In yet another disturbing attack on democracy and self-determination, Vice President of the European Commission Viviane Reding claimed that Britons are too ignorant to vote on membership in the European Union (EU).
Reding–a career union leader and bureaucrat–lashed out multiple times against the British public last night during an EU-sponsored “Citizen’s Dialogue” event in London. She claimed that migrants work harder than Britons and implied that UK voters “simply cannot” make an “informed decision” over the future of the UK’s role in the European Union.
Speaking about a negotiation on Britain’s role in the European Union, Reding said: “There will be no repatriation of EU powers. It is not our problem, it is not us making the demands. You are either ‘in’ or ‘out’.”
“British sovereignty is mainly in their head because they’ve signed the EU treaty and most business is in Europe,” she declared. “The most powerful parliament in Europe is the European Parliament. Seventy per cent of laws in this country are co-decided there.”
Pawel Sidlicki, a member of the Open Europe think tank, said: “Mrs. Reding epitomises the EU elites’ approach to dealing with the public — superficially embracing debate with citizens while dismissing any substantive criticism.”
“Having their legitimate concerns dismissed in such a high-handed manner only drives people towards populist, anti-EU parties,” he explained. “Sadly, EU politicians like Reding often do a better job at driving voters towards these parties than they do themselves.”
For some reason, Reding thought it would be a good idea to boast about the fact that 70 percent of Britain’s laws are now “co-decided” by the European Parliament.
As a native of Luxembourg, it is understandable that Reding may not have much in the way of patriotism or national identity. To come to Britain and brag about how the EU is whittling away our national sovereignty is a sure-fire way to lose the debate.
The European Union hosts these propaganda exercises called the “Citizen’s Dialogues” between three and five times a month. The travelling circuses, which cost European Union taxpayers a fair amount of money, are effectively aimed at placating a skeptical public.
I personally got to attend one when I was in Riga in Latvia last October. It was truly bizarre. There was fancy food upon entry, free EU tote bags, expensive “voting” machines in the room, and a huge audio visual presentation alongside a panel discussion aimed at convincing people that the EU wasn’t just a bunch of faceless, left-wing bureaucrats. Suffice to say they failed to swing my vote.
It strikes me as both twisted and offensive that Reding should come to London to tell us how we’re all idiots, and that she, as a life-long trade union member and bureaucrat, knows what is best for us.
At least she got her comeuppance after the show. It turns out some good, old-fashioned London hospitality saw her luggage stolen from her (unlocked) car outside the venue. She said: “It will be really difficult to replace the clothes, jewellery and make up. My earrings have been on pictures worldwide.”
This is the person who claims to know what’s best for us.
Follow @RaheemJKassam on Twitter.