The EU has a vested interest in concocting such bullshit.
So we pay all this money in to fund yet another level government & it saves us money? How?
it doesn't
The study shows that life aboard the Brussels gravy train made millionaires of both Lady Kinnock and Neil, 67, the ex-Labour Party leader who served two terms as Britains EU Commissioner.
Critics have already questioned whether Lady Kinnock will be able to take an objective view of Britains interests in Europe after serving 15 years as an MEP in Brussels.
Her appointment to the Lords angered opposition MPs who will no longer be able to hold the Europe Minister to account.
Open Europes research director Mats Persson said last night: You must really question Lady Kinnocks suitability for the position as Europe Minister.
The EU has bankrolled her family for years, which raises question about where her interests and sympathies lie.
How could it not colour her judgment in questions where EU policy is at odds with the national interest? It would be very hard for anyone not to identify with an institution that has effectively made them a millionaire.
The research shows that Lady Kinnock earned £774,838 during her time as an MEP.
She was also entitled to a daily subsistence allowance worth £505,818 over that time, travel allowances worth almost £1.25million and general allowances worth £577,071.
In addition, she was entitled to secretarial allowances worth more than £2.3million, although these are to pay staff.
She also has a pension worth £67,836 a year, which would require a pot of £950,000 to buy in the private sector.
Lord Kinnock earned £1.85million in salary during his 10 years at the EU and qualified for a residence allowance for living in Brussels worth £276,962, an entertainment allowance worth £64,564, an installation allowance of £25,348 for taking the job, a resettlement allowance of £13,745 for leaving the job and a transition allowance, to help adjust to life outside Brussels, worth £355,143.
He also qualifies for a pension which pays out £83,089 a year and would cost £1.16million to buy in the private sector. The terms require him to remain supportive of the EU project.
In all, the Kinnocks qualified for pay, allowances and pensions worth £10.2million. The lack of receipts required for EU expenses makes it impossible to know if they claimed living allowances on the same home.
A spokeswoman for the Kinnocks last night insisted the payments to Lady Kinnock were the same as those received by other British MEPs and were irrelevant to her new role.
She said: No payments could affect Glenys Kinnocks judgment as a minister and she will properly fulfil all her duties as a UK minister.
The spokeswoman added that Lady Kinnock forfeited a golden goodbye payment of £32,383 by accepting the job of Europe Minister and said that Lord Kinnocks pay-off was lower than Open Europe suggest because he left early.
The Kinnocks have also been accused of hypocrisy over their willingness to accept peerages.
Lord Kinnock campaigned for years to have the House abolished, describing the Lords as brigands, muggers, bribers and gangsters.
Thank you lefty twits that put these labour parasite in power when you could have spent this on the needy of the UK, well done, NOT
Unelected, and you can't vote them out
Martin
