Thursday, October 18, 2007

So Long UK, It Was Nice Being a Brit...

Britain is about to change in ways which suggest that its leadership has lost the plot. Gordon Brown, the Anthony Eden of the twenty first century, is about to sign an EU agreement which transfers a great deal of power and authority to Brussels and the unelected EU commission and its agencies. This despite promising at the last election that a referendum would be held over the terms of any revised EU constitution. In a battle of the elite versus the people, which is how this can be characterized as, everyone loses.

The UK government argues that it has negotiated “red lines” or boundaries which are opt-outs on key areas - human rights, tax and benefits, foreign policy and justice – leads them to believe that there will be no significant transfer of power to Brussels. Few agree. In fact, the House of Commons Select Committee sees the treaty to be signed as almost identical to the EU constitution which was rejected two years ago.

If a state cannot control its legal system, tax system or foreign policy what is it?

If a constitution is rejected by ballot, how can the administration implement it without a ballot?

If justice is to be transferred to the EU, which British court can hear a challenge to the signing of the treaty?

If human rights abuse issues are now matters for the EU, who can use the human rights legislation to challenge the right of Gordon Brown to take them away?

Apart from the cynicism being used by the Prime Minister and his cabinet to promote the treaty - treating the electorate as fools is always a mistake, they come back and bite you - the manipulation of facts and emotions here does a discredit to all.

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