MPs, if you love the EU so much, try the EU version of ‘democracy’
Imagine for a moment if Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, were representing the United Kingdom Government at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.
Further imagine that he had taken with him a phalanx of other unelected advisers and civil servants, who would be involved in important meetings at the decision-making level.
Then imagine Mr Cummings and a couple of his deputies giving keynote speeches to the General Assembly of world leaders.
Now
Can readers imagine the howls of protest
from Remainer MPs in Parliament
if Dominic Cummings addressed the UN General Assembly today?
Now let us swap Dominic Cummings for Donald Tusk
Welcome, Remainer MPs, to the world of ‘representative democracy’ in your beloved EU
This afternoon, the United Nations General Assembly in New York welcomes “His Excellency Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, European Union” for his keynote address. Tusk has of course never been elected to his role; he was selected by the EU’s governing Council. Rather like Mr Johnson selecting Dominic Cummings, except that Mr Cummings does not represent the UK government at home or abroad.
The UN General Assembly is taking place this week, and the EU has gone there in force. They explain their presence thus.
“The EU continues to be a leader in global cooperation: joining forces with partners in support of multilateralism to uphold and promote international law and human rights, to support peace and democracy, to promote sustainable development and to stand side-by-side with people in need all over the world.”
Can you hear any howls of protest from the Remain MPs sitting on those green benches …………No, me neither.
So who is representing the EU (including the UK) citizens at the UN?
Here is compiled of all the unelected officials from the EU who will be representing the people of the EU28 countries at the UN this week.
Unelected officials from the EU at the UN this week
1“His Excellency Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, European Union”
(Keynote address to entire UN General Assembly today)
First Vice-President Frans Timmermans
High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini
(One-on-one meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres)
Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete
Commissioner Neven Mimica
Commissioner Stylianides
Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos
Commissioner Karmenu Vella
EU Special Representative for Human Rights Eamon Gilmore
Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis
Commissioner Cecilia Malmström
Commissioner Pierre Moscovici
(All with meetings and EU presentations of all kinds)
Let's call all this Juncker’s Junket to New York
We could all, of course, talk about the cost of this junket of Juncker’s Commissioners, together with all their translators and ancillary staff, but that is beside the point here.
This is about EU democracy — or lack thereof
None of the people we have listed above has been elected by the peoples of the EU28 countries, and yet they wield massive power.
Let’s just explain this in simple terms for Remainer MPs
The Commissioners are appointees of the EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who himself was appointed by the EU Council. David Cameron voted against the appointment of Herr Juncker back in 2014 but was overruled.
So much for the UK veto.
Where are the complaints from Remainer MPs?
The EU Commission is the only body in the EU that can put forward legislation. The elected members of the EU Parliament cannot do this, they can only vote on legislation proposed by the Commission.
We, therefore, have a bunch of unelected appointees representing us at the UN this week. We didn’t vote them in and we can’t vote them out. Even our own MPs in Parliament have no say.
After all, if our own Prime Minister could not veto the appointment of the man who then did all the appointing of these Commissioners, what chance did MPs have?
[ Sources: United Nations General Assembly | EU Council | EU Commission ]
