Westminster will close

Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster (source Carlesmari)

Euromyth alert. A rather bizarre document, purporting to be a summary of the Reform Treaty, has appeared on the internet, with a series of absurd and outlandish claims. You can gawp at it here: http://eutruth.org.uk/reformtreatysum.pdf

Picking an example (there are many I could choose from), we are told that:

“Unlike Westminster, the EU Parliament in Brussels, the only elected body, has no executive power; it is a sham.”

Anyone who thinks that Westminster has (or should have) executive power is adopting a rather unusual approach to political institutions. The House of Commons is a legislature, after all. It is sometimes said that one of the problem of Westminster is that parliament is not independent enough of the government. It is rare indeed to find the complaint that parliament and government are not intermingled enough.

But not to worry. Our analyst goes on to say that, in the treaty, “There are no provisions for elections to Westminster, which will close.”

Of course there are no provisions for national elections in the EU treaty! National elections are a matter for the member states, after all. What if there were requirements for national elections set out in the treaty? Imagine the complaints that would arise then, from the same people who are complaining now.

It is the great virtue and delight of democracy is that everyone can voice their opinions. That includes me, of course, but it also includes the author of the nonsensical so-called summary. However, it would be preferable if opinions of the treaty could actually be based on the facts.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top