Yesterday I reported about the opposition of the presidents of the Austrian, Finnish and German parliaments to the the so-called Duff/Voggenhuber report – aimed at resuscitating the EU constitution. Andrew Duff, one of the authors of the European Parliament’s report, said yesterday: “I must say that I find it fairly curious in this context that the Presidents of the Austrian, Finnish and German Parliaments seem somewhat reluctant to cooperate with us. It is up to the parliaments to decide whether or not they turn up. Those who choose to turn up will have a decisive say in fashioning the decisions about the future of Europe.”

Again, what is he saying? There is no reluctance on the part of those Parliament’s merely a desire to have their concerns addressed. Nobody could say that the Austrian Parliament, a Parliament that voted 182-1 in favour of the Constitution is eurosceptic, but they do feel they should be listened to. Instead Duff is saying quite bluntly, “If you are not with us you will be ignored.”

Does he not realise that is precisely the arrogance and ‘head in sand’ attitudes of people like him that have caused support for the European project to tumble in almost every single one of the EU 25 countries according to the December Eurobarometre poll?

I poddled along to the press Conference held by Duffenfuhrer today, after the Parliament voted to ignore the outside world and continue with its attempt to jemmy the European Constitution back to life. What I heard was the authentic voice of the fundamentalist federast.

First up was Andrew Duff. He discussed some report on the Constitution that is being written by the German authorities. Duff stated that it was always difficult when people had different ideas, as the splits in the facade could be utilised by opponents of the European integration. However what he said next was terribly revealing, “I urge Germany not to translate their report into English.” We do not want the unwashed to understand what is happening elsewhere, do we?

However, it was the reaction of Johannes Voggenhuber that took the biscuit. His report he claimed “made major changes to reality.” Eh, no Johannes, reality exists independent of the decisions or wishes of the European Parliament. He went on to crystallise what I hate about him and his type, “We must overcome nationalism, and liberalism, and hegemony in Europe... We must overcome the tyrannies; we must overcome the residues of the nineteenth century. We must get rid of this poison, this myth of national independence.”