Who is Henning Mayer and what is he drinking?

CiF is on fine form today with Mr. Mayer, managing editor of Social Europe Journal, arguing that the current Eurozone crisis proves the need for even more European institutions:

My idea rests on three pillars: the necessity to democratise the eurozone, ideas for an "English grand committee" and the need to create a "federal" budget to have potentially more means to balance asymmetric shocks.

The "democratise the eurozone" concept involves yet another assembly of some form, though Mr. Mayer seems rather vague about what it might be, and how it might differ from the existing structures such as the European Parliament. One is left with the impression that either he has no idea what he's talking about, or he's trying very hard not to say what he's actually thinking.

Commentator Sussexperson picks up on a telling phrase that I missed on first reading:

Once you have such a parliamentary assembly it can also assume functions that national parliaments perform.
Is "assume" intended as a polite way of saying "usurp"?

I suspect SussexPerson hit the nail on the head there.

Mayer's true colours become more apparent when he talks about the "federal budget":

There will not be social security transfers or anything like this on the eurozone level but I nevertheless think it would be a good idea to have an additional eurozone budget democratically run by a eurozone parliament. Such a budget would be additional to the normal EU budget and could be financed through new taxes, for instance a eurozone-wide financial transaction tax.

Yes, my British pals, please give us your money! Instead of transferring tax money from the Germans and Scandinavians to the Greeks, we can take it all from the British banks, equities and pension funds instead. Who could possibly object?

Henning Mayer is one of the classic be-spectacled Euroweenies who have done so much damage to the ideal of European cooperation. He views the whole eurozone as essentially an experiment for his ideas, the opportunity to take ever more power and control and use it "for the benefit of all". His potted biography contains all the necessary clues:

Areas of Expertise: European Integration, Globalisation, European Social Model, Social and Economic Policy, Transatlantic Economic Relations, German Politics, British Politics
Qualifications: PhD (Comparative politics), MA (British and European Politics and Government), PRINCE2 Project Management (foundation level)

My rule of thumb is that anyone proudly proclaiming their grasp of PRINCE2 when not actually bidding for a lucrative government contract should not be allowed within ten yards of my wallet, and certainly never allowed to actually run any project more complex than a lemonade stand. Note the number and scope of areas in which he claims "Expertise". Would anyone here like to bet against my claim that Henning Mayer could be a case study for the Dunning-Kruger effect?