Peoples Party or Peoples Republic?

The European Peoples Party, the Centre Right Grouping in the European Parliament is a cheerleader for federalism. The British Conservative party, that is for some reason attached to it, is not. This can lead to problems:

A Conservative MEP had his party membership suspended yesterday by the head of the British Tory delegation in the European Parliament after an angry debate about excessive European Union secrecy.

Roger Helmer, the MEP in Question, not unreasonably added his name to Nigel Farage’s motion of censure against Barroso. Now he and his fellow conspirators are in trouble.

Four other British Conservatives were threatened with expulsion from the European People's Party, the parliament's majority centre-Right faction, by the EPP's German leader, Hans-Gert Poettering.

You see, although the motion asked a serious question about transparency and honesty, to back it was to be disloyal to the cause. The same parliament that believes that religious belief is a good enough reason to bar a well qualified person from being a European Commissioner, places much less importance on the issue of good governance. So the people who ask the questions need to be punished. Those who saw fit to claim that hard-line religious belief has no place in their European dream, are acting like the Spanish Inquisition.