Democratic deficit at the heart of the European Union
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Version 0 of 1. After reading Martin Kettle (The referendum is a battle of the press versus democracy, 17 June), I sense we may part company on what are the indispensable attributes of an effective democracy. The first is that every citizen has the chance of acquiring the minimum knowledge, skills and will to function as such. In our complex society that is patently not the case, particularly vis-a-vis the EU. A second is that citizens should feel encouraged to engage by the powers that be, which involves them believing that their views are genuinely wanted and will be considered before policies are set in stone. The building blocks of the foregoing, surely, are vibrant local communities, such as those Michael Young analysed in Family and Kinship in East London. It was the world I grew up in, where – because of relative stability, familiarity and organic interdependence – nobody was a nobody, however low in the pecking order. However, loneliness and civic anonymity are increasingly commonplace across society. Until we address these challenges, the democratic health of Westminster (and Whitehall) cannot be restored. As for the EU, its already feeble democratic credentials seem, on the evidence, to be beyond reform, and indeed compromise our own.Andrew PhillipsLiberal Democrat, House of Lords • The EU has become something that we did not want it to be. Its democratic accountability is tenuous. Its legal primacy is farcical. It tries to force an unachievable ever closer union. Much of me wants to vote leave. However, I want my son to grow old in a peaceful continent, unlike my parents and generations before them. The EU forms an economic interdependence between our countries that prevents any country from turning against its neighbours. To disentangle that would make war possible, however far-fetched that may seem. I hope this referendum acts as a wake-up call to Europe. If it does not fundamentally change, someone else will be the first to leave. However, even if my hope is forlorn, I cannot support an action that would make war even remotely possible. That is why on Thursday I shall be voting to remain in the undemocratic, over-powerful and misdirected institution that is the European Union.David BartlettWhitley Bay, Tyne and Wear • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com |