Letter to the Editor, Irish Times
A chara, –
John Lloyd (Opinion & Analysis, January 25th) argues that Fintan O’Toole has got it all wrong when he argues that Brexit is caused, in part, by a nostalgia for an imperial past and a tendency to blame the EU for all ills that afflict the UK.
Instead, he argues that Brexit was motivated largely by a desire to be ruled by their own parliament and courts which the British people can better understand and control – in contrast to a fundamentally undemocratic, opaque and unaccountable EU.
Am I alone in tiring of being lectured on democracy by the only country in Europe without a clear and written constitution, with an entirely unelected upper house of parliament, an unelected head of state, and an electoral system which can lead to wildly disproportionate results and which renders many votes in “safe” constituencies pointless as they will have no influence on the overall result?
One can argue that the Brexit result was as much a protest against a UK political system which had successfully deflected all blame for its own failings onto the EU.
For once, every vote actually counted. – Yours, etc,
FRANK SCHNITTGER
Gloves off on that one.
I don’t know about all that criticism. The House of Lords was rendered nearly powerless a long time ago. There are other countries with ceremonial monarchs. As for the supposed defect of an unwritten constitution, tell me how the written constitutions of, say, Poland and Hungary have stopped those countries from sliding into autocracy. The criticism of the first-past-the-post electoral system is legitimate, but as I recall, when the British people were presented with the opportunity to change it, they declined.
The criticisms of UK democracy are intended to provide a context for Brexiteer’s often entirely unjustified criticisms of EU democracy. For instance the EU Commission is often criticised as “unelected Brussels bureaucrats”. Firstly, it is effectively the EU Civil Service. The UK’s Whitehall based civil service is equally influential and similarly unelected. No country elects their civil service. Secondly the top Commssion officials – the Commissioners themselves, are all nominated by elected governments and must be approved by the European Parliament. Thirdly, Juncker, the President of the Commission, was elected by the European Council 26-2 (With David Cameron and Victor Orban voting against), and the European Parliament by 422 to 250. Few political leaders can boast such large democratic mandates.
Obviously other European democracies are not entirely flawless, but none have so many factors inhibiting an accurate representation of the popular will. You can have good or bad written constitutions, but if they have been voted for by the people, then the people only have themselves to blame. The House of Lord’s is still quite influential and embeds a largely class based system of governance into the political culture. The FPTP single seat constituency system encourages a polarised, binary and adversarial political culture. When modest reforms were proposed by the LibDems, the two main parties united against them to preserve their duopoly. The UK is now paying the price.
Generally when UK politicians criticise the EU’s lack of democracy, they are venting their failure to get their wishes and interests imposed on other member states. This has poisoned UK political discourse for 45 years – and damaged the EU as well. It’s time they were called on their hypocrisy.
From Michel Barnier to the EU Council and MEPs, one voice of dismissal :: NO!
Brussels sees through the British shenanigans and have concluded PM May has failed to unite the House of Commons. One thing Westminster has proven in yesterday’s vote: the members of the ERG group and the DUP cannot be trusted. The need for the Irish border backstop as insurance has been made clear. Brussels sees the vote on the amendments as tactical with no substance. The British politicians have failed their constituents and their (former) partners in the EU.
This morning the EU has realized that the no-deal scenario is real and likely preferred because at least it gives certainty. The economic hardship will be great on both sides.
House of Commons vote on Brady amendment shows disregard for the GFA and the Irish people
○ Sir Graham Brady MP for Altrincham and Sale West
○ The most expensive places to live in Greater Manchester
○ UK child poverty: get the data by parliamentary constituency
… as the 27 member states of the EU exasperates.
○ Warring Tories UNITE behind Jacob Rees-Mogg approved Brexit plan – ‘It’s time to DELIVER’ | The Express|
○ ‘If there’s no deal you won’t get a penny!’ Brexit minister warns that UK will REFUSE to pay £39bn divorce bill unless the EU agrees to PM’s new backstop plan | Daily Mail |
Related reading…
○ Mark Rutte’s Dutch Cabinet Gets Emergency Powers in Case of No-Deal Brexit | Bloomberg Today |
○ Avoid Brexit-style ‘chaos’ Dutch PM tells his people | EurActiv – Dec. 2018 | [link in article]
Oui, thought you might be interested in this news article regarding Brexit:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ubs-prepares-shift-36-5-103554240.html
Thx