europe2

Our criticisms are these;

In the interests of free trade, within Europe, we are being asked to
accept substantial reductions in our democratic rights. Customarily
capitalism is associated with democracy and freedom - Since when
has it been necessary to give away democracy just to be able to
trade?

Remember, the whole purpose of the European Union is supposed
to be economic. Never has it been proposed to the people as a
political proposal, of uniting Britain with European Countries in a
federation or any other arrangement. Indeed any such idea has
always been strenuously denied by the British politicians in favour of
British membership.In Europe however the federalist intention is no
mere suspicion, it has always been the intention, and it remains the
long term aim of a large proportion of European officials. It may
take them some time to achieve it, but it is not an intention that will
go away. British opposition to it is regarded as a temporary hurdle
which will eventually be overcome. The federalists who dominate in
the EU do not care either that the populations of all the other
European countries which have enjoyed the courtesy of being asked
in referendum, have all shown their rejection of the idea. The
federalists will simply keep asking the same question until the
answer is yes.

But before we talk of paying the price.....

IS IT ANY USE IN THE FIRST PLACE?

The European Union's only justification for its existence is a practical
one, to do with trade; And yet increasingly, and for the future, the
European Union has no real useful purpose. Trade is now global.
The multitude of rules and restrictions for which the European Union
is notorious make competition with the eastern economies more
difficult than it already is. The EU was set up to make trade within
Europe easier, to lower trade barriers and to promote
competition.In this limited aim it has been largely successful, but the
EU has the opposite effect on competitiveness outside Europe.

THE EUROPEAN UNION IS NOT DEMOCRATIC

The political cost we pay for lowering trade barriers inside Europe
is a very high one. We have to accept an endless stream of new
laws from a source completely outside of our democracy. We do
not vote for the Commission of 27, it is appointed by the Prime
Ministers. We only vote for the Parliament , which has only a very
limited power, akin to the power our parliament had under the
Tudors!

DO THE OTHER EUROPEAN PEOPLE EVEN WANT IT?

The European Union is not wanted by the populations of Europe. It
is the project of politicians and officials whose enthusiasm for it has
driven right over the will of the peoples. Each time some aspect of
their scheme, the Euro, or the new constitution,for example, is
rejected by an electorate in a referendum, the plan is merely
shelved until they will be asked again. Each nation will be asked
again until they say "YES"to whatever they are asked to accept .
Then, and only then, can you be assured they will be asked no
more. YES will be the last answer they will be asked to give

27 MASTERS OF EUROPE

The sheer amount of power given to the heads of state, in the
European Council, is beyond the intention of the people electing
them. In one room can be contained the 27 prime ministers, who
can decide between them in principle the laws you and I must obey
and the direction the whole of Europe is to take.(They appoint the
27 Commissioners who then frame those laws). Such a process is
like going back to absolute monarchy, with a rubber stamp
parliament. Remember, in British politics, the Prime Minister is really
merely the leader of the party with most votes in our parliament. He
is not intended to be the elected dictator to decide all our futures,
along with a small group of other men in the same position in the
other countries of Europe.

EUROPEAN ELECTIONS DO NOT REMOVE EUROPEAN
LAWMAKERS
The use of the words European Parliament and Elections, give a
wholly false impression , and invite a misleading comparison with a
proper parliament. We get rid of our national government if we want
to, in an election. Euro-elections, on the other hand do NOT get rid
of the "government" of Europe, because the lawmakers are not in
the parliament. The equivalent of the government of Europe are the
Commissioners appointed by the Council of Ministers; and the group
of Prime Ministers themselves, in their role of controlling the
European Union, govern without being accountable to a proper
parliament.

YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF THE EUROPEAN
UNION BY VOTING
While after each European Election the largely ineffectual MEPS
(Members of European Parliament) change, the Commissioners, the
actual lawmakers, are not changed until 6 months after the
election. When they do change, the change does not of course
reflect the outcome of the election, a new set of 27 appointees is
put in their place, chosen in the same way by the same Primie
ministers who chose the previous ones, and business proceeds as
before. They have merely coincided the new appointment with the
time of elections to give the appearance of democracy.

