What is wrong with the EU?

Question

I'm from the US and not fully up on European politics but it seems like a lot of Europeans (or at least people from the UK) really hate being part of the EU. Why is this? All I know about it is it allows citizens of member countries to travel, live, and work freely between member countries and the governments of those countries have meetings and stuff but what exactly is it that has ordinary citizens so pissed off? Could somebody please explain what exactly people have against the EU?

Answer 1

Because it takes away our freedoms to un-elect those who do not please us, we have no real say over the governing of this union, "representative democracy is dead" ( Peter Mandelson) the parties pick the commissioners, who decide the laws, often by secret votes, presented as a "fait accompli" to us, without our knowledge or agreement, it is in direct conflict with all we have fought for in centuries, to let people have a part of the decision making process, taken from us by the "founding fathers" as they like to think of themselves as. Each as arrogant as Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, they know better than us how we should be ruled, democracy is inconvenient for these peope, and so it (democracy) becomes a matter for administration, nothing more. As for these rights, the only country that adheres to these rights (especially human rights ) is ours, the rest are in it for themselves, you try importing food to France or better still electronics, and you will find a law that insists that a % of the item must be French made, the solution to the French, was to check these items, using one inspector, and a set of six warehouses in france, to hold the items waiting for clearance, each the size of a US football field, or their assumption in french law that the government rules by "dictat", or the presumption of guilt, unless you can prove your innocence ! The refusal to allow foreign purchases of things like water companies or power, or gas, in France, because of strategic importance, and Germany, or Italy, but their delight in owning 80% of those in Britain. where we allow it under European legislation, they interpret these things to their own ends even including one company that is a dairy company to refuse foreign (European community ) ownership because of strategic reasons !!! and so do Germany and Italy, and then there is corruption levels that make your eyes water, non existent olive fields, in Italy, and Greece, non existent water and dam projects in Italy, (over 600 million dollars in 20 years poured into a project that has yet to see a single pumping station built in drought ridden areas)  Bank corruption and Tax evasion in Germany, and the person elected by the commissioners unable to sign off as accurate the tax and expenses of Euro, MP'S for more than 12 years !!! the problems are never ending and ineradicable, and all the politicians want is their place in the history books as the "first president" of this new nation, believe me when I say there is no Washington amongst them.....

Answer 2

Adam B has stated the correct.  It would be the equivalent (somewhat) to our NAFTA agreements.

Answer 3

They view it as non-democratic.  The activities in Brussels are not directly controlled by the populations of EU member states, but are instead controlled by the national governments.  The EU often comes to decisions that are extremely unpopular in specific regions, or contrary to common sense, as in the Bulgarian feta cheese or Swiss Champaign wine rulings.  I think some people are also resentful when they see large numbers of immigrant workers from Eastern Europe suddenly appearing in their local economies.  If you were a bricklayer in Kent, and a truckload of Polish bricklayers simply appeared one day, fully legal, and began working for significantly less than you could afford to charge, you'd be unhappy with the EU as well.

Answer 4

I may not agree with every aspect of the EU, but just like our governments its our product.  Every voting citizen chooses their governments and its MEP's and our domestic representatives (state and federal would be the parallel).  These are the people making the decisions - though the distance between the voter and the MEP and EU activities appears quite distant.  The EU is a relatively young organization and until two things happen it cannot progress towards cohesion; 1) stops expanding 2) develops an identity within the union.

Many citizens of the UK have an issue with the EU - some for reasons I cannot fathom.  Others as I believe the UK has greater loyalty to the US than they do Europe.  However they are quite happy to take advantage of the EU when it suits.  There are communities in Spain where you would forget you're not in England.  While I know of nothing similar in France - the number of English people I have met living in Holland and France is bizarre.

My issues with the EU (and to be clear I am very pro-EU) are the level of bureaucracy within its systems; it seeks to make every member state happy instead of a majority; and its entertaining Turkey as a member.  The last one will - in my opinion - end the EU.