Tuesday 16 November 2010

Democracy - UK Style

Copied from Direct Democracy (to save you the 'journey'):
"The European Scrutiny Committee of the House of Commons has launched an inquiry into the European Union Bill. They have about one month to do it in because the Government are trying to rush the Bill through before everyone realises what transfers of power they are already awarding to Brussels. Apart from noticing that the "sovereignty clause" in the draft bill will have absolutely no effect on the primacy of UK versus EU law, the Committee will ask some pertinent questions about the "referendum lock", which I have answered below:

"Are the conditions on which the Minister decides that a Treaty change or decision amounts to the transfer/extension of an area of competence or power from the UK to the EU sufficiently clear?" 

Answer: yes, in no circumstances will something that looks like a transfer/extension of power from the UK to the EU be labelled as such.

"Are there areas of extension of competence and/or conferral of power which are not covered in the Bill?"
 
Answer: yes, all of them.

"Is it clear what a Minister must take into account when deciding whether “in his opinion” a proposal under Clause 4(1)(i) and (j) is “significant”?"
 
Answer: yes, he must take into account that under no circumstances should the matter be brought to a referendum of the British people.

Will the conclusions of the Committee have any bearing on the content of the final bill?
 
Answer: absolutely not."
And there my friends you can see how and why 'democracy' in this country is well and truly 'procreated'!

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