Thursday, November 18, 2004 AD
Undemocratic Europe
I've been trying to resist the temptation to blog too much on politics, having splurged a bit on political posts in the week of the US election. And this isn't really supposed to be a political blog as such. But I couldn't resist posting this brilliant, if depressing, insight from Janet Daley, writing on how "Europe doesn't believe in democracy":
There is clearly a terror among the European political elite that their populations cannot be relied upon to vote in favour of "diversity", positive discrimination, workplace consultation, compulsory limits on working hours, preventive health care, access to vocational training, or fair trade. So all these (and many more similarly fashionable causes) are now set out in the constitution as inviolable rights and principles, rather than being the subject of ordinary legislation which can be amended in the normal course of political activity.
And in case anyone is tempted to vote for a political party that has failed to "get with the programme", the Constitution states that "the Member States shall facilitate the achievement of the Union's tasks and refrain from any measure which could jeopardise the attainment of the objectives set out in the Constitution." This is especially the case for foreign and defence policy, where "Member States shall actively and unreservedly support the Union's common foreign and security policy in a spirit of loyalty and mutual solidarity...".
In fact, best all round to make provision for some new political parties that can be trusted not to mess things up: "Political parties at European level contribute to forming European political awareness and to expressing the will of Union citizens", declares the Constitution.
So much so that the European Union is prepared to lob them some cash, to help them along (thus giving them an advantage over those nasty old national political parties, especially those who refuse to sign up to the European vision): "A European law shall lay down the regulations governing political parties at European level referred to in Article I-45(4), and in particular the rules regarding their funding."
As Janet Daley concludes:
Europe (particularly in the incarnation of Mr Chirac) does not have a deep commitment to democracy, at least not in the sense that the English-speaking tradition understands it.That certainly goes a long way to explaining the European Constitution, which - in contrast to the US Constitution - goes far beyond merely setting out mechanisms for the exercise and distribution of power, and instead enshrines a wide range of "European values" which are thus placed beyond the bounds of political debate.
The American Constitution may have borrowed much of its frame of reference from French revolutionary ideals, but the historical outcomes parted company pretty quickly. The United States ended up with a federalised system and an iron-clad Bill of Rights while France was descending into the Terror. We do not have a shared reverence for the robustness of democratic institutions because, in continental Europe, democratic institutions have been anything but robust. That is why the EU is busily moving away from the idea of government being directly and transparently responsive to the popular will.
The monstrous global crimes of the 20th century - the collective guilt of which is still the motor force of European political consciousness - were all thought to have been generated (or at least condoned) by popular will. The political instincts of the people are far too inflammable and mercurial to be trusted. Better leave the serious business of law-making and governance to a professional class of administrators, an enlightened elite who will not be subject to the whims and volatile passions of the mob whose vicissitudes have brought such disgrace on our countries.
Public opinion manipulated by national political leaders has to take the rap for the hideous events of the two world wars and the Cold War that followed them, and so they will all be cut down to size. Democracy is all well and good in its place, but the power of the people must be sieved, regulated and heavily supervised if it is to come to the right conclusions.
There is clearly a terror among the European political elite that their populations cannot be relied upon to vote in favour of "diversity", positive discrimination, workplace consultation, compulsory limits on working hours, preventive health care, access to vocational training, or fair trade. So all these (and many more similarly fashionable causes) are now set out in the constitution as inviolable rights and principles, rather than being the subject of ordinary legislation which can be amended in the normal course of political activity.
And in case anyone is tempted to vote for a political party that has failed to "get with the programme", the Constitution states that "the Member States shall facilitate the achievement of the Union's tasks and refrain from any measure which could jeopardise the attainment of the objectives set out in the Constitution." This is especially the case for foreign and defence policy, where "Member States shall actively and unreservedly support the Union's common foreign and security policy in a spirit of loyalty and mutual solidarity...".
In fact, best all round to make provision for some new political parties that can be trusted not to mess things up: "Political parties at European level contribute to forming European political awareness and to expressing the will of Union citizens", declares the Constitution.
So much so that the European Union is prepared to lob them some cash, to help them along (thus giving them an advantage over those nasty old national political parties, especially those who refuse to sign up to the European vision): "A European law shall lay down the regulations governing political parties at European level referred to in Article I-45(4), and in particular the rules regarding their funding."
As Janet Daley concludes:
It may sound apocalyptic, but I do believe that the democratic experiment in continental Europe, begun just over 200 years or so ago, is coming to a close. The European Union is creating what it hopes will be a benign oligarchy. Real political power will reside once again within elite circles (as it does already in France) which will conduct their business in the corridors rather than in the assemblies.
Meanwhile, the United States will persevere with the belief, which Europe regards as crass, that giving ordinary people power over their governing class is the only hope for peace and security.
