By: Chris Knowles

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Above: Brick wall close-up view. Author: Pawel Wozniak. Source:http://freestocktextures.com/texture/id/690. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Original dimensions of 4,752 × 3,168 pixels, and file size of 10.24 MB has been changed to 640 x 427 pixels and 105.5K

Visceral Hatred of Democracy

I have taken part in a number of online discussions during our ongoing referendum campaign here in the UK. What has struck me most is the apparent visceral hatred for democracy by some on the Bremainers.

There is no reasoning with them, they say that Britain is not a democracy anyway. They are effectively claiming that Britain is not a democracy and as a result the EU does not need to have democratic aspirations.

Part of the reason for the absence of democracy and accountability in the UK is because MPs can turn round and say ‘beyond our control’ because of rules made by the EU.

Urgent Need for Democratic Reform

Nevertheless, if the EU was a democracy I would be one of the most committed pro Europeans. I would be in favour of having the EU as the sole law making body for the whole of Europe.

However, to be a democracy it one of two options would need to be taken. The first option would be the abolition of the unelected EU Commission and the transfer of all its powers to Parliament. The second option would  be reforming the Commission into a directly elected Senate. It is not enough for it to be appointed by people who were appointed by people who were directly elected because that prevents direct accountability.

Currently the European Parliament is elected by PR, which is the fairest system of voting. However, the Commission has the real power which renders fairer voting for the Parliament a moot point.

Currently the EU is corrupted by lobbying by the transnational elite and their corporations. The EUs current complexity and lack of transparency allows them to get away with it. A democratic Europe would look after the people of Europe.

The Non-Existence of a People’s Europe

I would be in favour of a democratic European federal state because it would be big enough to stand up to transnational corporations. At the moment they get states to compete with and undercut each other for their favour. A united democratic Europe could bar them from the entire market if they refused to pay their fair share towards society.

It is tragic that the EU is not a democracy and does not represent the interests of Europe’s population effectively. It could really be a force for good. Unfortunately its vested interests refuse to reform it as we saw with Cameron’s sham ‘renegotiation’. He could have asked for the democratic reforms that ultimately would be in the EUs and Europe’s long term interests.

The EU could have put forward such reforms on its own. However, that would not be the EU that we know, the EU that will continue to exist until it collapses under its own contradictions. It’s vested interests want to control Europe and will never hand it over to its people.

That is why I have been forced to abandon my own dreams of a United Europe, that is why I will unfortunately be voting to leave on 23 June.