The EU And The Death Of Democracy

This country has sleep walked into a state that exists in some grey are between democracy and totalitarianism. What is scary is that it hasn't been done in an obvious way, like Zimbabwe or the USSR and others, it's been done with the acceptance and approval of the populace, most of them acquiescing through ignorance and/or naivety.

We joined the EU in 1973, although it was known then as the European Economic Community or the innocuous sounding 'Common Market'. By the time we had a referendum in 1975 many of us were warning it was a monster in the making, and urged people to vote no to continued membership. Sadly I was too young to vote in '75 voting for the first time in 1979. But no, people voted to stay in and many of those who voted to stay in in 1975 are now the most enthusiastic campaigners for withdrawal. They are angry at the way they were conned. And let's face it, you only have to look at the EU's record on ignoring referendum results it doesn't like to wonder if we would have ever left if we had voted no in 1975. If you doubt that ask the Irish, the Danes, the French and Dutch, all of whom have voted no but got what they voted against anyway.

The EU set the criteria for countries joining the Euro. When certain countries didn't meet the criteria the EU did what it always does, it ignored its own rules because, like the spoilt brat at Christmas, the bureaucrats were too excited to wait so the whole Euro disaster was built, as most of the EU has been, on a nudge, nudge, wink, wink and a complete falsehood. Disaster was inevitable and the death throes are taking place as witnessed by events first in Ireland, now in Greece, soon Spain, Italy, Portugal and so on.

Of course like Iraq's Comical Ali, or Hitler in his bunker in April 1945 Barroso is convinced that all will be well in the end as he runs around shouting 'don't panic, don't panic'. If even a New Labour clown like Jack Straw can see that Greece's membership of the Euro is a disaster, and withdrawal inevitable, then it shows what a mess that country is really in.

But the billions we pump into the EU every year, and the extra billions we pump into bailing out the disaster that is the Euro, be that directly through the EU or the IMF, has still not woken the British people from their torpor. What will it take? Years back a friend told me that campaigning against the EU would have little impact, but not to worry, it was such a con trick that reality would eventually hit and it would collapse of its own volition. How right he was.

The problem once it does collapse is how we clean up the mess. Let's face it, we currently have British politicians dabbling and interfering in our lives in a way that would have seemed impossible a few years ago. The latest example is having to apply for a permit from the DVLA to keep an uninsured car, even if it is on your own private land. Failure to comply could lead to the authorities taking your vehicle from your garage at the side of your house and crushing it. Ok, not on a par with having your door kicked in by secret police at 4-00am, but still a powerful symbol of our ever encroaching authoritarian state.

I am convinced that this constant hectoring and badgering by the state is largely due to the fact that our MPs have too little to do of any real worth. 70% of our laws come from the EU, so inevitably the MPs in Westminster have too much time on their hands, and the devil makes work for idle hands. They have turned on us, they are behaving like our bosses rather than the other way round, and the Coalition is just as bad as the last lot, thanks in part to the authoritarian influence of the so-called 'Liberal Democrats'.

So the EU is collapsing and we have a more authoritarian style of government, thanks in large part to years of New Labour government, than we have ever had in this country. But this is a time not for fear or apprehension, but for optimism and celebration. In my opinion these are very exciting times and offer an unbelievable opportunity for a truly liberal/libertarian party to make substantial progress. Once the authoritarian supra-national monster of the EU has collapsed we need to roll back the British state and none of the big three parties will do that.

The biggest campaigning groups against the continued UK membership of the EU have strong authoritarian tendencies and in the overwhelming majority of cases, want to turn the clock back to a bygone era, an experiment just as dangerous in my view as the EU project has been. What we need is a seriously radical, but realistic party that will wipe away swathes of the legislation that has been put in place over recent decades that has eaten away at our freedoms and liberty.

We can then truly celebrate the death of the EU and the rebirth of democracy.