[peteretep]

Another excellent decision made by the MEPs that the general public will simply not give a shit about. Your cynicism is too high. Votes for "tax the right", "throw out the immigrants", "abandon the EU" are popularism. Good science and technology votes stand by themselves.

[barking]

Maybe your right but to my mind there's been a suspiciously high level of superficially praiseworthy pronouncements emanating from Strasbourg just lately.

Given the limited powers of the parliament do they carry any more weight than politicians' pre-election promises?

I don't know where you live 3 billboards on my way to work are now taken up with advertisements on behalf of our local MEP. She had been all but invisible previously.

As I said in a comment lately she has recently been on the radio here claiming credit for another measure that promises much but has been criticised for being easily sidestepped.