b'government. The PSOE government onlyThere are Catalan political prisoners in Spain, held 84 out of 350 seats in the Cortes. but the European Commission does nothing. Following the 2019 general election, theThe European Council does nothing. The PSOE increased its share to hold 120 seats,European Parliament, as an institution, says PP has 89, and Vox has 52 seats.nothing, and even the garrulous Mr Verhofstadt stays quiet. One characteristic that each of the PP and PSOE governments share is persecution ofThe EU values that we hear about all the the Catalan independence movement. 22time are, in the matter of the Catalan political leaders were charged and some of themprisoners in Spain, conveniently forgotten. are now in prison facing long sentences.One has to wonder why. The likely reason has to be that Spanish governments support These are political prisoners. Anyone whothe EU project.In the parallel universe of the has been a member of the EuropeanEU powers that be, that makes it okay for Parliament will hear the powers that bea country to have political prisoners. The banging on about EU values. It is worthhypocrisy is to be deplored, I suggest the pointing out that these values are notEU should look at themselves in the mirror specifically EU values; they are the valuesand start campaigning for these political of the Enlightenment of the 18th century,prisoners to be freed.adopted by the American revolutionaries and set out succinctly in the American Declaration of Independence.3. Are there irreconcilable differences?3.1. Contributing and recipient countries In a speech to the European Parliament inEU member states that are net contributors, 2009, the author described the differentas the San Andreas fault of the European status of the 12 EU member states that areUnion. (For the record, when the speech net recipients of EU funds, and that of the 15was made, there were 27 member states).42'