasting taxpayers’ money. The hypocrisy is breath-taking.”

In Denmark, the Danish People's Party used the money in the MELD organization to fund national advertising campaigns, a cruise for the party, and hotel stays. This is the second time this year that the party has misused EU money that they had to pay back. This has resulted in the firing of their EU representative Morten Messerschmidt and they have tried to pay back all of the misused funds, but they are obviously still under investigation.

In the UK, UKIP has apparently "'misspent' €500,000 on Brexit campaign and campaign advertising in 2015.

Ukip is being investigated by Britain’s elections watchdog over claims it breached party funding laws.

The European Parliament Bureau has already ruled the grouping Ukip belongs to, the Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe (ADDE), will have to repay €172,655 (£146,696), and will no longer be given a grant of €248,345 euro (£211,000) previously allocated to it after finding it misused EU funding.

The Electoral Commission has now opened its own investigation into whether Ukip accepted “impermissible donations” from the ADDE and its affiliated foundation, the Initiative for Direct Democracy in Europe (IDDE).

[...]Senior MEPs endorsed the report of the parliament’s finance team, a document seen by the Guardian last week, which concluded the ADDE had funnelled cash into Nigel Farage’s failed attempt to win a seat at Thanet South, as well as opinion polls to test the public mood in the run-up the EU referendum campaign.

EU rules ban parties from spending European grants on national elections or referendums.

“The activities of the ADDE were found to breach the rules for European party financing,” a European parliament statement said, citing opinion polls funded by the ADDE in British constituencies before of the 2015 general election, as well as public opinion surveys before June’s referendum.

How this is a breach of conduct and EU funding laws:

ADDE and its affiliate IDDE, as with other European political parties and foundations, can receive grant funding from the European Union (EU). This funding can cover up to 85% of the parties’ eligible expenditure and be used for a range of activity, from administrative functions through to the campaign costs connected to European elections. It cannot, however, be used for a range of other specified purposes, including for the direct or indirect funding of national parties, election candidates and political foundations at either the national or European level. More information about the EU’s rules can be found here.

More here on UKIP: https://www.theguardian.com/politic...ge-to-beuk-ambassador-to-the-us-politics-live

@mods: please change the title accordingly if it's not worded correctly.

 

[amar212]

Shocking my dear Watson.

 

[PJV3]

Lock em up.

 

[Auctopus]

Farage is hypocritical scum. Unsurprising. What's even less surprising is that it won't affect his public image/career whatsoever.

 

[fabricated backlash]

What? These Neo Nazi wannabes are corrupt assholes? Why I never.

 

[Juicy Bob]

Quelle surprise

 

[Lime]

And the uncovering of MELD has also looked into Polish misuse of EU funds where the money was spent on a fake climate policy conference:

According to the reports, MELD used EU cash intended for a conference on EU climate policy to hold a party congress with the slogan: “A new state, a new constitution.”

In a statement issued Friday, Solidarna Polska said the party is “open to being checked and we have nothing to hide,” and called on EU authorities to also investigate Civic Platform and the allied Polish Peoples Party for allegedly misspending EU funds on an election campaign.

 

[jelly]

Farage is hypocritical scum. Unsurprising. What's even less surprising is that it won't affect his public image/career whatsoever.

The EU let them waste it. See they are bloated and corrupt.

 

[Mr. Giggles]

What a bunch of cunts.

At least have some principle you bigoted douchebags

 

[El Topo]

The system is bad and those that "beat" the system are smart. Well, unless you are not "one of them", then "beating" the system is bad.

 

[Bold One]

No honour amongst cunts, eh?

 

[mnz]

Damn EU burocrats doing their job of checking budgets

 

[Joni]

Time for jail sentences.

 

[Dizzy]

Farage is hypocritical scum. Unsurprising. What's even less surprising is that it won't affect his public image/career whatsoever.

I don't think it can affect his public image. He's reached twat level 10 in the eyes of pretty much everyone, his public image can't get any worse.

 

[Stop It]

What a bunch of cunts.

At least have some principle you bigoted douchebags

Hahaha.

Oh wait, you're serious.

If anything is ever obvious with "Anti establishment" parties is that the rules should never apply to them, like ever. UKIP moaning about the EU while abusing their funding is not only unsurprising but expected behavior from those whose moral compass points straight to "Fuck everyone who isn't us".

 

[King_Moc]

All their cunting supporters will support it. There's nothing you can do.

 

[RocknRola]

Shocking!

