Black day for democracy

By JEFFREY TITFORD

AS I write, the ceremony for the signing of the Treaty of Accession to the

European Union by the applicant countries is underway. There will be much rejoicing in the corridors of power in Brussels. Ten new countries are about to come under the control of the EU mandarins.

This is not a cause for celebration. It is in fact a black day for democracy. Some of the applicant nations have relatively recently thrown off the yoke of Soviet domination only to take on the heavy yoke of EU membership. They all now face the gradual dismantlement of their ability to

govern themselves.

This is usually done by stealth or by dressing up measures that take away powers from elected Governments as good for everybody. Membership of the EU means entering into what is fundamentally a culture of deceit.

The new members will find life very difficult in the EU. They will quickly

learn that they are not equal partners in this 'enterprise' but decidedly

unequal competitors. They will often hear that lovely phrase 'Our European partners' but the reality is that they are really ruthless competitors out to seize an advantage over other members, wherever possible.

Look at the outrageous French treatment of British beef. They maintained an illegal ban on our beef for years after the EU lifted its own restrictions. They will also find that they have been well and truly 'stitched up' when the EU constitution comes into force. There is an unseemly rush to get it in place before the end of the year. The powers that be want the new treaty wrapped up before the new countries join next year.

That way, they have no voting rights and cannot interfere with the process of what the EU laughingly calls 'democracy'. They will be presented with a fait accompli and told to get on with it.

The saddest feature of the accession is that these idealistic but naive

countries are committing themselves to an organisation which is

fundamentally undemocratic and which has a grotesque internal culture of

sleaze and corruption, which has been exposed from within time and again.

Rather than put any of these problems right, the EU gives top priority to

making itself and the problems even bigger.

Power in the EU is vested in unelected European Commissioners and bankers in Frankfurt. These all-powerful bureaucratic mandarins cannot be voted out of office and yet they are the real decision-makers.

In my view the applicant countries are making a huge mistake, which they

will come to bitterly regret. Democracy is a major casualty of EU

membership.

Jeffrey Titford is the UK Independence Party MEP for the East of England.. You can also contact the Eastern Region Office on 01245-266466.