VIDEO: British MEP gives harsh lesson in democracy to the EU
“Let’s be honest with our voters at home. This process is a sham.”
New EU Commission © EU Parliament / Claire Fox MEP © Claire Fox
Brexit Party MEP for NW England speaks to Brexit Facts4EU.Org about the new EU Commission
As we predicted early yesterday morning, the EU Parliament has now rubber-stamped the appointment of the new German-led EU Commission which - in just three days’ time - will take over from the previous administration led by Jean-Claude Juncker.
What we were not expecting was a bravura performance by Brexit Party MEP Claire Fox, who gave a short speech in which she slammed both the chaotic selection process and the democratic legitimacy of the new EU Commission.
Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary
“This parliament is no more than a faux democratic charade used to give a veneer of legitimacy to an illegitimate decision making process.”
- Claire Fox MEP, speech to EU Parliament, 27 Nov 2019
Speaking to Brexit Facts4EU.Org after her speech, Claire Fox told us:
“It was my first time speaking in front of a full chamber and given the occasion of the Commission's vote, I think the parliament were expecting a more procedural and welcoming statement, not one of outright hostility to the undemocratic process that selected the Commission.
“The irony was that despite being heckled and booed throughout, I was originally trying to appeal collegiately to my fellow MEPs to be honest with the voters about the democratic deficit. This obviously changed - along with my tone - once I realised that to the ears of the parliament, my statement amounted to heresy.”
– Claire Fox, statement to Brexit Facts4EU.Org 27 Nov 2019
During her first major speech to the EU Parliament, Ms Fox delivered a devastating indictment of what she referred to as “a thoroughly anti-democratic imposition of top down power at Commission level.”
Below we present a video of Claire Fox’s two-minute speech, together with a transcript so that readers can hear what was drowned out.
Claire Fox speech on the process of the voting through the Commission 27/11/2019
“My fellow MEPs, let’s be honest with our voters at home. This process is a sham.
Colleagues we are being used as a stage army, marched out today to rubber stamp a thoroughly anti-democratic imposition of top-down power at Commission level.
This parliament is no more than a faux democratic charade used to give a veneer of legitimacy to an illegitimate decision-making process.
We may salve our consciences by rejecting a few bad eggs at bogus commission hearings, but the truth is all we can do is accept or reject from a bunch of pre-selected candidates with no real choice.
This hypocrisy is summed up for me by their gigantic poster of Ursula von der Leyen outside the parliament in Brussels.
It is frankly distasteful and Orwellian propaganda. It reads:
“In fair and free elections, the power of the people determines the people in power.”
“That is true in national democracies but it is a flagrant lie, fake news, and disinformation in relation to the Commission.
Mrs von der Leyen herself was not elevated to her position of power due to people power. The only power on display in her election was a behind the scenes cabal who pushed her forward as a last minute compromise candidate.
And although she only scrapped through, she now has the power to dictate the priorities of Europe. She has the power to impose her agenda on millions of European citizens whether they like it or not.
From the Commission’s ambitions for a green new deal, for deeper monetary integration, or austerity, or the appointment of Josep Borrell [new de facto EU Foreign Secretary – Ed.] who endorses qualified majority voting on foreign policy that strips nation states of their own foreign policy.
This federalism steals power from the people and is a naked power grab from the Demos to technocrats in the Commission, and we’re expected to nod it through.
In the UK we’re mid general election. Voters will directly vote on who they loan their authority to.
Yet that national popular sovereignty that treats workers and bosses as equals at the ballet box means voters are the masters and politicians are the public servants.”
How the EU Parliament voted
A total of 461 MEPs voted in favour of the new Commission out of a total of 747 MEPs eligible to vote. 157 MEPs voted against and 89 abstained. 40 MEPs clearly decided that there was little point even turning up.
Whilst the UK Parliament publishes the voting record of each MP within about an hour of each vote, we are still waiting for the EU Parliament to publish the list of MEPs voting for or against the Commission yesterday. Sadly this was a secret ballot, so we will never be able to tell readers how their British MEPs voted.
Observations
Ms Fox was allowed just two minutes to speak. Despite being the Brexit Party being the largest single party in the entire EU Parliament, it is not allowed the six minutes allotted to the leaders of the political groupings of other countries. Ms Fox was therefore allocated the two minutes given to selected individual MEPs.
In the very short time available to her, Claire Fox delivered a powerful indictment of the sclerotic nature of the EU and its processes for appointing those who govern it.
Her message was deeply unpopular with the majority of the overpaid MEPs in the hemisphere that is the EU Parliament, but we are very pleased that someone stood up and spoke truth to power.
A quasi-EU government was ‘elected’ yesterday – not a word in headlines from the BBC
Yesterday morning we published an article about the events which were due to unfold.
The EU Commission has quasi-governmental powers. Yesterday it was ‘elected’ for a five year term. There is not one word about this in the BBC headlines this morning. We looked at World News, then at UK News. Nothing.
The vast majority of the British public who rely on the state-funded broadcaster will therefore know nothing about yesterday’s events.
Abuse of public money on “Orwellian” giant poster of new EU Commission President
Within her allotted two minutes, Ms Fox raised the issue of the Orwellian 1984-style enormous poster of the new EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, which assaults MEPs as they arrive to work in Brussels each day. Above we have shown a photo of this.
We really would like to know how this could possibly have been authorised. When it was made, Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission had not even been approved.
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[ Sources: Claire Fox MEP | EU Parliament ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.
Brexit Facts4EU.Org, 28 Nov 2019
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