My head is spinning. There’s been too much talk of the EU to take it all in – you could say I don’t have the constitution for it.
EUsceptics often grumble at the lack of coverage the EU gets, proportionate to its impact on the UK’s political life. Well they haven’t had too much to complain about over the last fortnight. As you may have noticed there was a (admittedly brief) tidal wave of media attention. The result? An overwhelmed electorate, left dazed and confused by the sheer mass of commentary on the summit’s wranglings and resultant ‘mandate’.
Reality: the vast majority of the population is simply unprepared and under-educated to be able to negotiate the complexities of EU negotiations.
No, this is not another piece on the state of British education…
…but a brief blog on the inability of any reasonable, non EU-obsessed individual, however well-educated, to follow what is going on with the EU at the moment. Of course we appreciate that something serious is afoot, but just how serious is anyone’s guess.
This lack of knowledge is due to the fact that, as several commentators have noted, ‘the devil is in the detail’. I hate to disagree – the devil is the detail and by design. The insane complexity of the document attempts to mask the true intentions of its authors, in the hope of numbing the European electorate into obedient stupor.
Inevitably it is claimed that it was they who wanted a document of simplicity and that the current situation is the result of its foolish rejection in 2005. No, the current situation is a result of their need to hide from open debate the realities of what it is they are up to. It is the detail that alienates your regular (soon to be EU) citizen from this process of political integration and makes it ever less popular.
We are fortunate to have a number of good people working solidly to decipher exactly what it is that is encoded in the new document and what implications this content will have on the outcome of the coming IGC and future of British sovereignty. However, regrettably, their work is often drowned out amongst the chorus of voices, apparently all singing along to their own tunes. Again I hate to cry conspiracy, but witness the pre and post summit cacophony of voices, all claiming to have achieved goals, defended red lines, or just stared down the Polish ‘class jerks’ (as described by one Scandinavian representative). Targets have been placed up and then systematically shot down again, a diversion to the main show.
So much has been written and said recently that there is really nothing further of value I could contribute, except to say we look to Open Europe and the like to continue to ride out whatever wave of press coverage remains, to campaign for our right to a referendum, and go on alerting the electorate to our increasingly obdurate ties with the EU – for this is not a wave we can afford to pass over us.
Civitas, for its part, will continue to educate the soon-to-be electorate of just what ‘ever closer union’ represents for their futures, but more of that next time.
Comments (2)
Ohhh dear. If anyone in the EU thought that the electorate was paying attention to what they were doing a shiver would run down the region normal people have spines. Closely followed by drastic, draconian action to stop the population having any input at all. It is ever the way with comminism and the EU is just another branch of that discredited ideology. Why else would our leaders not wish to have a referendum?
Posted by EyeSee | July 6, 2007 12:54 PM
Posted on July 6, 2007 12:54
Ohhh God,
I am not there for three days and you already lose the right way:)
The point is that according to my modest opinion it is not people who are badly educated, it is rather your government and media who claim that it is a problem. You have a tendency to give people already digested information (approved by well-eduacted and important people) and refuse them the right to think through real facts and have their own opinion.
Just read this treaty and think on your own and your life will be much nicer:)
Greetings for everybody:)
Posted by Marta | July 4, 2007 3:15 PM
Posted on July 4, 2007 15:15