XPost: uk.politics.misc   
   From: dvh@vhvhvhvh.com   
      
   "James Hammerton"  wrote in message   
   news:7msuk9F3ipoa7U1@mid.individual.net...   
   > 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).   
      
   Yes.   
      
   Though passing is not the same as initiating. The Commission still has a   
   monopoly on introducing bills.   
      
   The result of this stupid system is the famous "horse-trading" or corridor   
   diplomacy, and the infamous comitology, by which participants stitch up an   
   agreement in private before discussing it in public and on the record.   
      
   > 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.   
      
   Yes. 40 new competences it seems.   
      
   >   
   > 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/   
      
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