COULD UK REJOIN THE EU?

→ 1-minute video on how countries join the #EU

𝗨𝗞 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗪𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗𝗡'𝗧 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗙𝗜𝗟 𝗘𝗨 𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦

If Britain was to apply to join the EU today, it’s unlikely we’d fulfil the membership requirements.

▪ 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻

Well, that counts us in – although the way the UK government wants to align with Pacific countries, and away from our continent, you might think that they don’t was us in Europe anymore.

▪ 𝗔𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆

Well, that could well be the big sticking point. Just look at some of the deep flaws in our democracy:

- Our Parliament has more unelected members than elected. (The European Parliament has 705 members, ALL elected.)

- We have a legislative system whereby most laws are made by Statutory Instruments, drafted by the Civil Service, which cannot be amended by Parliament and most of which become law automatically, without a Parliamentary vote.

- We have UK governments that can bypass Parliament with the use – and abuse – of arcane and ancient Royal Prerogatives and Henry VIII clauses.

- We have an old-fashioned voting system of first-past-the-post resulting in governments that most people didn’t vote for. (In European Parliament elections, and in most EU member states apart from the Senate in Poland, voting is by proportional representation).

- We had a referendum in which two out of the four members of the United Kingdom voted against #Brexit, and in which a mere 37% of the electorate voted for it, but the government still went ahead with Brexit anyway.

Maybe this was all acceptable when we first joined the European Community back in 1973. But I think it could cause problems for a more modern, more democratic EU 50 years later.

▪ 𝗔 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆

Yes.

▪ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗘𝗨 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗮𝘄

No.

The current government has no respect for (or even an understanding of) EU values, or the rule of law, and especially not Human Rights, upon which the EU is based.

▪ 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗘𝗨 𝗹𝗮𝘄

The last thing the current government will do.

▪ 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆

Possibly a majority in the country today wouldn’t agree to the euro, although I think its many benefits could be explained and sold to the country over time.

▪ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲

The UK requires deep reforms, a new government, and a new attitude, before we might be in a position to apply to join the EU again.

But, hey. I’m an optimist.

I am more than sure it can happen, over time, and with the support of the younger generations, who are very pro EU, and who will eventually inherit the country.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗨.

▪ © Commentary and video cover by Jon Danzig. Main video by the European Parliament.

▪ 𝗝𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝘇𝗶𝗴 is an independent campaigning journalist and film maker who specialises in writing about health, human rights, and Europe. He is also founder of the information campaign, Reasons2Rejoin

[JN-omrw]

No chance - not in a million years - never - that boat has well and truly sailed