Editing Independence/Democracy (section)

==History==
The [[2004 European Parliament election]]s were reported as a good result for Eurosceptic parties.<ref name="BBCN01">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/3806503.stm Eurosceptics storm the citadel], [[BBC News Online]] report dated Monday, 14 June 2004, 18:01 GMT</ref><ref name="IHT20040615">{{cite web|last=Bennhold |first=Katrin |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/06/15/union_ed3__2.php |title=Political divide is said to deepen further: Populist parties make big gains in EU vote, IHT, June 15, 2004 |publisher=International Herald Tribune |date=15 June 2004 |access-date=17 June 2010}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> 37 MEPs (33<ref name="Europarl20040720EN">{{cite web|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/calendar/calendar?APP=PDF&TYPE=PV1&FILE=20040720EN.pdf&LANGUE=EN|title=20040720EN European Parliament website|access-date=8 May 2015}}</ref> on 20 July, with four<ref name="Europarl20040721EN"/> more the next day) from the [[UK Independence Party]] (UKIP), [[June Movement]] (Denmark), [[Movement for France]] (France), [[Lega Nord|Northern League]] (Italy), [[ChristianUnion – Reformed Political Party]] (Netherlands), [[Popular Orthodox Rally]] (Greece), [[June List]] (Sweden), [[Independent Democrats (Czech Republic)|Independent Democrats]] (Czech Republic), the [[League of Polish Families]] (Poland) and an Independent MEP from the Republic of Ireland, joined in the first week of the new Parliament to form the Eurosceptic group called "Independence/Democracy" (IND/DEM), succeeding the group called "[[Europe of Democracies and Diversities]]" (EDD) that had existed during the European Parliament's [[Fifth European Parliament|1999–2004 term]].

In the first week, IND/DEM assigned a UKIP MEP to the [[Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality]]. The MEP, [[Godfrey Bloom]], promptly made comments including "No self-respecting small businessman with a brain in the right place would ever employ a lady of child-bearing age" and "I am here to represent Yorkshire women who always have dinner on the table when you get home. I am going to promote men's rights." The remarks engendered outrage from a range of fellow politicians.<ref name="BBC3912205">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk_politics/3912205.stm UKIP MEP in row over working women], [[BBC News Online]] report dated Wednesday, 21 July 2004, 11:22 GMT</ref>

One UKIP MEP never made it to IND/DEM. MEP [[Ashley Mote]] was expelled from UKIP<ref name="Times459309">{{cite web |last1=Browne |first1=Anthony |title=UKIP plans alliance to scupper constitution |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe-travel/ukip-plans-alliance-to-scupper-constitution-07vkkmtj7gr |website=[[The Times]] |access-date=28 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228055716/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ukip-plans-alliance-to-scupper-constitution-07vkkmtj7gr |archive-date=28 February 2024 |date=20 July 2004 |url-status=live}}</ref> prior to IND/DEM's formation<ref name="BBC3899969">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3899969.stm UKIP suspends fraud trial Euro MP], [[BBC News Online]] report dated Friday, 16 July 2004, 11:47 GMT</ref> when it became known that he faced charges for housing benefit fraud.<ref name="Times459309"/> Mote went on to join the far-right [[Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty]] group before being convicted in 2007.<ref name="Times2279582">[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2279582.ece British MEP convicted for benefit fraud, Times, 17 August 2007]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} </ref>

