EU flag crossed throughI welcome comments, I really do. That is why I will republish Asdaasda’s thoughtful words and explain clearly what is wrong with the EU.

Asdaasda said:

i hate eurosceptic scum, when most people in britain support entry into the eu, arrogant euroscepric verminm argue we should withdraw, but when pro europeans say anything pro-european they rae called undemocratic, that sort of view, is what scumbag eurosceptic arrogant nazis say,

Asdaasda has every right to dislike people because of their political beliefs. I try not to unless these people are unable to talk about anything else. Hate is a little strong though.

Most people, rightly, do not support the EU and entry into the EU is not possible as we are already members. The EU is not the single market that was voted upon in the last and only referendum. Heath admitted that he lied (or mislead - potato, potarto) about the EU’s intentions. Still people pretend that the EU is a supranational organisation with no ambitions to be a country in its own right. This is false in the most vehement terms.

The EU is gradually adding new powers and structures. There is no good reason for this unless things are getting more integrated. If the EU should have those powers now, why shouldn’t it have had them in 1986 or 1992 when the Single European Act and Maastricht treaties were signed? If things are getting steadily closer to an EU nation, why should we assume that it will stop?

The EU is currently set up with several institutions. First there is the Commission which is made up of members appointed by the member states’ heads of state. The member appointed by the Queen (Tony Blair in reality), is Peter Mandelson. Previously it was Neil Kinnock; next I am sure it will be David Blunkett or Tony Blair (as other failed or jobless politicians). Officially Commissioners, as they are called, should have no loyalty to their home nation and should work for the benefit of the EU. This is a task that I challenge anyone to fulfil - there’s patriotism, loyalty and many other pressures that are far too great.

Second there is the European Parliament. The European Parliament is voted by proportional representation within regions approximately the size of German Lander. These regions are a lovechild of the Labour party which wants to split that troublesome English nation which insists on being eurosceptic. In the European elections in 2004, the results were 40 UK MEPs for eurosceptic parties and 36 UK MEPs for pro-EU parties. This allows for the fact that there are pro-EU Conservative members (though few) and eurosceptic Labour, Lib Dem, SNP and Plaid Cymru members. Aside from the celtic fringe, England voted for eurosceptic parties overwhelmingly. The UK is eurosceptic and England more so.

The last point Asdaasda makes is that us eurosceptics claim the EU is undemocratic. Let me address that. Bearing in mind that the Commission is appointed by heads of state (who in many countries, including the UK, are not directly elected themselves), they are subject to removal by the European Parliament. Unfortunately if the European Parliament, the only democratic institution in the EU thinks that a Commissioner should be removed, they must remove the whole Commission. This means that a single Commissioner who is dipping into funds and using for his own means, or who isn’t putting the EU first as his priority, can only be removed by Parliament if the Parliament thinks it is acceptable to remove all the Commissioners and all the upheaval that causes. After that, there is nothing to stop the head of state responsible for that Commissioner from reappointing them.

The Commission makes policy, the Parliament votes on it. No other country works with an unelected policy-making unit. No other country’s policy-making unit could afford to be politically aligned forever. Some activities of the Commission are wholly not subject to democratic oversight - the recent trade debacle is an example of this.

Third there is the Council of the EU. This is the heads of state (or their representatives in the case of Tony Blair for Her Maj) of the member states, who meet from time to time in Inter-Governmental Conferences (IGCs). These people are making decisions for their own country in many circumstances, but also trying to make a deal with wildly differing cultures and with countries with massive differences in their economy and aims. Rarely does a head of state from any country return to their country as a victor in these negotiations. Every IGC has resulted in further ‘integration’, ’standardisation’ and shift of power away from member states and towards Brussels.

Finally there is the European Court of Justice. This should not be confused with the European Court of Human Rights which is part of the Council of Europe (also not an EU institution). The ECJ does not provide any tangible benefits above the superior courts of each of the Member States. Any failure in member states’ systems for dealing with people’s judicial experience should not be dealt with by a further level of justice by a European-wide court. The highest court in England is the House of Lords. Whether you think this should be the case or not, the need for a further, higher court in Europe cannot be made. Elected governments (note, elected) could , if necessary, institute a highest court that suits a nation’s needs. A European Court only means that member states are no longer in charge of judicial process.

Financially, the EU is a complete waste. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) consumes nearly 50% of the EU budget (my money as well as yours) and pays “80 percent of the money going to just 20 percent of producers” (source). The amount of money spent on CAP (90 billion euros) could pay for A LOT. The rest of the EU budget is spent on other countries - the UK does not benefit financially from the EU regardless of trade-as-a-result considerations.

Other European Structures

  • Council of Europe: I have never had the case for or against the Council of Europe made. It is not the European Union and should not be confused with it.
  • European Court of Human Rights: This is part of the Council of Europe.
  • European Space Agency (ESA): This is a non-governmental organisation which costs each European approximately £5 per year - an absolute bargain in my book. It works with the EU, but is vehemently not (yet?) an EU institution.

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