Madam, - This week it was confirmed that MEPs from the extreme right-wing "League of Polish Families" and "Northern League" (Italy) will join forces with Fianna Fáil in the European Parliament.
The League of Polish Families is known for its support for the death penalty, opposition to Polish membership of the EU, demands for the dissolution of the European Parliament in 2004 because it was a "homosexual lobby", violent attacks on gay pride marches, and xenophobia.
Italy's Italian Northern League is of a similar political complexion. Its leader and current MEP, Umberto Bossi, refers to African immigrants as "Bingo-bongos". Once, when interviewed about immigration, he said the coastguard should shoot at the boats of immigrants arriving in Italy. Elected Northern League politicians have also talked of "immigrant slackers" who should be "dressed up like hares and shot" (former Mayor of Treviso, Giancarlo Gentilini), have proposed that immigrants should be segregated from Italian citizens on public transport (Erminio Boso, former senator and current local representative for the party in Trento) and have been found guilty in court for setting fire to the belongings of homeless immigrants in Turin (Mario Borghezio, current MEP).
Is this the "vision of Europe" Bertie Ahern talked about in a recent address in Brussels? - Yours, etc,
DAVID LUNDY, Brussels, Belgium.