As the official deadline for Britain leaving the European Union approaches, Parliament seems determined to override the will of the people and sound the death knell of freedom. Each week, Liberty Nation shines a light on the dark rumblings in the British Isles that portend the betrayal of Brexit.
For those who sweat the nights away worrying about whether Brexit will be delivered for the people of the United Kingdom, one of the main concerns is that the European Union is essentially an undemocratic institution. On May 23, Britain will take part in the European elections, sending a number of Members of European Parliament (MEPs) to Brussels, which appears on the surface to indicate a functioning democracy is in place. But it’s not that simple.
You see, MEPs can’t propose laws; they can only vote on laws that are presented to them by the E.U. Commission. Critics of Brexit argue that the members of the commission are sent to the E.U. by the national government of the day, and therefore, by voting in your general election, you are thereby giving a tacit mandate for the new prime minister to send a representative.
But…
This is not a bad argument until you hear the words of commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker:
“In these elections, those who promote foolish nationalism will pay the price for it… Nobody knows this, but last time I rejected the candidacies of six of the Commissioners presented to me by national governments.”
Jean-Claude Juncker
Juncker is well-known for his liquid lunches, leaving some to suspect that during his recent interview with the Polish media site, Rzeczpospolita, he may have been suffering from in vino veritas. He helpfully explained:
“Do remember that governments merely propose commissioners. It is the president of the Commission who accepts them and allocates their responsibilities.”
It is this attitude that is responsible for sparking the fire of Euro-Skeptic parties across Europe. Whether in Italy with Matteo Salvini, or in Hungary with Viktor Orban, or even in the U.K. with Nigel Farage and UKIP, it is the disdain that these institutions feel for a nation’s self-determination that has created a continent-wide backlash.
Acceptable Behavior
Juncker’s attitude is not the exception for the E.U. bureaucrats but rather the rule. In fact, just one week after “spilling the Brussels beans,” he was honored by Euronews and the European Business Summit in Brussels with an award for “European leader of the year.”
There is a move within the European Union toward closer integration. What this means in practice is that beyond just regulatory alignment on trade goods, there will be a push toward more centralized power.
Just before the E.U. elections on May 23, E.U. leaders will meet for a conference in Sibiu, Romania, where they are expected to agree to a document known as the Sibiu Declaration. This declaration apparently has ten aspects ranging from broad statements of intent to actual political intent and plans.
According to Politico, one of the commitments states that “we will show each other solidarity in times of need and we will always stand together” and that “we can and we will speak with one voice.” Innocent as it appears at first glance, those familiar with the direction and history of other E.U. treaties understand that it portends something far more sweeping.
Migration for the Continent
When the E.U. states that it will “speak in one voice,” the reality is that it is an intention to remove individual vetoes from member states on matters that impact Europe as a whole. In this case, immigration.
The Sibiu Declaration is a response to nations like Hungary and Italy that refuse to take in E.U.-mandated migrant quotas. The commission has decided that going forward it will brook no dissension on matters that impact nations within its union: no more sovereignty in deciding border issues.
The E.U. has its own agenda, and many in Europe are happy to comply and, in some cases, actively promote the plans for a federal superstate, a United States of Europe. But some cling to the “old ways” of self-determination and national sovereignty, and they are growing into a force the E.U. might not be able to tame.
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