There is a small café on the French speaking side of the border that divides the southern half of Belgium from the Dutch speaking north. It was Belgium’s national day on Monday and after the military parade in Brussels there was little unity to be detected among the customers. There was more than a hint of a collective view that the parade marred by heavy rain might be the last in a truly united Belgium.

The European Parliament was emptying out Wednesday as members and officials set off for their summer break but, in the wake of scandals about misuse of expenses, problems were just beginning for political leaders in some national capitals. A well researched report by the organisation Spinwatch details MEPs close links to certain industries, law and lobbying organisations.

Assistants to a political group in the European Parliament are listed on an up-to-date organigram as dedicated to a web site business run by  the wife of  Jens Peter Bonde who until recently was the MEP who headed the multinational Independence and Democracy Group.

In March 2006 EU Reporter carried a front page article exposing how Lisbeth Kirk’s commercial business was being heavily subsidised by the Independence and Democracy Group headed by her husband.

Commissioner Joaquin Almunia expressed deep concern Monday that inflation in the euro zone is around 4 percent. Twenty-four hours later share prices crashed around the world on fears of inflation, near record oil prices and fears of further bank losses. An interesting place to be while this was happening was the European Parliament, bastion of democracy and the will of  the people. A lively debate was going on in the so-called members bar between a group  of three right wing and one left wing MEPs. It was not about the global or even the European financial crises but about why they  were avoiding a three day junket in Paris “for fear of being caught on camera by the bloody media”.