Sir, – Suzanne Lynch reports on a move under way in the European Parliament to exclude British MEPs from key committee positions before Britain leaves the European Union amid worries it could shape EU legislation before it exits ("European Parliament moves to sideline British MEPs", November 16th). According to her report, this move comes at the initiative of the parliament's president, German Socialist MEP Martin Schulz, and reflects growing concerns from a number of MEPs that British members of the parliament "may attempt to influence EU legislation to suit Britain as it prepares for Brexit".
The idea that British members of the European Parliament are in a position to influence EU legislation will, no doubt, come as something of a surprise to voters on the neighbouring island. For many years, their political and media establishment led the UK population to believe that their representatives in the EU institutions had no substantive role in the framing of EU legislation. No doubt Mr Schulz’s move is targeted at the pro-Brexit Ukip and Conservative MEPs who may be tempted to make mischief during the period of negotiations on the details of Brexit. It would be not a little ironic if this group, in pursuit of their own political agenda, were to use the very powers that they had claimed were non-existent. But then irony is not perhaps the quality for which they are best known. – Yours, etc,
PADDY BARRY,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.