The latest findings of Eurobarometer, the EU’s own polling organisation, show that less than half its citizens now believe it is a “good thing”. In many countries, its popularity is at record lows, and only 19 per cent see the EU as “democratic” (in Britain, Finland and Latvia this is as low as 10 per cent). What makes this particularly ironic is that in 2001 the EU’s leaders issued their Laeken Declaration, admitting that the EU faced a crisis through its “democratic deficit”. Their remedy was the process designed to give Europe a “constitution”. After eight years of negotiation, obfuscation, lies and referendum-reverses, they got the constitution they wanted (although they had to disguise it as the Lisbon Treaty). The upshot of this tortuous attempt to “bring Europe closer to its peoples” is that those peoples see the EU as less democratic than ever. Meanwhile, armed with its new powers, the inflated engine of our EU government rolls on, more power-crazed than ever. It is spending £800 million on setting up its new worldwide diplomatic service, with 100 of its officials earning more than our own shrunken and virtually irrelevant Foreign Secretary William Hague. Also now on the table are the EU’s options for imposing its own taxes, the front-runner being a tax on financial transactions to which Britain, as a world financial centre, would contribute 70 per cent, more than 300 billion euros a year. Britain and the City will also be hit hardest by the EU’s seizure of control over the regulation of financial services. Our Chancellor, George Osborne, has just conceded the EU’s right to “supervise” the contents of national budgets, taking away much of a power Parliament has exercised for centuries. Britain also seems likely to lose what remains of the EU budget rebate won by Mrs Thatcher, putting up our yearly contributions to the EU by another £3 billion - even though, for every £1 we get back from Brussels for our farmers, we already hand over £2 to farmers in other countries. Theresa May, our Home Secretary, weakly claims that she wants reform of the European Arrest Warrant, when half of all those affected by it are being extradited from Britain. The EU’s response, in effect, is that we agreed to this travesty of justice and we must learn to live with it. But no current issue better illustrates the bizarre nature of the system to which we have surrendered the power to run our country than the chaos inflicted on our hospitals by the enforced application of the EU’s working time directive. Led by John Black, head of the Royal College of Surgeons, medical professionals protest that this is threatening many patients’ lives. Even the European Commission freely admits, in a recent “communication” to the European Parliament and sundry others, that its rules are, in practice, highly “unsatisfactory” and in need of urgent reform. But it adds that attempts to amend the directives have been going on since 2004 and that any chance of getting the reforms needed will involve so many consultations and negotiations that little is likely to happen for years. Of course, if we still had the power to run our own country, this crisis in the NHS and much else besides could be sorted out within months, But since our Government seems quite happy to continue handing over even more powers to this crazy system, there is nothing we can do about it – until eventually the whole lumbering, labyrinthine, unaccountable, undemocratic mess implodes under the weight of its own contradictions. A warmist coup seems to have taken place on Amazon, the online bookseller, says Christopher Booker. 11 Sep 2010 Another child adoption scandal is being covered up, saysChristopher Booker. 11 Sep 2010 The EU has become a lumbering, unaccountable mess, saysChristopher Booker. 11 Sep 2010 The Inter-Academy report into the IPCC, led by Rajendra Pachauri, tiptoes around a mighty elephant in the room, argues Christopher Booker. 04 Sep 2010 Even the UN and the EU are wising up to the greenhouse gas scam, "the biggest environmental scandal in history", says Christopher Booker. 28 Aug 2010 Fierce air fights and devastating bombing raids were taking place all over the country 70 years ago, says Christopher Booker 28 Aug 2010 'Overseas investment' to generate electricity on Orkney came courtesy of the British taxpayer, says Christopher Booker 28 Aug 2010 Why are the police acting as 'enforcers' for the RSPCA, asksChristopher Booker. 21 Aug 2010 Winona Varney was reunited with her mother through Facebook, writesChristopher Booker. 21 Aug 2010 In one ongoing case, social workers are pursuing the most surreal inquiries, says Christopher Booker 14 Aug 2010 Why have we in the West persecuted exactly those groups that Tehran wants us to, asks Christopher Booker 14 Aug 2010 Our social workers normally hit the headlines when some Baby P-type horror story comes to light, showing how they failed to intervene when a child was so maltreated by its parents that it died. 07 Aug 2010 Politics has been reduced to the level of Citzalia, an online game in which you play at taking part in the European Parliament, saysChristopher Booker. 07 Aug 2010Brussels has broken our power to rule
The EU has become a lumbering, unaccountable mess,
says Christopher Booker.
Christopher Booker
Christopher Booker of The Sunday Telegraph exposes the ever-growing power of the European Union in Brussels and the excesses of mad officialdom.
CHRISTOPHER BOOKER LATEST
The truth is getting lost in the Amazon
Another social work scandal
Brussels has broken our power to rule
A cunning bid to shore up the ruins of the IPCC
The Clean Development Mechanism delivers the greatest green scam of all
Lest we forget, it wasn’t the Battle of the Home Counties
Tidal turbines: Alex Salmond hits a low ebb
Arrested for defending the red squirrel
She defied the law to find her mother
Surreal investigation recalls 'satanic abuse' scandals
The future of Iran is waiting for our support
Britain's forced adoptions: the hidden scandal we can't ignore
Virtual democracy in exchange for real power
Sunday, 12 September 2010
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