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When European countries want to pass unpopular legislation, instead of proposing it domestically, they propose it as an EU law, and turn back and say "look what
by pornel 3y ago
When European countries want to pass unpopular legislation, instead of proposing it domestically, they propose it as an EU law, and turn back and say "look what EU made us do!". EU-wide successes of course are reported as personal achievements of whoever is on TV. Pro-EU vs anti-EU is also often a rallying topic in establishment vs opposition political debates, which tends to produce exaggerated controversies, sort of like the topic of abortion in the US. So I think there will always be some voices saying EU wants to outlaw curved bananas.
European countries are very different. I'm not sure if more than California vs Alabama. However, people remember that European countries used to have actual wars with each other throughout their history, up until not that long ago, so it's preferable to have disagreements worked out bureaucratically, even if that's a lot of bureaucracy.
- dhoe 3y agoI have a pet theory that this is actually the main mechanism by which the EU gains power over time; anytime a grown up decision needs to be made, it's upsourced to the EU level, so that local politicians can focus on the stuff that makes everybody happy (which by the nature of things tends to be inconsequential).
- zosima 3y agoUnpopular legislation is often unpopular because it goes against people's best interests. So you are saying that one of EUs main purposes is to allow politicians to circumvent the democratic process and so act against people's best interest.
- pornel 3y agoEU is still a democratic institution, with representatives democratically elected by citizens of EU countries. It's a different, bigger forum. This doesn't subvert the process. It may bring additional scrutiny and require international consensus. This is usually a higher bar for ramming bad laws than in local parliaments that may have dodgy deals or loyalties between parties/president/courts. There are unpopular laws because they are bad ideas (like all the "think of the children" surveillance). There are also laws that are good for society long term, but unpopular due to short-term inconvenience (e.g. pollution limits raising prices, or anti-smoking laws vs smokers' freedoms).
- Aerroon 3y agoCan you really call it a democratic institution when voter turnout is 20% for some countries? When the EU had some countries do a referendum and the result was something they didn't like, then they just had the people do another referendum. Oh, and laws are created by people that are appointed, not elected.