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| Friday, 21 August 2009 |
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Brezhnev in Dublin
The so-called Brezhnev Doctrine is at work in the European Union. “What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is negotiable,” runs the line. When it comes to the EU, any vote to increase authority in Brussels is viewed as final. Any vote against consolidating power is treated as merely temporary.
It’s the attitude towards Ireland, which in June 2008 voted to reject the Lisbon Treaty. Since the agreement requires unanimous agreement, the referendum theoretically killed the attempt to expand the EU’s authority. However, the European elite viewed the setback as only temporary and insisted that Ireland vote again. Dublin will hold a revote on October 2.
The lack of obvious practical benefits of a consolidated government in Brussels for most Europeans has not prevented the development of a strong elite consensus behind Lisbon. Roger Cole, head of the Irish Peace and Neutrality Alliance, argues bluntly: “The EU political elite supports the treaty because it continues to transfer power away from the people and their own national democratic institutions to themselves and their institutions, the Council of Ministers, the European Court of Justice and the parliament.”
Toward this end the Swedish think tank Timbro estimates that the EU spends several billion dollars annually promoting an expanded EU. Lorraine Mullally of the London-based think tank Open Europecomplains: The European Commission increasingly “sees itself not just as ‘guardian of the Treaties,’ but as a political campaign group.”
There are few dissenting public voices. Former Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek admitted: “This treaty is bad and we know it.” But he said he felt he had no choice but to support Lisbon: “If we hadn’t signed the Lisbon Treaty and had been pushed to the sidelines of the European Union we would have had no chance of promoting our national interests. That’s the main reason. It was the lesser of two evils.”
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are no more willing than anyone else to debate popular dissatisfaction with a consolidated government. Hans-Gert Poettering, the last president of the European Parliament (EP), even advocated locking out anti-federalists: “I think it is very important that the pro-European MEPs cooperate well so the anti-Europeans cannot make their voices heard so strongly.”
The difference between popular and elite attitudes is stark. An Open Europe poll from 2007 found that roughly 75 percent of Europeans — with a clear majority in every nation — wanted to vote on any new treaty transferring power to Brussels. EU Internal Markets Commissioner (Ireland’s representative on the European Commission) Charlie McCreevy argued, undoubtedly with some hyperbole, that European leaders “know quite well that if the question was put to their electorate by a referendum the answer in 95 percent of the countries would probably have been No as well.” In fact, polls suggest that Lisbon would fail in about half of the EU members.
No wonder former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing, who played a leading role in drafting the original constitution, opined: “Above all, it is to avoid having referendums.”
Twenty-six of 27 EU member states have approved Lisbon by parliamentary vote, usually backed by both the main governing and opposition parties. In Ireland, however, the constitution required a referendum on the treaty. And last June the measure went down to defeat.
Oops.
Although the treaty theoretically was dead, supporters assumed that eventual approval was inevitable: the only question was how?
Ironically, the pro-treaty lobby, which had designed the process to eliminate public input, expressed its democratic outrage over the result. A British Labour MP complained that the Irish had “become extremely arrogant.” Britain’s Lord Mark Malloch-Brown grandly declared that “I am not sure whether the voters of Ireland should have a right of veto over the aspirations of all the other people of Europe. I am not sure whether that is, or is not, democracy.”
Spanish EU Commissioner Joaquin Almunia claimed that it is not “very democratic” to hold a referendum on complicated issues like the Lisbon Treaty. German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble declared: “a few million Irish cannot decide on behalf of 495 million Europeans.”
Some Treaty advocates proposed throwing Ireland out of the EU or relegating the country to associate status. Most, however, preferred to pressure Dublin to hold another poll, as it had after Irish voters turned down another treaty in 2001 before ratifying it in a second vote.
