Pages

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

The EU has its flaws – but calling it anti-democratic is falsifying reality

To suggest that Brussels engineered the downfall of governments in Italy and Greece is a distortion The EU’s allegedly undemocratic nature has become one of the most potent arguments in the coming referendum. It is a rallying cry for Eurosceptics of right and left. Boris Johnson has slammed the EU for being “increasingly anti-democratic”. Iain Duncan Smith, another leading Tory Eurosceptic, says he was horrified when Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian premier, was replaced by an administration of unelected technocrats in 2011. He told the Sunday Telegraph he raised the topic in a cabinet meeting: “I said, am I the only one here that feels distinctly uneasy about Big Brother turning around to the elected government and saying, you must go?” Related: Why should Iain Duncan Smith have access to EU referendum papers? | Archie Bland The most extreme critique of the EU, though, is that it has brought down elected governments Related: Europe’s growing tensions show us exactly why we need the EU | Natalie Nougayrède Continue reading...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theguardian.com