The text of the talk I gave yesterday at the full-house launch of my latest MCC Brussels report: "The silent coup: the European Commission’s power grab"
Wholly and entirely agree with Thomas’ argument here. The idea that democracy can be undermined in a crisis could not be more apparent - not only in the EU but in the U.K. also.. It is quite terrifying to observe how many rights and freedoms have been removed - since Covid, and now vis a vis Ukraine and Israel - how authoritarian and dictatorial governments have become. Having watched the presentation though, I found the Matea lady’s right wing xenophobic standpoint rather unsavoury. Nevertheless, this is what free speech means and in so far as she agrees with Thomas about the power-grabs the EU Commission has conducted, it is all the more persuasive coming from two contrasting political perspectives. I’m not sure that being out of the EU has led to the U.K. diverging very much from EU globalist policies, or being less of a U.S. sycophant- but as Tony Benn said of sovereign governments ