One of the main charges against the choice of Herman van Rompuy as the first permanent European Council President and Catherine Ashton as the EU’s foreign affairs supremo is the supposed “undemocratic” nature of the selection process. Full Article at Spectator Magazine

Daniel Hannan explains: According to the Commissioner for Enterprise, Gunther Verheugen, the benefits of the single market are worth around 180 billion euros a year, while the cost of complying with Brussels rules is 600 billion euros. Full Article at Vox Popoli

"It's all very well to criticise, Hannan, but what would you do if you were in Van Rompuy's shoes?" So asked a euro-enthusiast friend when I had finished tearing into Thursday night's stitch-up. Full Article at The Telegraph

"The Conservative MP who quit as chairman of Parliament's anti-sleaze committee after allegations that he misused expenses has described the claims against him as fiction "akin to Harry Potter". Full Article at ConservativeHome

It's not often that the front pages of the Daily Mail and the Guardian have identical headlines. Still, both newspapers are right: it is a great EU stitch-up, this back-room installation of favoured placemen. Full Article at Guardian Unlimited

Having written at length about many things stirring in the European debate (and no thanks to the main parties or their outriders) over on Your Freedom and Ours, I felt duty-bound to listne to the BBC programme. Full Article at EU Referendum