David Miller, 28 November 2008

Giles Chichester is the Conservative MEP who had to stand down as the leader of the party in the European Parliament over a breach of expenses rules in June 2008. He wrote to Spinwatch objecting to my Guardian article Reining in the influence industry.

His email complaining about the article, and an open letter to Giles Chichester inviting him to sever his ties with the nuclear industry are reproduced below:

*Date: *6 November 2008 15:08:17 GMT
*To: * This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it *Subject: **FAO David Miller*

Your piece entitled “Reining in the influence industry” dated 31st October 2008 makes certain references to me which are out of date or incorrect.

First, and most importantly, I have been unequivocally cleared of the allegations of conflict of interest and misuse of allowances by the Secretary General of the European Parliament.

Second, I am not President of any pro-nuclear industry lobby group. Perhaps you are thinking of FORATOM, the nuclear energy industry trade association or even the Forum for the Future of Nuclear Energy, an interest group for MEPs, but I am not President of either of them. I am President of the /European Energy Forum/ which exists to bring representatives of the energy industry together with MEPs and
representatives of the Commission to debate any and every aspect of the full spectrum of energy policy. The EEF does not take a position on any aspect of policy and I have consistently maintained the long-standing tradition of that impartiality which enables all views to be expressed and heard.

Third, you refer to my period of office as Chairman of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee of the European Parliament suggesting “problematic ties to the nuclear industry”. I do not have any “ties” to the nuclear industry. My long-standing support for nuclear energy predates my political career, is widely known and is a matter of public record. I am unaware of anyone suggesting I was other than proper and impartial in my role as Chairman of the Committee.

I am sorry you have served up these tired old propaganda myths, I wonder who or what was your source and I invite you to set the record straight.

Yours sincerely

Giles Chichester
Giles Chichester MEP


Dear Giles,

Thanks for your email of 6 November. I am sorry for the delay in replying.

As you say, you are not president of FORATOM or the Forum for the Future of Nuclear Energy. I did not say you were. In fact, I was referring to your role as President of the European Energy Forum. The Forum has, as I noted, been referred to as the ‘submarine’ of the nuclear industry. This quote comes from a source who regularly attends EEF meetings who reportedly confirms that ‘discussions which start at the EEF usually end up at the Parliament.’ (Corporate Europe Observatory, Nuclear Power Grab?(pdf) Corporate Lobbyists and MEPs Working in Tandem to Spin Nuclear Energy as Sustainable, December, 2006)

The Forum – as you yourself note ‘exists to bring representatives of the energy industry together with MEPs and representatives of the Commission to debate any and every aspect of the full spectrum of energy policy.’ This is a veritable definition of a lobbying arena. I don’t doubt that you ‘have consistently maintained the long-standing tradition of that impartiality’. This is hardly the point since the impartiality you mention ‘enables all views’ of the members of the forum to be expressed. You are surely not claiming that the views of critics of the industry are routinely expressed in the Forum?

You claim that you ‘do not have any “ties” to the nuclear industry.’ Perhaps you have forgotten the following ties to nuclear and other energy firms that are listed on the website of the European Parliament:

RWE, Areva, Paks Nuclear Power Company, Enel, the Slovenian energy utilities, Statoil, Euroheat and Power, Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique, Eurelectric, the Czech Energy Utility company, Total Fina Elf, Verbundnetz Gas, Swedish Power Association and Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company, Canister Nuclear Laboratory, International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, TVO, FORATOM, and the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant in Bulgaria. (Giles Chichester, "Register of Members’ Interests (pdf)'', 2007,
accessed 10 November 2008.)

Perhaps you have also forgotten that in May 2007, you were Areva’s guest at the America’s Cup yacht race off Valencia.( Giles Chichester, ''Register of Members’ Interests (pdf)'', 2008, accessed 10 November 2008.)

These ties are problematic - at least - because of the problem of a conflict of interest.

You claim that you have been ‘unequivocally cleared of the allegations of conflict of interest and misuse of allowances by the Secretary General of the European Parliament. (See this Telegraph article )
This is both misleading and irrelevant. I noted that you ‘hit the headlines this summer after breaking the rules on MEP's expenses and was forced to resign as chairman of the Conservative party in Brussels.’

You surely do not claim that your own admission and the judgement of the Secretary General that you had breached the rules is now incorrect? (See this Telegraph article)

Furthermore, in his judgement, the Secretary General noted:

I can inform you that I have come to the conclusion that although your contract with that company constituted a potential case of conflict of interest, you have had no personal financial benefit from that contract, and that no conflict of interest has ever materialised

You are surely not claiming that being cleared of a specific and quite different offence then clears you of any and every subsequent claim? I note that since being ‘cleared’ it has been reported that even members of your own party remain concerned. The Western Morning News reports that ‘Leading activists, including parliamentary candidates and senior councillors, are understood to be so unhappy with Chichester's inclusion they are threatening to down tools and not campaign or even vote for the party.’ (EXCLUSIVE: Fury over Tory Euro candidate, Western Morning News, Thursday, November 20, 2008, 10:00)

Your role in relation to the nuclear industry is not a question of tired old propaganda myths’, but a matter of public record. My sources are, as I have indicated, the official websites of the European Parliament and that of the EEF.

I invite you to withdraw the unfounded allegation of ‘propaganda myths’.

I further invite you to either withdraw from relations with the nuclear industry or refrain from promoting the industry in the European Parliament.

If you do not, you will, in my view, demonstrate that you believe that looking after special interests is more important to you than UK voters whose interests you are elected to represent.

Yours sincerely,

David Miller
Spinwatch

PS, I will post your email and my reply on our website shortly.