#2 - The European Union
The 27 member EU is the successor to the EEC, which was founded in 1957. Its modern day goal is to operate as a single market that can compete more effectively with the United States. It aims to become a force for peace and democracy in the world.
From those lofty goals has emerged a hugely expensive, largely ineffective bureaucracy staffed by undemocratically elected, self-interested 'Eurocrats'. Corruption is rife and the European Court of Auditors has refused to sign off on the accounts for the last twelve years. Besides costing 1% of GDP, EU inefficiency has knocked at least another 1% off member nations' growth rates, which are only being propped up by a strong global economy led by the US, China and India. If the US slows down and the China and/or India industrial locomotives hit difficulties due to inflation, for example, and have to apply the economic brakes then the impact on the EU will be serious enough to cause it to face severe difficulties. These could well lead to significant regional instability and, potentially, conflict.
Let's focus on the UK and have a look at a few of the facts since this European powerhouse joined the EU.
- EU membership costs every Briton 873 Pounds (US$1714) per year; that's over 50 billion pounds (US$100 billion) in total;
- The EU has issued 23,000 directives and regulations into UK law - a figure greater than the total number of Acts passed by the UK Parliament in the whole of its history. There are around 650 new EU laws each year using Statutory Instruments to bypass the UK Parliament;
- 85% of British law now is as a result of EU law. EU Directives and Regulations from unelected Commissioners are interpreted into British law by unelected Civil Servants. Parliament is bypassed by Ministerial Order or Statutory Instrument without MPs' awareness. Article K7, Amsterdam Treaty, gives the European Court of Justice power to over-rule national Courts (incidentally proving the Queen is no longer sovereign). Some EU judges are not even legally qualified. The EU Court is a political court devoted to (in its own words) "....overcoming the resistance of National Governments to European integration";
- The annual cost of EU regulation on the UK's airline industry alone is over 6 billion Pounds.
How has the EU scored on one of its other aims - to promote peace? Where was it during the Bosnian conflict? Nowhere. The United States had to engage NATO to sort things out. How has it used its power to deal with Islamist terror? It hasn't. In fact, the home of the EU, Brussels, now has the highest murder rate in Europe, an increase that has paralleled Muslim immigration. What about Sudan or Somalia? Again, the mighty peacemaking EU is nowhere to be seen.
Let's make a list of good things the European Union has achieved...
...
...Right, now that we've got that out of the way...
Europe already has enough crises to navigate through in the next generation and a half without having this corrupt and undemocratic handbrake holding them back. Unfunded pension liabilities average more than 100% of GDP across Europe and, with declining birth rates, servicing those pensions will place more and more strain on national budgets. These problems are going to spill over onto the rest of the world and affect us all; and it won't be pretty.
For representing the worst of Europe, inflicting unpopular laws on unwilling populations and not living up to any of the standards it sets for others the European Union makes it into the #2 spot on the list of 10 Institutions That Ruin The World.
#3 - Expansionist Islam
#4 - The Environmental Movement
#5 - The Mainstream Media
#6 - Education Institutions and Education Unions
#7 - Government
#8 - The Social Justice Movement
#9 - The Peace Movement
#10 - The Intelligent Design Movement, Discovery Institute
1 comment:
Bravo!
Post a Comment