The scoundrels in Brussels have sold the European people a lot of things: a single market, the euro, the lifting of many border controls and, most recently, a binding global climate policy. These have all been good things, and they have helped make Europe an eminently livable continent. Despite the many dull moments and emotions that have been negative at best, the end result has been laudable.
Most of these improvements would have been held up, if not outright prevented, by referendums. Democracy doesn\’t mean having unlimited confidence in citizens. Sometimes the big picture is in better hands when politicians are running it, and a big picture takes time.
Don\’t worry your pretty little heads, just let the rulers get on with the ruling. Never mind what you want, it\’s all for the best, eh?
It’s just like the British system of government, only with more accountability.
a single market, the euro, the lifting of many border controls and, most recently, a binding global climate policy. These have all been good things,
Is that true?
Single market: Rules and regulations about everything, one size fits all. Free trade would have been infinitely better.
Euro: Italian stagnation, Irish & Spanish inflation followed by likely crash.
lifting of many border controls : Alternately could be called complete loss of control of borders leading to all kinds of problems.
A binding global climate policy: Based on what exactly, the green lobby’s worst case scenarios. Meanwhile China continues to pump out CO2 like there is no tomorrow.
In fact for all the benefits they might have given, they are far from being unalloyed good things. All you need to do is ask why they are considered good things rather than accept it as the truth.
What made Europe “eminently liveable” was NATO and the USAF.
A German newspaper telling us that our leaders know whats best for us, with no sense of irony.
So if we can’t have referendum because we are too stupid does that also mean that we can’t vote for our MEP’s either?
Democracy doesn’t mean having unlimited confidence in citizens. Sometimes the big picture is in better hands when politicians are running it…
It’s nice of them to spell it all out for us, though. At least they aren’t hiding it, unlike our main parties in the UK…
“Democracy doesn’t mean having unlimited confidence in citizens. Sometimes the big picture is in better hands when politicians are running it…”
On the contrary, that’s *exactly* what democracy is about, to the great chagrin of those in Brussels who wish power were taken out of our hands.
And politicians *are* citizens – they’ve simply been elected to represent the rest of us. They’re just under the illusion that they’ve been elevated to a Higher Order of Being.
“a binding global climate policy”
As Serf says, it’s not binding, it’s not global and it won’t affect the climate. Although it is a policy.
Germans would not be Germans without their invariably displaying an obscene amount of trust in their leadership. This trust is (also invariably) paid back in stewardship resulting in high taxes, high unemployment and a retirement system that is essentially a giant Ponzi scheme heading for collapse.