The Stockholm Programme

Or, one would be forgiven for saying, aka the functioning of a single EU State. This document is dated 4th May, just two days prior to the last General Election that was held in the UK.

Richard North, EU Referendum, has posted on this subject and links to an article in the Mail by Mary Ellen Synon - IanPJ on Politics also posts on the same subject - and before progressing further, here is a link to the Stockholm Programme.

Let us begin considering the subject of Justice. From the Commission document we learn:

"The achievement of a European area of justice must be consolidated so as to move beyond the current fragmentation."

As Mary Ellen Synon correctly states in her article:

"Laws governing freedom, security and justice are established in the treaty as a ‘shared competence’. [TFEU Article 4.2(j)] This means EU law can now suppress existing legislation in justice and home affairs in a member state and replace it with European legislation."

In a nutshell, this means that the judicial system, policing et all will be changed to conform with the continental system of Corpus Juris and all that that system entails. It is worth also pointing out that to facilitate this 'change' training will be provided (1.2.6):

"In order to foster a genuine European judicial and law enforcement culture, it is essential to step up training on Union-related issues and make it systematically accessible for all professions involved in the implementation of the area of freedom, security and justice. This will include judges, prosecutors, judicial staff, police and customs officers and border guards."

 As an aside, do note the commencing paragraph of the Commission document:

"The European Council reaffirms the priority it attaches to the development of an area of freedom, security and justice, responding to a central concern of the peoples of the States brought together in the Union."

Err. correct me but when did this "central concern of the people of the States" actually occur? The document continues (1.1):

"The European Council considers that the priority for the coming years will be to focus on the interests and needs of citizens."

It seems to me that "the interests and needs of citizens" are in fact those that are being imposed on the peoples of the EU by the European Commission.

Anyway, dear reader, read the document for yourself. Due to the Lisbon Treaty (Treaty on the European Union [TEU] and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union [TFEU]) there is nothing David Cameron - who maintains that he 'governs' the United Kingdom - can do about this planned change to centuries of 'British law'; laws based the Magna Carta and Bill of Rights which gave birth to a judicial system that this country has fought countless wars to maintain.

Digressing slightly - and remaining on the assertion of David Cameron that he 'governs' the United Kingdom - let us turn to the subject of the parlous state of Ireland. It seems likely that that country will indeed accept a bailout provided by the European Union. It is worth recalling the words of Hilaire Belloc as they are most pertinent - and the latter part of this quotation illustrates, only too well, the true intent of the European Union:

"The control of the production of wealth is the control of human life itself"

Fraser Nelson, writing on the CoffeeHouse, in an article discussing the 'Ireland Question' continues the 'Journalist-I-Haven't-A-Clue-What-I-Am-Talking-About' attitude when he states that he believes it presents David Cameron with a great political opportunity:

"Cameron should, right now, start work on a contingency plan: Britain’s terms of negotiation, if the Euro collapses."

Nelson is of course discussing the 'repatriation of powers' and the return of some of our country's financial contributions. He admits that, like Cameron, he wants this country to remain within the EU and also believes that Cameron is "plenty capable" of negotiating a 'package' that would be acceptable to the British people. What Nelson does not say (and one wonders whether he too has been promised a peerage at some time in the future) is that the result of any such negotiation should be put to the British people in a referendum - with, of course, the alternative of ending our membership.

Why is it that I get this feeling that, with the compliance of our media, the political elite are about to 'procreate' us once again?