We all know that the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are busy little bees. Constantly legislating for our benefit and making the world a happier, safer, more comfortable place. So it was no surprise to me when I read in Die Welt about this splendid proposal,

In a letter, 37 MEPs asked Hans-Gert Pöttering, the President of the European Parliament, to curtail the “encouragement of prostitution by members of the EU Parliament”. Every hotel, which is used by the 785 MEPs and their staff on business trips, should give a “guarantee statement” that denies access for prostitutes to the rooms. Furthermore, MEPs should be banned from welcoming prostitutes in their hotel rooms.

This story I discover had been reported on EU Observer a couple of weeks ago, but I regret to say I missed it at the time. The letter included this particularly fine phrase, it noted the

praxis of many hotels as providers of sex trade with humans, as if they were dealing with an ordinary commodity.

So is the implication that MEPs should be able to, if they so desire, engage in sex trade with machines, rocks, animals, fruit?