Let`s start with the lie. And one of the biggest, most blatant yet obvious in the tortured history of the European Union. The Greek debt crisis is real. Especially for the Greeks. There`s no point going in to the history of it because we`re in the here and now. But our friends in the EU, especially the Franco-German axis, would have us believe that the Greek debt crisis is a financial one when in reality, of course, it is a purely political one. They are absolutely desperate to hang on to their federalist dreams, which means they will do whatever it takes to protect the Euro, the Eurozone and the alleged unity within Europe. Trouble is, it`s the taxpayers who will again be expected to bankroll it.....if there are any banks left to roll.

I heard last night that one of the faceless unelected Brussels mandarins was seriously suggesting that what Europe really needs is full financial integration, much more federalism and stronger leadership. Now where and when have I heard that before?

Now the deceptions - there are a lot of them within the EU but let`s have a look at the business of MEPs expenses. Now it`s true to say that here in the UK the expenses claimed by our Members of Parliament are, bit by bit, being made more transparent. The expenses furore of a year or so ago led to mass embarrassment, some MPs (arguably not enough) being jailed for fiddling expenses, some resignations and a whole bunch deciding not to seek re-election. There are some squeals from MPs about the system they now have to operate under, but at least there`s a system and things are a lot better than they were.

It`s all very different in the EU. An internal audit of MEPs expenses (the Galvin Report) has been cleared for publication after the European Parliament last night gave in to three years of pressure and a ruling by the EU's General Court which finally accepted that institutions can no longer claim `potential political controversy` as a good enough reason to refuse access to such reports.   Covering the period 2004 to 2006 - all of five years ago at best - the report reveals the widespread practice whereby MEPs channelled thousands of euros of staff allowances into family-owned businesses and foreign bank accounts. They were also able to employ relatives on inflated wages, and were not required to produce receipts for their spending on expenses. The audit does not name any names and astonishingly the everyday spending of MEPs is exempt from freedom of information rules.

Now in relation to the £billions involved with the Greek, Irish and Portuguese problems, the whole business of MEPs expenses - at `only` £185million a year for the 736 MEPs- appears small beer. But we are talking £185million of taxpayers money here and we are entitled to know how our money is spent. But a word of caution. We`ve been here so many times before whereby the gargantuan EU machine works ponderously at the best of times and not at all when it suits them. And it wouldn`t surprise me at all if the EU, despite what the Court ruling was, finds some devious mechanism that finally prevents publication of audit reports not just from 2004-2006, but for every year since then. After all, if they haven` been able to sign off their annual accounts for years, what hope is there?

This is deception - grand larceny even - on a massive scale and yet another reason why we should seriously consider whether we really want to remain members of a club that rivals FIFA for political skulduggery, self-interest and for having far too much to hide from those who are paying for it.