Abolish the EU?
| Published date | 01 September 2011 |
| Date | 01 September 2011 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/203228441100200301 |
| Subject Matter | Editorial |
New Journal of Eur opean Crimina l Law, Vol. 2, Issue 3, 2011 253
EDITORIAL
ABoLIsH tHe eu?
S C
A London journalist re cently posted an article on the web, entitled “Abolish the EU”.
e essence of her article is contai ned in the following two paragraphs:
(…) we a ll appreciat e the need for a strong a nd united Europe, composed of countrie s
which work with, rather than against , each other. Not just to pre-empt the risk of there ever
being anot her European w ar, but to preserve our treasured pan-continental cultural a nd
social value s, so oen nowadays under attack from t heir detractors.
So, here is the good news. Whether you love it or hate it, ultimately the EU is i rrelevant to
the future u nity of Europe, because we a re already dissolvi ng the boundaries bet ween our
countries through our personal ties and bonds. And t his i s a more organic and more
eective means of fusion tha n the grudging adoption of diktats from an ar ticially created
bureaucratic behemoth .1
It is true t hat European unity is ultimately created by persona l ties and bonds. But it
was ever thus. Personal t ies and bonds are not a product of post wa r developments.
ey have always existed, in one form or on one level or another, since time immemorial.
ey have also been disregarded si nce time immemorial by illibera l governments.
e EU was establ ished to ensure that these bonds would no longer be severed or
frustrated by the State and to give the benets a nd joys of such trans-continenta l
personal bonds to the greatest p ossible number of people.
e EU (as it now is) has created the framework in which we can live , love, work
and play throughout the continent as a whole, as we, the individual s choose, not a s
determined by the ‘State’ which is al so an ‘arti cially created bureaucr atic
be hemoth ’.
So of course the people count most, but admi nistrations are needed.
What should never be forgotten is that European Ins titutions exist pri marily for
the benet of individuals. at is the purpos e of the Cou ncil of Eu rope a nd i n
particul ar of the Court of Human Rights. It is, although less obviously so perhaps, the
purpose of the European Commission. e Commission is the champion of the
consumer, the f ree market, fre e movement and has created and continues to defend
these free doms oen despite the conduct of businesses set on controlling prices and
partitioning ma rkets and frequently in the face of Member State opposition.
1 www.winton.nildram.co.uk/Monica/abolish_the_eu.htm.
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