The Irish government has set a repeat vote for October 2. To sweeten the pot, so to speak, other European governments have promised several future concessions, allowing Ireland to retain its national commissioner and opt out of a European foreign policy. After the recent EU summit, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen claimed: “We came here with two aims. Ireland wanted firm legal guarantees. We got them. We wanted a commitment to a protocol. We got that.”
Well, kind of. Last December Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin stated that “we will not be asking people to vote on the same proposition.” But what Dublin received was the promise of future action, not present amendments. Irish Socialist MEP Joe Higginsacknowledged: the guarantee process is “an elaborate charade. The so-called guarantees are simply designed to throw dust in the eyes of ordinary people in Ireland to give them the impression that something fundamental has been changed in the Lisbon Treaty,” thereby making people think they will be voting on a different document when “It is exactly the same text, word by word, not even a comma has been changed.”
Similarly, explains Open Europe’s Lorraine Mullally: “Despite lengthy negotiations and lots of superficial statements about ‘respecting’ the Irish ‘no’ vote, not a single comma has changed — if there were any changes at all to the Treaty, then all the other member states would have to re-ratify it. None of the statements made [at the EU summit] are binding in EU law. But even if they were, they do nothing to address Irish concerns.”
Treaty advocates argue otherwise, of course. Given its difficulty in selling the treaty, the Irish government is attempting to turn the treaty referendum into a vote on membership in the EU. Jim O’Hara, CEO of Intel Ireland, added: “People don’t understand the economic catastrophe that could unfold if we don’t get a ‘Yes’ vote.” But few critics of Lisbon want to leave the EU. Since the EU appears to be working as is, they simply see no reason to expand the EU’s authority.
The betting is that Lisbon will carry the second time around. (If it doesn’t, threatened one German Socialist MEP, Ireland will face “isolation” and “second class” status.) Still, nothing is guaranteed. British MEP Daniel Hannan writes of an Irish friend who told him: “we didn’t fight off the might of the British Empire just so as to be bossed about by the Belgians.”
Moreover, the Czech and Polish presidents have to yet to sign off on the agreement and if the Tories win next year’s election in Britain, they might use a future treaty as an opportunity to demand their own concessions, à la the Irish. And if the Conservatives come to power — which is as certain as anything in politics — before the Lisbon process is completed, they are likely to reverse the Labour government’s ratification.
Only the Europeans can decide on the EU’s future. Timothy Garton Ash wrote in the Guardian of “the essential grandeur of this project we call the European Union, where nations born in so much blood work together freely in a commonwealth of democracies.” He is right, but his argument actually works against the Lisbon Treaty, or at least the current ratification process, which excludes the people forced to live under the resulting government. Declares Roger Cole: “This referendum is not an Irish battle. It is a European battle fought on Irish soil, a battle between the peoples of Europe that support democracy and the elite of Europe that want an empire.”
By Doug Bandow
This article first appeared in the American Spectator
Comments
I like the way the stars turn into a barbed wire. Was it intentional? There have been three European women whom I have known in life. The Ukrainian was a prostitute. The French is a criminal. The Dutch was a more normal woman – but that was many years ago.
The Indian woman who followed me is again a criminal. Now, the blog above is interesting. The French woman who visited me at my home was upset that I did not and I do not even like her – leave alone desire her. I have asked the French government many questions. But then they are French. Amazing filth and ugliness.
If I am supposed to be working for France or be a French citizen, one wonders about the number of petty criminals that are now French citizens (I did not sleep with that vermin – saving grace). Obviously I can not be a French citizen. Thankfully.
But such a write-up above and such a comment from India. Was that intentional – the stars turning into a barbed wire circle? Roger Jesus, Man!
But my specialization was In European Studies and yes – Combating International Terrorism. Was that why a prostitute traveled all the way from France to my home town?
Very strange ideas of civility and civilization! European….. did you say?
