“This Project is Fundamentally Anti-Democratic”

The video below was recorded today at the European Parliament in Brussels by Henrik Ræder Clausen. It features the “King of Euro-Skepticism”, MEP Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and the co-president of the “Europe of Freedom and Democracy” (EFD) Group in the EP. The occasion was the presentation of the book Europa Wankelt: De ontvoering van Europa door de EU (Europe Falters: The Abduction of Europe by the EU) by Wim van Rooy, Remi Hauman and Sam van Rooy.

Henrik includes this introduction to the video:

While English MEP Nigel Farage presents the new Dutch book Europa Wankelt (“Europe Falters”), he also outlines his vision of a post-EU Europe. He envisions a new Europe consisting of free nations, run with the consent of the people rather than directives from faceless and unelected bureaucrats. A Europe with liberty and genuine democracy, an economy freed from the shackles of the euro, ruled with legitimacy and wide public consent.

First, however, the illegitimate and dysfunctional power structures have to go. The Netherlands rejected the European Constitution, which was forced upon them without consent anyway. This Dutch book, with essays from a variety of great thinkers from many European countries, should be a major contribution to take Europe back from her abductors, the European Union.

Many thanks to Vlad Tepes for uploading this clip:


Below are excerpts from Mr. Farage’s foreword to the book:

The Abduction of Europe by the EU.

You know it’s coming. Two things — Belgium is going to split, and Greece is going to default on its debt, pull out of the Euro prison and return to the Drachma. The EU, I believe, is at the zenith of its power. Those Euro fanatics who have driven this project for so long have become arrogant, contemptuous of the people and have over-reached themselves. I suspect that the current Euro crisis shall now become the wake-up call for democrats and freedom-lovers across the European continent.

I heartily welcome this book as a vital contribution to the debate on the strangulation of democracy in Europe. What is going on at this very moment is appropriately spelt out by this book’s title: “The Abduction of Europe by the EU.”

All those who stand with me for Freedom will be shocked and saddened that the EU in the last few months has helped depose two prime-ministers in the ancient capitals of Rome and Athens. The EU does not tolerate any centre of power but Brussels. It is becoming clearer by the day that national democracy and EU membership are incompatible. The unelected bureaucrats of the European Commission could simply not tolerate that an elected head of the Greek government, George Papandreou would call for the Greek people to have a say on their EU austerity proposals. What Greek Prime Minister Papandreou did in October 2011 was unacceptable in Brussels — he used the R word: Referendum.

The elites in Brussels hold the peoples of Europe in utter contempt. They have no intention of asking their opinion if they can get away with it. And as we have already seen in France, the Netherlands (in 2005) and Ireland, if the peoples give the ‘wrong’ answer they will be ignored at best, and bullied at worst.

However, over all in Europe, events are going our way…

[…]

The EU is not just undemocratic, but anti-democratic.

I have long been of the opinion that the EU is not just undemocratic, but anti-democratic. I oscillate between anger and sorrow when I say that the EU is the graveyard for democracy. This is where the wishes of elected governments are cast aside and a centralised will is imposed by those whom we did not elect and cannot get rid of at the ballot box.

It is shocking of course, that all laws passed in the EU are initiated by the unelected Commissioners. You must be unelected in the EU to initiate the laws — this is frightening!

It is people who want national democracy who are the good Europeans.

This task of restoring real power to national democracies is one which transcends national, regional and political allegiances — it is higher than differences between the left and right.

To all the people who lived in Eastern Europe under Communism, you can discern no doubt familiar echoes in the bureaucratic nature of the EU.

The former Russian dissident who writes in this book, Vladimir Bukovsky has been a personal friend of mine for many years. He exposed the “psychiatric imprisonment” of political prisoners in the USSR, and fought for freedom and human dignity under the Soviet system. He suffered greatly fighting the system and was himself imprisoned. Mr Bukovsky has drawn chilling parallels between the system of Soviet Russia and that which is emerging in the EU.

I was very pleased, in this book, to see contributions from so many different political standpoints and national traditions. This goes to show that the big issue in Europe at the moment is not about left and right but about freedom, democracy, and identity.

The EU is set to lose power because it does not make sense from a historical, economic or democratic standpoint.