Democracy abuse

‘I think that membership of the EU is absolutely fundamental to British interests and therefore we should be very wary of putting our membership in the hands of a lottery in which you have no idea what factors, completely unrelated to Europe, will affect the outcome of that lottery and therefore affect the fundamental interests for Britain…' Lord Mandelson

MANY AMONG THE Brussels bureaucrats and unelected commissioners there is talk of the post democratic age. What they mean is that democracy has outlived its usefulness. It is a pulpit for populism, a much loathed concept in Europe.

            

            That politicians should have to listen to and obey the wishes of the people through the ballot box is anathema; especially when it comes to the European project of a Greater Europe.

            

             It is truly frightening to listen to  the likes of the unelected Barroso, the president of the European commission, and one-time Maoist who sneers openly at the democratic process with constant references to its courting of 'populism'. He cares not one iota for majority rule because he believes it is based on politicians 'sucking up' to the electorate and promising them things he and his ilk believe go against the interests of a Greater Europe.

           

            He therefore condemns Cameron's meaningless promise to hold an in-out referendum on Europe in 2017 if , that is, he is re-elected; and then only after he sought to negotiate reforms. At least, however, Cameron still believes in democracy, which is more than can be said for Lord Mandelson who warns against allowing any democratic say on our membership of the EU.

            

            To him the issue is far too important to the country to allow the people of the country to have a say. It should be left to the politicians, who understand their nation's interests far better than do the people who elected them. To let the sheep chorus an anti-EU bleat via the ballot box, is, to the likes of the noble Lord, almost medieval. It is time for men of vision to advance European history once more, as happened under Napoleon and Hitler.

            

             We must not fail European greatness for a third time, seems to be what Lord Mandelson is suggesting. Only the Great and the Good can steer Europe's destiny - democracy at best slows things down; and at worst undermines the whole project. The people must step to one side and remain silent. Populism is, in the lexicon of the European family in Brussels, like a dose of the clap which must be treated with an anti-biotic…the noble Lord and the buffoon Barroso being the penicillin.

            

              I would see the likes of Lord Mandelson (and there are thousands more like him guarding the gate of the European project) as enemies of democracy. I would even go further: in their utter contempt for the European electorate they, on this one single issue, can be likened to Stalin and Hitler in the way they treat the will of the people. Both Hitler and Stalin would despise populism, unless it favored their point of view: and I think it is the same with Lord Mandelson and Barroso.

            

             If the British public were, instead of being Eurosceptical, fully supportive of Lord Mandelson's faith in the Greater Europe project; then any objection to the expression of the popular will through any in-out referendum would not be opposed. Indeed, the likes of Lord Mandelson would praise the wisdom of such a popular will. The truth is, that not only in the UK, but throughout the rest of Europe, it's people are wizening up to what a Greater Europe would mean to the nation state; and this is why the Eurocrats, among whom Lord Mandelson is a respected member, are fearful of the popular will of the people -  which is, after all, democracy.

            

            Lord Mandelson sounds like a late 18^th century French aristocrat in his declamation against democracy quoted above.  Of course, like all of his kind, Lord Mandelson uses flowery language to disguise their contempt for the ballot box. He suggests, 'we should be very wary of putting our membership in the hands of a lottery…' The lottery, of course, refers to the ballot box and the will of the people.

            

            Lord Mandelson belongs to this country's  liberal elite that have hegemony over our Kingdom. Like many an authoritarian, he believes in democracy only in as much as it agrees with him. When it no longer does so, it becomes a pestilence: something either to be gotten rid of or ignored, if possible. Sadly for the good Lord, Euroscepticism can no longer be gotten rid of; so ways must be found to ignore it; and the best way is to prevent a referendum taking place.