Is Alyn Smith fed up being an MEP?

It appears that just a year into the new term of the European Parliament, the SNP's Alyn Smith MEP is already bored and getting itchy feet.

News filters though to me from Strasbourg that Alyn Smith MEP will be seeking the nomination to stand as an MSP in next years Holyrood elections.

Not a great shock although this is yet another SNP politician who clearly doesn't get the whole issue of dual mandates and why they are a bad thing.

However, Alyn is possibly looking to stand for the SNP in East Lothian against Labour's leader Iain Gray.

For now Alyn is "playing it by ear".

Conservative MEPs claim paedophilia is connected to homosexuality

Today during a Parliamentary hearing organised by Members of the EPP Group on the sexual abuse of children some of their members claimed paedophilia is connected to homosexuality, despite offering no proper evidence.  This is because their claim is completely unfounded.

Vytautas Landsbergis, Member of the European Parliament for Lithuania, former Head of the Lithuanian Parliament and member of the EPP group, said there was a connection between homosexuality and paedophilia. Children, he said, should therefore be protected from “homosexual propaganda” and “homophilic [sic] pædophilia”.

Anna Záborská, EPP Member of the European Parliament for Slovakia, later made a further remark on “adult men abusing young boys”.

Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, responded that such claims were unfounded, and that the European Commission condemns discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Unfortunately Vytautas Landsbergis and Anna Záborská are not alone with these atrocious homophobic views, similar comments had been made earlier this year by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Holy See (Vatican) Secretary of State. He had argued that “there is a relationship between homosexuality and paedophilia”.

It is really scary that people in such senior positions have these views and yet cannot back them up with fact.

The majority of LGBT people across the world condemn paedophilia.