Britain and the European Union

The Alliance for Green Socialism is not in favour of withdrawal from the European Union. The alternative - metaphorically towing Britain out into mid-Atlantic - is quite unrealistic. Indeed, Britain is already far too much subject to US tutelage and should be seeking genuine independence from the USA.

The AGS believes that any major constitutional change should be subject to a referendum. Referenda are clumsy instruments, unsuitable for routine political purposes; but matters of sovereignty are exceptional and should require explicit popular approval.

In a referendum on the currently proposed EU constitution, the AGS would campaign for a NO vote. This is not because we are "Little Englanders" - we are quite the reverse. It is a matter of democracy. The existing EU institutions are profoundly undemocratic. Power resides not with the elected EU Parliament but with the Commission, the Council of Ministers and unspecified liaison bodies. It is almost impossible to work out how appointments are made and how policies are adopted. The draft constitution makes this far worse. The new decision making process would be even more convoluted and less accountable than the current one. Important appointments would be by a Byzantine process - and by an unspecified process for vital ones such as the auditors! (Not that the EU has corruption problems!)

In a referendum on the single currency as presently constituted, we would also vote NO, for similar reasons. The Euro is run by an unelected Central Bank. Not only is it constitutionally defined to be unelected, it is actually formally forbidden by its statute from taking account of the views of anyone who is democratically elected. In addition, its basic aims are defined by treaty to be pro-capital instead of pro-people.

-- AGS Mon 31 May 2004