The Irish, the last democrats in the EU?
Today the Irish will be given an opportunity to vote on whether or not they are willing to give up a major chunk of their national sovereignty. It is an opportunity that was denied to all the other citizens of the 27 nations that make up the European Union. The EU champions democracy for other nations, to the four corners of the earth; however, it is refusing most of its own citizens the right to vote on an important issue, namely whether they are willing to allow the EU government to make major decisions directly affecting their lives--circumventing their nationally elected bodies. True, the EU has been making decisions for all its members for decades, but most of the important ones were in effect subject to veto by each nation, as unanimity was required. Now the EU plans to change its setup and allow for majority vote on numerous important matters.
The Brown government in the UK, 'the mother of democracy', is one of those that, despite repeated promises to allow the people to vote on the matter (through a referendum), is welshing on this commitment. It plans to submit the treaty to discussion and vote only in the Parliament for one simple reason--it looks like the majority of the people would reject this loss of independence.
Moreover, other EU member nations are following the same path,
denying their citizens the opportunity to vote on the new treaty, which is replacing the rejected constitution, but is in many ways similar to it. These anti-democratic moves take place despite the fact that there is growing alienation of the EU's people from the European institutions, especially the Commission (the EU executive branch), caused in part by the often arbitrary ways in which the Commission acts, putting its judgments ahead of and above the preferences of the people.
What would a sociologist on the side of the angels--or at least on that of democracy--do to 'reconnect' the EU citizens to the evolving European institutions? She would insist that the new treaty be voted upon by the people rather than by the parliaments, given that parliaments often do not reflect the voters' preferences well enough on specific issues. Rather than conducting referendums one nation at a time, she would insist that it be conducted by all EU citizens voting at the same time. And, instead of merely asking the public to vote the whole treaty up or down, voters would be offered alternative formulations to rule in or out. For instance, the public could be asked whether EU enlargement should require a unanimous vote or merely a simple majority; whether the EU should move toward a political union (e.g., have a foreign minister of its own) or merely aspire to be a civil society; and whether limitations on the movement of labor from new members to old ones should be unbounded or curbed.
Above all, such a sociologist would urge that for a given period, say six months, an EU-wide focused dialogue should precede the vote. Plebiscites have long been criticized as anti-democratic because, among other reasons, they express the passion of the moment rather than reflecting the results of deliberations. Hence the need to allow for dialogues, periods in which people can consult with each other and their leaders. These tend to be especially effective when the public realizes that they are going to lead to a specific conclusion (in this case, the vote on the ratification of the EU treaty) rather than being merely 'educational.'
Societies--even ones as large as the United States--do engage in dialogues about public policies. Most times, one or two topics top the public dialogue agenda; for instance, whether or not to allow gay marriages or whether the time has come to withdraw the troops from Iraq. These dialogues often seem endless and impassioned, but actually, most do lead to new, widely shared, public understanding. Such understandings, in turn, often provide the basis for changes in public policy that are well grounded in popular opinion.
Europe has had several such dialogues, but those were conducted largely within each nation--in part because people still see themselves first of all as citizens of this or that nation and not as Europeans, and in part because the points of closure--where these dialogues lead to changes in public policy--often are still national and not EU-wide. Hence, it is important that this time the vote be EU-wide and binding on the EU as a whole.
Critics argue that 'Brussels' has succeeded for decades in promoting one policy after another, without such public participation. Such critics ignore that many of these policies are of limited importance (e.g. dealing with the width of trucks' axles) or are resolutions which, once passed, governments and citizens were largely free to ignore (e.g. a resolution calling for member nations to increase their R&D budgets beyond 3% of the their total budget). This kind of ineffective legislation has fed into growing alienation that is now bubbling to the surface.
The EU can continue to limp into the future without narrowing the disconnect between its institutions and its citizens. This amounts to a sociological time bomb, as the EU is continuously expanding the scope of its community-wide actions, encompassing issues that are of considerable interest to the public and are highly emotionally charged. For instance, matters concerning immigration, anti-terrorism policy, and enforcement of human rights. It is not too late to follow the Irish and allow all EU citizens an effective vote about key matters concerning their national and shared regional future.
Amitai Etzioni teaches sociology at The George Washington University. His most recent book is Security First: For A Muscular, Moral Foreign Policy published by Yale University Press, 2007. To contact him, email comnet@gwu.edu
www.securityfirstbook.com
I think your suggestions are very good, albeit unlikely to be realized. The referendum question highlights the fundamental contradiction of the EU: that it aspires to be a democratic institution, or an increasingly tight decision making network of smaller democratic institutions, and at the same time, its size and scope put it in the position of being a gargantuan administrative operation that is impossible, due to the very nature of its activities, to democratize.
June 12, 2008 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Federalization of legislative activity in itself is not undemocratic per se; however, in the case of the EU, its consolidation of power ends up strengthening the commissioners in Brussels, who are not directly chosen by the electorate. Although the Parliament in Strasbourg is democratically elected, its clout is dwarfed next to that of the Commission, which resembles a pre-seventeenth-ammendent US Senate endowed with over-reaching powers.
Europeans have many good reasons to believe in the many possible benefits of relinquishing sovereignty to the Union; however, the undemocratic power structure of the Union itself will, if not addressed and corrected, lamentably lead to governance unaccountable to the electorate.
In that sense, consolidation of power is essential to Europe's future but must entail democratization of the EU Commission and increased checks and balances.
June 12, 2008 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think that Etzioni is right on here. People who live in EU member countries should have the right to a direct voice in EU decision-making.
But I find it odd that this is the same Etzioni who, last time he posted here, said he wanted to start up a UN protection force that can intervene in the sovereign affairs of its member nations on some "duty to protect principle." Etzioni rightly sees that the EU isn't democratic enough. But then he wants to arm the UN? It's hard to get less democratic than the UN. If the UN makes a decision that I, as a citizen of a member country, disagrees with, I have no recourse at all.
