An ICM survey for The Sunday Telegraph found that 40 per cent want Britain to leave the European Union altogether, a higher percentage than in other recent polls. Asked which of the four leading member states did best out of EU membership, 43 per cent said France while 25 per cent chose Germany. Britain was selected by 10 per cent, followed by Italy on eight per cent. Even among voters who identify more with Labour than with any other party, 64 per cent want the Conservatives, if elected, to offer a referendum on the treaty, which will establish an EU president and further entrench the decision-making powers of Brussels. – Telegraph
Dominant Social Theme: More democracy please?
Free-Market Analysis: It is sad to see the British nation ending with a whimper, as most legal authority to determine British society passes to Brussels. This is obviously what the British monetary elite and titular elite wish to have happen, but having it occur without even a vote on the subject is truly surprising to see.
Of course there have been votes, especially in the beginning when the "United States of Europe" was still being sold to dubious voters on the continent and in Britain as a common market. Today the phrase sounds quaint for the true soul of the EU has been revealed in countless ways. It is a body so corrupt that there has been no formal accounting for years. It is dictatorial and the decision making is secretive and Byzantine, hardly democratic.
Most troubling, the modest goals of a common market have been superseded by the full-fledge paraphernalia of the modern super state: ambitions for a standing army, for a president, for the symbolism of the nation state including an anthem, a flag, etc. Of course the EU has some of this now, but its leaders seek a full-fledged sociopolitical structure to make it clear that the funny little countries that have made up Europe for the past 1,000 years are no longer to count except as regional states.
It is indeed the Holy Roman Empire come again. But the trouble with it is that once again (as before?) the empire is being imposed top down, though admittedly piecemeal through a political process rather than through outright conquest. Still, it is a brutal takeover with citizens of various nations either being prevented from voting or being asked to vote again if the EU does not get the response it wishes. This is happening with the Irish who voted against the EU's latest power grab, the Lisbon Treaty, and now are to vote on exactly the same thing a year later. Here's some more from the article:
So far, the Tories have made only vague promises not to "stand idly by" if the treaty has already become law across the EU when they win power. However, David Cameron's (pictured above left) efforts to play down the issue take a further blow today as Edward McMillan-Scott, the senior Conservative MEP expelled from the party last week, accuses the Opposition leader in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph of trying to "smear" his name. Meanwhile, Labour divisions were also highlighted with Gisela Stuart, a former minister who helped to draw up the treaty's original blueprint, warning that ratifying Lisbon across the EU would create a "democratic deficit".
One must admit that the British Tories are a different breed of conservative. In America, the Republicans stand for limited government and increased personal and societal freedom. Of course, as was seen with President George Bush recently, much of what Republicans stand for is rhetorical rather than sincere, but nonetheless, the rhetoric separates Republicans and Democrats.
In Britain however, as we have reported, a good deal of what Tories stand for seems to be "socialism lite." But it is perhaps the Tories reluctance to clearly state that they will allow an EU referendum, which is the most perplexing part of their platform this time around. The Tories are culpable all the way through when it comes to the EU's encroachment on British sovereignty. Along with their Laborite brethren, they conspired to hide the true ambitions of EU designers and they still apparently intend to frustrate British citizens' ability to have a say in where Albion is headed.
Both Labour and Tory political parties are equally responsible for this lamentable lapse. Ironically the last British politician who had a real vision of a definitive difference between Labour and Tory views was Margaret Thatcher. And there is certainly a body of opinion that holds she was not tossed out of office for her libertarian views but for her determination to oppose further encroachment on British sovereignty by the EU. People who are not allowed the belief that they are choosing their own form of government often become restless and unhappy. We would anticipate additional turmoil throughout Europe if current trends continue and the European elite forges ahead with its plans to consolidate its rule.
