12 December 2007
What sort of human rights do we have?
After the protest about the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the European Parliament today, Conservative and anti-European MEP Roger Helmer asks, on his blog, “What sort of human rights do we have if we’re not even allowed to decide who governs us?”
Read his comments here.
Good question. That’s the whole point of federalism, after all. International cooperation is increasingly a fact, not a choice, and the EU is the means whereby we inject democratic accountability into system. Why is Roger Helmer against it?
Read his comments here.
Good question. That’s the whole point of federalism, after all. International cooperation is increasingly a fact, not a choice, and the EU is the means whereby we inject democratic accountability into system. Why is Roger Helmer against it?
Posted by Richard Laming at 17:07
Roger Helmer is not anti-European, he is anti-EU. His point about deciding who governs us is absolutely critical to the functionning of democracy. It is now patently obvious that the Constitution lay on the shelves of history for a couple of years until the German Presidency concocted a devious plan to bring it back. the only reason that there will be no referendums, bar one, is because they'd be lost in all liklihood. This is not a measure for democracy, but an act of political cowardice at best, and downright tyranny at worst. I note though that you have previously said the most notable aspect of this Treaty is its advance for a unified foreign policy. I wonder if you might consider where our European allies were when our naval personnel were kidnapped by the Iranians? Scurrying to protect their investments. Where were our American allies? on the telephone to give the PM an unequivocal security guarantee.
I meant referenda :)
I wonder what your measure of democratic accountability is? an unelected executive? A set of books that their own auditors refuse to sign off for over a decade? a parliament whose electoral turnout merits less than a quarter of the vote for the most part? these are strange measures of accountability. the best mesaure of accountability in my view is an executive you can kick out at the next election,. and even if your party doesn't win, you accept the decision because we live in a country we're proud to call homw. that patently isn't the EU
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