Who鈥檚 democratic anyway?
In response to your article questioning democracy today...
At least one state in the EU is not really democratic, but has an essentially 鈥渞epresentative government鈥�, as was usual in the Middle Ages!
The government of the United Kingdom has an unelected head of state; prime minister and ministers appointed by that head of state; an effectively appointed house of peers; an electoral register that is defective in that the royal family, the bishops and the other peers, and those outside the United Kingdom for more than 15 years are excluded.
Entry to the House of Commons also requires an oath of allegiance to the unelected head of state, which bars various elected members from entering the chamber of the Commons.
By contrast, the European Union has three presidents 鈥� all elected; a council of ministers appointed by 鈥渆lected鈥� governments, and a parliament all elected without any oath of allegiance.
All European citizens may be elected to these bodies. The commissioners, having been nominated by the member states鈥� 鈥渄emocratic鈥� governments, are scrutinised by the council and the parliament, and the parliament may reject nominated persons, or dismiss the whole commission.
Peter M Hawkins, Morbihan
