A modest proposal - or an opportunity for some EU ju-jitsu
From the European 'Parliament':
"Citizens could have a direct impact on EU law if the Lisbon Treaty comes into force if they can gather at least 1 million signatures from across the EU. The treaty would allow citizens to ask for new EU laws or a review of existing ones. MEPs recently discussed how the signatures would be collected, verified and what would be the legal obligation to act".
Ignore the caveats and it being dependent on Lisbon for now - are you thinking what I'm thinking?
If so, I bet it isn't what the author of the forthcoming report on the issue is thinking, for she is MEP Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left, which hosts - inter alia Communists, Trots (only as associates, natch) and Sinn Fein. Not exactly my ideological confrères.. Further, Frau Kaufman represents Die Linke, the successor party to the SED, former rulers of the German 'Democratic' Republic.
And proving that you can make it up, she sits on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. Yes, really. In addition, she is part of the Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula. I'm sure Pyongyang must bring her out in a warm fuzzy glow of nostalgia.
Anyway, time to start collecting signatures?
"Citizens could have a direct impact on EU law if the Lisbon Treaty comes into force if they can gather at least 1 million signatures from across the EU. The treaty would allow citizens to ask for new EU laws or a review of existing ones. MEPs recently discussed how the signatures would be collected, verified and what would be the legal obligation to act".
Ignore the caveats and it being dependent on Lisbon for now - are you thinking what I'm thinking?
If so, I bet it isn't what the author of the forthcoming report on the issue is thinking, for she is MEP Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left, which hosts - inter alia Communists, Trots (only as associates, natch) and Sinn Fein. Not exactly my ideological confrères.. Further, Frau Kaufman represents Die Linke, the successor party to the SED, former rulers of the German 'Democratic' Republic.
And proving that you can make it up, she sits on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. Yes, really. In addition, she is part of the Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula. I'm sure Pyongyang must bring her out in a warm fuzzy glow of nostalgia.
Anyway, time to start collecting signatures?
Labels: EU fun and games, Extreme Left, modest proposals
This entry was posted
on Friday, October 10, 2008 at 1:57 pm.
You can skip to the end and leave a response.
Anyone can *ask* for new law, review or even a repeal right here, right now...
True, but I think we could have some major league fun with this.
But when the proposal does not work in the way the EU wants it to work, they will change the rules. That 1 million signatures might for example have to comprise a certain percentage from each member state.
Then if that is overcome, they might add a caveat that the 1 million signatures need to broadly represent the ethnic make up of the population.
So maybe they will then insist on other conditions that vary depending on wind direction and colour of Manuel Barroso's underwear. Democracy is an ideal more honoured in the breach than the observance when it comes to the EU.
Tony - All sadly true, and as I am forever saying to long-suffering 'civilian' friends, it is a government not of laws but of men.
Anyway, the item gave me the chance to engage in a little light daydreaming.
In December 2006, over 1.2 million signatures,including mine, were added to a petition to stop the nonsense of the EU parliament periodically decamping to Strasbourg at an annual cost of around £150m.
This was ignored as not being appropriate.
The definition of fascism as stated by Benito Mussolini and Giovanni Gentile in 1932 bears a marked resemblance to the Lisbon Treaty as far as it affects the right of the individual. Mussolini said the rights of the individual are subservient to the state - is the new EU any different?
What Blue Eyes said.
"I can call spirits from the vasty deep", etc etc.
» Post a Comment