June 12, 2008 5:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) - Ireland on Thursday held a knife edge vote on the European Union's new reform treaty, with rejection certain to plunge the 27-nation bloc into a new crisis.
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With turnout estimated at about 40 percent by state broadcaster RTE just before polls closed, some commentators said a low turnout favoured a "No" victory as "Yes" voters stay at home.
Counting starts on Friday morning and official results were expected later in the day.
Prime Minister Brian Cowen voiced confidence that the country's three million voters would back the Lisbon Treaty, despite polls indicating the result was too close to call.
"I'm happy, I've led it the very best way I possibly could, I did it from the front, I've gone all over the country, I've put the issues," he told reporters. Asked if he was nervous, he said: "No, I'm confident."
But EU leaders are anxiously watching Ireland's voters after a late surge of opposition, despite the all-out campaign led by Cowen and backed by all bar one of the country's main parties.
Ireland is the only EU member holding a public vote on the treaty, which replaced a draft EU constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.
One poll last week put the "no" campaign ahead by 35 percent against 30 percent for those backing the treaty. At the weekend another survey predicted a narrow "yes" victory, by 42 percent to 39 percent.
Newspapers urged readers to make their voice heard. The Irish Daily Star tabloid said the EU's "destiny is in our hands" while the Irish Times and the Irish Independent said the result had "momentous consequences" for Ireland and Europe.
The Lisbon Treaty, which aims to make EU decision-making more efficient following the recent expansion to 27 nations, has already been approved through a parliamentary vote by 18 other European nations.
The Greek, Finnish and Estonian parliaments all ratified the treaty on Wednesday.
If it is rejected by Ireland, the EU risks being pitched into a new period institutional crisis like that which followed the demise of the EU constitution three years ago.
But many Irish say they do not see why they should support a document which they do not understand and which even Cowen admits he has not read cover-to-cover.
Many are also worried by claims from some in the "no" camp that the referendum will threaten Ireland's military neutrality and ban on abortion, claims strongly rejected by Cowen.
Declan Ganley, the businessman behind prominent opposition group Libertas, urged people to vote "no" so that Ireland could retain a stronger voice in Europe which he says would be wiped out by the treaty.
"I hope, and I firmly believe, that the Irish people will vote 'no' and that the work can immediately begin on constructing a better vision of Europe for all its 490 million citizens," he said.
Few other EU leaders have commented on the Irish poll in recent days, reflecting concerns that any intervention could be counter-productive and fuel the "no" vote.
French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier underlined Thursday that the issue was for Irish voters to decide. "The Irish are a responsible and sovereign people and I have confidence in them," he said.
A British diplomatic source told AFP, meanwhile, that Britain will carry on with its process of ratifying the document even if it is rejected by Irish voters.
The Irish prime minister made a last campaign push Wednesday with a whirlwind tour of his home area of the Irish Midlands.
"At a time of growing economic uncertainty, it is in Ireland's vital national interest to have a reformed European Union working for it," said Cowen, who only took over from Bertie Ahern as premier a month ago.
"After 35 years of respecting and helping Ireland, the EU has earned the right not to be seen as a threat to us."
Ireland has caused upsets in EU referendums before. In 2001, its voters rejected the Nice Treaty, a result overturned in a second poll the following year.
This time, though, Cowen insists there is "no plan B" in case of a rejection.
June 12, 2008 7:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
What was delivered was a brutal shock to an oligarchy gone mad with its own arrogance. The Irish people from the lower 80 percent of income brackets came out to make known their utter rejection of the plan for a European-wide dictatorship.
http://www.larouchepac.com/news/2008/06/14/shock-heard-round-world.html
June 14, 2008 10:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
LaRouche Assails British Schemes to Impose Lisbon Treaty Continental Europe
http://www.larouchepac.com/news/2008/05/26/larouche-assails-british-schemes-impose-lisbon-treaty-contin.html
June 13, 2008 2:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
17 minutes ago
DUBLIN (AFP) - Irish voters have rejected the EU's Lisbon Treaty, state broadcaster RTE projected Friday as official results from the referendum began being published.
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"It seems certain that Irish voters have rejected the Lisbon Treaty," the broadcaster said, predicting that only six of the country's 43 constituencies had voted "yes" to the treaty in Thursday's referendum.
RTE said that in the first two constituencies to declare results, the "no" vote was higher than was recorded in a 2001 referendum in which Irish voters rejected the EU's Nice Treaty.
It said that if the trend was followed in other parts of the country, the Lisbon Treaty was heading for defeat.
June 13, 2008 9:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
It is now official. Ireland has rejected the agreement.
June 13, 2008 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
God forever bless and protect Ireland, which has now saved Western European Civilization for a second time, and thus implicit the USA also! This proves that Justice, Truth and Beauty still live in our much battered world, we have been given an undeserved reprieve from Hell, the Irish have given mankind a new day!
June 14, 2008 2:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
June 13 (LPAC)--The Irish have decisively defeated the Lisbon Treaty. A total of 53.4% voted "No" while 46.6% voted in favor, or 752,451 "Yes" and 852,415 "No." Only 8 of the 43 voting districts actually voted for the treaty.
Lyndon LaRouche commented yesterday that "this pattern corresponds to the Hillary Clinton primary vote in the United States. It's the same tendency. The urban and rural lower 80% in family income brackets, especially in certain branches of the 25-35 age group, as typical, are strongly against this kind of crap."
http://www.larouchepac.com/news/2008/06/13/irish-defeat-lisbon-treaty.html
June 14, 2008 2:40 AM | Reply | Permalink