XPost: uk.politics.misc   
   From: jah.usenet@yahoo.co.uk   
      
   DVH wrote:   
   > "aracari"  wrote in message   
   > news:e671520e6777f9ea2e8501f1123e508d@aracari.127.0.0.1...   
   >   
   >> That is roughly my view of the Council of Ministers, of which the   
   >> new unelected President will be chairman of.   
   >   
   > Expect howls of protest telling you that it's actually the European Council   
   > he'll be president of.   
   >   
   > The issue here is that the EU is structured in such a way that it can't be   
   > understood except by technocrats or those who have a professional interest   
   > in it.   
   >   
   > The same was true of Lisbon - and even honest eurocrats like McCreevy   
   > admitted they hadn't read it.   
   >   
   >> Clearly the intention   
   >> with Lisbon is to give the CoM a more visibly public role with its   
   >> President being higher up the pecking order than the Commission's   
   >> President. Not yet it seems but in good time.....all part of   
   >> constructing the new United States of Europe but with an unelected   
   >> President as No.2 or No.3 in the world.   
   >>   
   >> ISTM the parallel between the EU and Britain is that the EU   
   >> Commission is equivalent to our Civil Service but has enjoyed far   
   >> more power and autonomy, whereas the CoM is more like our   
   >> Executive/Cabinet which sets the agenda and decides policy, then   
   >> throws it over the wall to the Commission for implementation. The   
   >> Commission has always had a lot of power/freedom as to *how* it   
   >> implements CoM policy which has created examples of stupidity...   
   >> straight bananas etc.   
   >>   
   >   
   > Indeed. And where is the "elected" parliament in all this?   
      
   My understanding is that where "co-decision" is required, the Parliament   
   must pass legislation (though the Commission must also pass it in all   
   cases). I'm not certain whether this now applies in the bulk of cases or   
   not. I see claims the areas inwhich co-decision is required have   
   expanded under Lisbon.   
      
   Clearly, the House of Lords has more power with respect to British   
   legislation than this bunch has with respect to EU legislation.   
      
   James   
      
   --   
   James Hammerton,   
   http://jhammerton.wordpress.org/   
   http://www.magnacartaplus.org/news/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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