Is Brexit A Chance For The People Of Britian To Take Control Of Their Country?
Sometimes people need a fresh start.
36-40, M
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SW-User
Already do, the influence of EU is overestimated by leavers and people who don't unserstand how it works. UK is also a part of the EU, for now, and plays a big role in developing EU directives and regulations.
Murmurs · 31-35, F
@SW-User The issue for many people, is that the process-driven ('European') way of regulating is fundamentally at odds with longstanding British practice, which is results-driven; in other words one focusses on precise drafting of many rules, and tends not to allow for exceptions (unless covered in even longer regulations), while the other sets high-level goals which industry (etc) is largely free to decide how to attain.
Obviously regulations themselves aren't bad (many after all are 'written in blood' after something has gone wrong somewhere we want to prevent in the future), but while both sorts of regulation have advantages and disadvantages, the EU's manner of implementing them doesn't quite chime with usual regulatory practice in Britain; the UK might be influencing the rules but the style of them doesn't suit us. The basis of the 'The EU is too bureaucratic' argument largely based on this.
Then we get to the biggest set of directives of all in the EU, the CAP, which is designed almost purely to benefit French agriculture (and fair enough, since France got there first, I suppose), but which will and has always result in a French veto of any reform attempts (similarly, regarding the bloated nonsense of moving the Parliament to Strasbourg every so often).
That's before anyone brings up the unaccountability of the Commission and the relatively weakness of the European Parliament. If the Union's legislators were able to, I don't know, actually [i]legislate by themselves[/i] from time to time, (and able perhaps to eject or reject individual commissioners, which might see greater accountability without having to have the Commission directly elected, since it can only force the C. to resign [i]en masse[/i]), one can talk about the control the UK (and any other member state) has...
Obviously regulations themselves aren't bad (many after all are 'written in blood' after something has gone wrong somewhere we want to prevent in the future), but while both sorts of regulation have advantages and disadvantages, the EU's manner of implementing them doesn't quite chime with usual regulatory practice in Britain; the UK might be influencing the rules but the style of them doesn't suit us. The basis of the 'The EU is too bureaucratic' argument largely based on this.
Then we get to the biggest set of directives of all in the EU, the CAP, which is designed almost purely to benefit French agriculture (and fair enough, since France got there first, I suppose), but which will and has always result in a French veto of any reform attempts (similarly, regarding the bloated nonsense of moving the Parliament to Strasbourg every so often).
That's before anyone brings up the unaccountability of the Commission and the relatively weakness of the European Parliament. If the Union's legislators were able to, I don't know, actually [i]legislate by themselves[/i] from time to time, (and able perhaps to eject or reject individual commissioners, which might see greater accountability without having to have the Commission directly elected, since it can only force the C. to resign [i]en masse[/i]), one can talk about the control the UK (and any other member state) has...
SW-User
@Murmurs I agree entirely. There's lots wrong. I think a lot of the perception of the EU comes from two issues. Firstly, the UK press which is largely appalling and has too mhch influence. Secondly, maybe due to our poor language skills, or maybe island mentality, a lot of British people have always had an image of 'Europe' as being some sort of unified group with a common aim against tbe UK. Having lived, worked and travelled extensively throughout Europe I know this isn't true.
Murmurs · 31-35, F
@SW-User Europe certainly isn't unified (or have a common aim against the UK, of course; Brexit negotiations notwithstanding, but that's a special case and entirely to be expected!).
Do the institutions of the EU, however, have a common aim for all of Europe? Yes because that's demonstrated in virtually every action.
Do the people of each member state agree with this common aim? Only Britain (with the problems you identify being part of the reason why, for sure), has even asked its citizens.
Don't get me wrong though, Brexit at least as executed is a shambolic fustercluck
Do the institutions of the EU, however, have a common aim for all of Europe? Yes because that's demonstrated in virtually every action.
Do the people of each member state agree with this common aim? Only Britain (with the problems you identify being part of the reason why, for sure), has even asked its citizens.
Don't get me wrong though, Brexit at least as executed is a shambolic fustercluck
SW-User
@Murmurs I think we can agree on the last point lol.
For openeness I should say that a large part of my job is enforcing EU regulations. I work in the medical devices field and there are new regulations currently being brought in. EU regulations are the ones that apply in all EU countries, so I guess this is an example of the EU controlling our laws. The aim of these is to improve patient safety, but they will have big impact on manufacturers. If UK companies want to sell their products in EU they will have to follow these regulations, regardless of whether the UK is a member. These regulations were largely developed by UK people and organisations. If we developed our own regulations (taking back control) they would be developed by the same people and be largely the same. I know this is a very specific example, but this is what I know. I'm sure there are similar examples in all sorts of areas.
For openeness I should say that a large part of my job is enforcing EU regulations. I work in the medical devices field and there are new regulations currently being brought in. EU regulations are the ones that apply in all EU countries, so I guess this is an example of the EU controlling our laws. The aim of these is to improve patient safety, but they will have big impact on manufacturers. If UK companies want to sell their products in EU they will have to follow these regulations, regardless of whether the UK is a member. These regulations were largely developed by UK people and organisations. If we developed our own regulations (taking back control) they would be developed by the same people and be largely the same. I know this is a very specific example, but this is what I know. I'm sure there are similar examples in all sorts of areas.