Just goes to show what a bunch of hypocrites they are.

 

[Powdered Toastman]

Same here in the Netherlands with the anti-Ukraine referendum held by GeenPeil (which while concerning the Ukraine was mostly about anti-EU sentiment). Their campaign also used EU funding.

 

[Palette Swap]

There's also Le Pen: EU watchdog asks Marine Le Pen to repay €339,000 in staff salaries

It's almost like all these crooked assholes are worse than whatever inefficiencies they denounce.

 

[Trickster]

The DPP case have been a pretty hot topic here for a while now. Personally I love the shitstorm it's created for DPP, simply because it will (or at least it should) lower their popularity. Not to mention that Morten Messerschmidt was one of the biggest "stars" in the party, so him getting fired is another thing that hurts the party.

 

[RocknRola]

There's also Le Pen: EU watchdog asks Marine Le Pen to repay €339,000 in staff salaries

It's almost like all these crooked assholes are worse than whatever inefficiencies they denounce.

Yup. Though, I doubt their supporters will care much...unfortunately....

 

[klonere]

With the expenses scandals over the last few years, this will get zero traction. Just another thing that is expected of politicians and won't damage anybody involved in a major way, at least when it comes to UKIP.

 

[Lime]

The DPP case have been a pretty hot topic here for a while now. Personally I love the shitstorm it's created for DPP, simply because it will (or at least it should) lower their popularity. Not to mention that Morten Messerschmidt was one of the biggest "stars" in the party, so him getting fired is another thing that hurts the party.

Lost DPP voters will probably just flee to the new fascist party, De Nye Borgerlige.

 

[Nikodemos]

For their fanatical supporters this is basically "starving the beast", so they won't care much.

Though this will somewhat hurt their popularity with the hangers-on and the protest voters.

 

[Joni]

With the expenses scandals over the last few years, this will get zero traction. Just another thing that is expected of politicians and won't damage anybody involved in a major way, at least when it comes to UKIP.

For their fanatical supporters this is basically "starving the beast", so they won't care much.

Though this will somewhat hurt their popularity with the hangers-on and the protest voters.

Well, it should at least hurt them financially to pay back everything.

 

[Lagamorph]

But hey, that referendum result is still totally valid and legitimate.

 

[Nikodemos]

Well, it should at least hurt them financially to pay back everything.

I hope so. Less funds to spew their garbage.

 

[Lagamorph]

Unfortunately it doesn't matter what happens to UKIP now. The damage is already done.

 

[jelly]

They'll probably just implode and vanish. No way will they pay that back.

 

[-Plasma Reus-]

Prosecution and jail sentences should do something. That's usually easier to understand for the general public than denouncements.

They need to see the people dragged in front of court and sent to jail.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Lost DPP voters will probably just flee to the new fascist party, De Nye Borgerlige.

That's the ideal case nowadays unfortunately. It's best if the far right is split among many camps than unified under one Trumpbanner.

 

[Stead Fast]

Oh, the hypocrisy. Not only have they achieved their primary political goal of pushing the UK to a vote on the EU, but UKIP has come so far in the public's conscious that a whole lot of people who voted leave would look upon this behaviour with respect, simply as it was EU money.

 

[QuicheFontaine]

But hey, that referendum result is still totally valid and legitimate.

2016 really has been the year of the bad loser!

 

[Kurtofan]

i believe you mean the heroes of the people have reclaimed britian's stolen money from the eu's clutches

 

[V_Arnold]

2016 really has been the year of the bad loser!

Yeah, sure. I mean what is campaigning on lies compared to LOSING, am I right?

 

[Walshicus]

2016 really has been the year of the bad loser!

We're *all* losers in 2016.

 

[V_Arnold]

We're *all* losers in 2016.

YOU're the puppet... I mean the loser. You are the puppet.
Lying to win is okay. Complaining about it is what makes someone a sore loser.

 

[Royal_Phalanx]

2016 really has been the year of the bad loser!

Yeah, losing rights can be compared to your favourite sports team winning a game! How salty, amirite? The minorities under Trump and the young people of Britain who are going to have fewer opportunities and rights in future, they're just bad losers!

 

[Altazor]

All their cunting supporters will support it. There's nothing you can do.

this.

They'll probably say "so what? Fuck the EU, at least the UKIP are using that money on themselves instead of wasting it on [insert stupid shit here]. Bleed 'em dry, Make Britain Great Again!"

 

[Retsudo]

No honour amongst cunts, eh?