Five ways the EU and its supporters defy democracy
Leaving the EU was the pro-democracy choice at the EU referendum. The EU makes laws and sets policies that then apply across all EU member countries - but it is not democratic. Its main law-making institutions are either unelected or contradict basic principles of democracy. Brexit has returned decision-making powers to elected UK parliaments and devolved administrations, governed by whichever party voters choose to support at elections. This has strengthened our ability to influence the law and hold politicians to meaningful account, while still allowing co-operation with our EU neighbours. |
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Voters over-ruledThe EU Council of Ministers makes most decisions by ‘qualified majority voting’. Very few EU laws can now be vetoed by single countries.
Using QMV, the views of multiple elected governments and parliaments can be over-ruled by groups of ministers from other countries - and voters ignored. Imposing laws like this on national democracies and making voters powerless is not a stable, democratic future for Europe and is a big reason why Brexit happened. EU supporters, however, want this to continue. |
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Too rigid, too remoteOnce agreed by these institutions, no single country can then change or repeal an EU law, regardless of the results of any national elections or how badly EU decisions have affected them.
Voters are left powerless, promoting the rise of extremism and instability. These effects of EU centralisation can sadly already be seen growing across EU member countries. |
Backed by anti-democratsThe UK finally left the EU only at the end of January 2020.
But since the referendum, a small band of vocal EU backers have been trying to put up roadblocks to Brexit being delivered, demanding that Brexit be stopped and even that a repeat referendum be held. Now, they are already demanding that we must rejoin the EU, well before any credible views on the wider effects of Brexit can be drawn. Their complete refusal to respect the decision of a public vote is shameful, but at least consistent with their support for the undemocratic EU. Effective, responsive democracy is the only true guarantor of stability and prosperity on our continent; not glass palaces in Brussels. The EU dogmatists and their 1950s euro-nationalism must never succeed in, once again, diminishing democratic government. |