‘Vote early and vote often’
AFP PHOTO / PETER MUHLY
The European Union is often accused of lacking in democratic legitimacy. Papers, commentators happily speak of the European democratic deficit (it is always THE deficit) without exactly defining where this deficit lies. Often it is stipulated and routinely written when referring to European Commissioners, that they are unelected officials. The fact that they have been appointed by supposedly democratic governments who then have to report to their national parliaments on their choice, and the fact that these unelected officials need the direct approval of the European Parliament, elected by universal suffrage throughout Europe, is almost always overlooked by those that write on it.
And no we find ourselves in a cascade of national elections in Europe that are all related, directly or indirectly, to European dossiers. The Irish are voting in a referendum on whether or not their country should ratify the fiscal compact.
The Irish are more or less world champion in voting on European affairs. Normally when they are asked to vote on a new Treaty they first vote no, since they are good practical jokers. Of course they do not really mean ‘no’, because when they are asked the same question again, on a virtually unchanged new treaty text, they vote with a resounding yes (more than 50% is always resounding, like in the French and US Presidential election). But in between the two referenda they have a good time given the European elite a fright, leading to often open panic and stories depicting the end of European integration as we know it.
Because normally for treaties a consensus is needed in Europe, if one country says no it is no for all. And thus the Irish have been asked in the past to ‘vote early and vote often’ to use a good-old Irish saying. After a few of these instances, of course, the Irish threat loses its bite as we know they will come around eventually. And so this time Europe has come up with something that will really wrongfoot the Irish. They can vote any which way they like on the fiscal compact, because it becomes law anyway if 12 of the signatories approve it. And since not that many will have a real referendum on it, it my be a rude awakening for the Irish to find out after a possible no vote that shoulders are shrugged in Brussels and money that was destined for Ireland will go to others in Europe, that my b perhaps less needy, but at least that vote right (or preferably not at all).
The Greeks do not usually do referenda on European affairs, although at times they threaten to do just to give Brussels institutions a good scare, as happened last October when then PM George Papandreou suggested to hold a referendum on Greece's membership of the euro. He was slapped on the wrists by all his colleagues and quickly retracted. And instead the Greeks had parliamentary elections. But since they did not have the outcome needed to agree to the bailout terms they now go to the polls again in two weeks until they get it right.
And funnily enough, all those that shouted it was a scandal that Papandreou suggested the referendum now say that the elections will be seen …….as a referendum on Greece's wish to stay in the Eurozone.
And remember that the French Presidential elections were seen by quite a few observers as a French referendum on whether austerity was the way to go or a more growth oriented policy as Hollande suggested was the way forward. The Dutch are going to the polls in September, and Europe and the fiscal compact will play a major role in the campaign and on the outcome. Northrhein-Westfalia, a German Land with an economy as big as the Dutch had elections two weeks ago and voted down austerity, so said commentators after the CDU of Chancellor Merkel lost big.
To suggest therefore that Europeans never have a say in European affairs is somewhat exaggerated to say the least. Time and again people can express themselves in elections. Alas the outcome is not often the one that would have been most appreciated in Brussels. But then again, there is that old, very true saying, that Democracy is alright, ‘just don't give it to the people’.
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