It is taken for granted that the Commissioners are "pro-european" in
their opinions. That is what they are appointed for. No one is chosen
to be a commissioner if he is euro-sceptic. Only one type of opinion
is able to flourish and gain power in the European Union. YOU
cannot vote it away, just as it was put there with no reference to
you.

YOU MUST OBEY EUROPEAN LAWS, HOWEVER THEY ARE
MADE.
Do not be under any illusions; the laws made by the European Union
are legally binding and you must obey them. You will notice it more
and more, as more Euro laws override our own laws. We are used
to taking it for granted that we are governed only by our parliament,
and have only to obey British law, which we have developed
ourselves and which we have some control over. But that is no
longer the case. European law, made by a handful of appointed
commissioners and ministers, takes precedence over British law.
Democrats in France and other countries protest as we do, but that
is the fact of life in the European Union.

Unless you feel confident that you are influencing the laws being
made in Europe when you vote in a Euro-election, you should think
about what power is being wielded over you

Even aside from this gross failings in elementary democracy, the
sheer scale of the European Union works very much against the
chance of there being effective control of the lawmakers by the
people.

There are 450 million people in the European Union. That fact alone
makes the proper functioning of democracy problematic. The fact
that those 450 million people are from entirely different countries
with completely different histories and internal developments,
different outlooks on life , ways of life, philosophies , beliefs and
religions, as well as being at different stages of economic and even
social development, adds to the difficulty. If there were no choice
but to have one parliament for 450 million people with only 700
seats, and to have an endless series of laws made by 27
appointees,if this were imposed upon us by force, then it would
seem a dreadful fate. But to voluntarily place ourselves in that
situation is perverse, and we cannot simply presume that it will not
lead to a very substantial loss of freedom.

Politics depends very much on a local connection to power. It
depends on the possibility of changing things. Even now we feel
insufficiently powerful to effect change through voting, that is why
there is such a low turn out at elections. That is also why we seem
prepared to give away our democratic rights. But in a European
constituency of 450 people, the chance of influencing politics , of
bringing about change, shrinks drastically, once power has been
made so immense and to cover such a large area.

Already the sheer scale and complexity of the European Union and
our involvement in it is being used as an argument why we cannot
leave it. What does that tell you about how responsive a democracy
it is?

WHAT IS NEXT?

Economic policy and all laws concerning trade, right down to how
you weigh your vegetables or measure cloth or wood, is now
largely decided in Europe. Federalists, who are the driving force
behind Europe , have the ambition to extend European law into
more areas, to unify European law. It is a long slow relentless drive
, that can never be defeated, only slowed down. When it succeeds,
it will be European opinion,if any, that will determine our laws, not
British opinion. Do you feel we have the same needs from criminal
law as Poles, Romanians and Germans? Is one law to suit all
countries the best way to get good laws?

And lastly, concerning the location of political power; A serious
reminder...

It may seem odd or it may seem obvious, but one important but
unspoken part of the invisible contract which supports democracy, is
the physical relationship between us and those who rule in our
name. In Britain we have never had a large standing army. Our
small army could never hope to contain the people if the consensus
that allows the government to have power over us ever broke down.
This is a very good safeguard of our freedoms. If they go too far, if
they refuse to have an election, we know where they are and we
can go and remove them by force.

But imagine 50 years from now, when the European Union has
extended its lawmaking powers into all areas of life, criminal law,
domestic taxation, immigration, and any domestic laws. Imagine if
we decide that we would prefer, after all, to have our own laws
made by our own politicians whom we can control. Where will we
go to lay hands on the government that will control us then? To
Brussels? To Strasbourg?

THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT GOVERNMENTS IS THAT YOU
NEED TO KEEP THEM WHERE YOU CAN GET AT THEM.

*** The European Commissioners have already proposed giving
grants to all political parties, - except those which are not in favour
of the European Union

Europe (contd)

The Working Class Party