The Northern League MEPs eventually all left the group after their expulsion from IND/DEM following an incident involving a T-shirt and the [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy]].<ref name="EUO21153">{{cite web|author=Lucia Kubosova |url=http://euobserver.com/?aid=21153 |title=Eurosceptics kick out Italian Lega Nord party, EUO, 16 March 2006 |work=EUobserver |date=16 March 2006 |access-date=17 June 2010}}</ref> MEPs from the League of Polish Families also left the group, although not all and not all at once.<ref name="EUO21153"/><ref name="EUO23095">{{cite web|author=Helena Spongenberg |url=http://euobserver.com/9/23095/?rk=1 |title=Parliament nations group gets a power boost, EUO, 13 December 2006 |work=EUobserver |date=13 December 2006 |access-date=17 June 2010}}</ref>
<ref name="PM20051219">{{cite web|url=http://www.theparliament.com/latestnews/news-article/newsarticle/polish-meps-splinter/ |title=Polish MEPs splinter, PM, 19 December 2005 |publisher=Theparliament.com |date=19 December 2005 |access-date=17 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615101739/http://www.theparliament.com/latestnews/news-article/newsarticle/polish-meps-splinter/ |archive-date=15 June 2009 }}</ref>

After having been suspended from UKIP following his arrest on fraud allegations,<ref name="BBC7467318">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7467318.stm MEP arrested on fraud allegation], [[BBC News Online]] report dated Saturday, 21 June 2008, 13:21 GMT</ref> MEP [[Tom Wise (politician)|Tom Wise]] left IND/DEM in June 2008.

By 24 June 2008, IND/DEM had 22 MEPs.<ref name="EPINDDEM"/>

After the [[2009 European Parliament election]]s, 18<ref name="EU2009EU27">{{cite web|url=http://www.elections2009-results.eu/en/index_en_txt.html |publisher=Elections2009-results.eu |access-date=17 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611150125/http://www.elections2009-results.eu/en/index_en_txt.html |archive-date=11 June 2009 |title=Results of the 2009 European elections }}</ref> IND/DEM MEPs from four Member States were elected for the 2009–2014 term (the Seventh European Parliament). The great majority of these seats (thirteen) were from the [[UK Independence Party]], with others being two from the [[ChristianUnion – Reformed Political Party]] of the Netherlands, two from the [[Popular Orthodox Rally]] of Greece, and one from [[Libertas France]]. But that didn't meet the threshold laid down in the European Parliament's Rules of Procedure.<ref name="Rule3020090701">{{cite web|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+RULES-EP+20090714+RULE-030+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN&navigationBar=YES|title=Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament – July 2009 – Rule 30 – Formation of political groups|access-date=8 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="Rule2920090406">{{cite web|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+RULES-EP+20090309+RULE-029+DOC+XML+V0//EN&navigationBar=YES|title=Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament – March 2009 – Rule 29 – Formation of political groups|access-date=8 May 2015}}</ref> So when the Seventh European Parliament started on 14 July 2009, IND/DEM would not qualify as a group.

On 30 June 2009, it was reported the remnants of IND/DEM were to unite with the remnants of another collapsing group, [[Union for a Europe of Nations]] (UEN), to create a new group whose official name was not yet determined.<ref name="EUO28394">{{cite web|url=http://euobserver.com/843/28394|title=Ukip, Lega Nord form hard-right bloc in EU Parliament|date=30 June 2009 |access-date=8 May 2015}}</ref>

On 1 July 2009 a press conference was held launching the new group.<ref name="EUO28403"/><ref name="BBCN8129312"/><ref name="ID556">[http://indemgroup.eu/32/news/556/?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1&cHash=913b16272c "EU-Critical Group in European Parliament launches"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707130358/http://indemgroup.eu/32/news/556/?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=1&cHash=913b16272c |date=7 July 2009 }}, 1 July 2009, from [http://indemgroup.eu http://indemgroup.eu] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302145232/http://indemgroup.eu/ |date=2 March 2008 }}</ref> That press conference named the new group ''[[Europe of Freedom and Democracy]]''.<ref name="EUO28403">{{cite web|url=http://euobserver.com/9/28403|title=New eurosceptic group to campaign against EU treaty in Irish referendum|date=July 2009 |access-date=8 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="BBCN8129312">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8129312.stm|title=BBC NEWS – Europe – UKIP forms new Eurosceptic group|access-date=8 May 2015|date=July 2009}}</ref> IND/DEM had ceased to exist.