The politicians of all colours keep telling the Irish that they are the only people who are against this horrible treaty. That is just, because we were not asked.(Politicians know why!) Here in Austria our President signed the treaty April 9th o8,because he is a slave of Bruxelles. I guess he will not be elected again next year. (Only most Austrians are forgetful). I hope the Irish help us all against this Lisbon treaty.It stinks.Poland wants to sign, when the Irish say YES, but Vaclav Klaus of Czech Republic will not sign (yet???) Germans president could not sign yet because politicians went to court against this machinations of the EU.Well, all in all it is a sign of dictatorship to ask people as often as the government wants to. (In Switzerland it is unlawful to ask the same question before 1o years have gone by.)I hope and pray that the Irish put there feet down and say NO again. God help us all and bless the Irish, if they say NO. Maria Klingler from the Austrian Alps
The big question is: do you have democracy or the ‘commerce of government’, just like cartels exist elsewhere. South European states like Italy make news in far-off India as briefcase-carriers for bribing STATES and whore-mongers. So, one does get very interesting views about European sense of democracy. Then we also have people travelling from France to India to encourage the crime-prostitution-terror networks that somehow falls under some Judeo-Christian agenda (given the activities of most Indian Christians). But then India as a banana republic is understandable. Europe turning into a dictatorship? Well, the same story goes for the US, as one is given to understand, though then its academia and its entertainment industries seem to be seeking the same agenda like the French in India. Why does that happen? Perhaps to help Indian low-caste (chamaars or the cobbler-class in particular as a French fixation as one is given to understand) migrate to France. Very good except that they are still visible. Please can France take its populace back to its soil?
The US has that idea about christians (will it please take its populace back to its soil?). Amidst such scenarios – the idea of a free Europe is understandable, given the range of “European” activities upon Indian soil! Very strange culture indeed! But perhaps amidst such an overseas view of Europe – it makes sense to have a debate within Europe over what it means and understands by democracy, when not murdering and help the US murder people and families of scholars that work upon International Terrorism in such far-flung shores!
The question then becomes: Is the European Union a democracy? Perhaps Europe should debate about its “culture” just like the US should – before exporting such activities in third world states. Especially the crime-prostitution-terror network ones!
It just came to my mind,that when the now-a-days Belgium belonged to Austria (Austrian Netherlands)in the 16th century, they troubled our emperor Joseph II with their impudent demands for money (which the Hapsburg did not have.) There exists a letter of the frustrated man asking them wether they want his underpants as well!? Of this I am reminded when we Austrians pay so much money to Bruxelles and have nought to say. We are never asked about anything. But our politicians lead an extremely merry life in Bruxelles with our taxmoney. Of course they want to push this Lisbontreaty through, although they have never read the 478 pages, let alone understood them.(The US constitution has 15 pages.The one of France 2o. Germany 7o. Only the constitution of the Sowjetunion of 1936 is similar). Well, we keep on sending our money to the EU.I doubt it that they would be content with our underpants!Greetings from my lovely though devided(!) homecountry the TYROL in the Austrian Alps
When you pray for Joseph II, please do the same for me. They wanted the money of the Hapsburg, here they seem to be aiming for my life and that of my family’s. But one can understand the particular obligations particular states make when they join the EU. Since the logic of proportionality exists and the idea of the expansion of the EU (that usually translates into paying for an Italian’s social welfare with your tax-money, for example) also includes the logic of consensus – and yet the benefits of staying within the EU and the benefits of exiting the EU usually decides the cases. But then, somehow the observations about Austria reminds one once again about re-thinking values and re-thinking democracy as a larger debate. Thankfully, the EU should be able to provide that – without attempting to control the directions of the discussion and/or its outcomes. If not the EU, the networks of societies can enable that (if they think that they are not going to become another corpus that comes alive and creates more similar observations).
I do have an idea here: how about educating children about Human Rights and about the ideas of negative freedom and positive peace? Can you imagine trying that experiment? Human Rights as interpreted from the filter of negative freedom and positive peace?!!
To ensure that future generations generate more humanised people as administrators or bureaucrats?
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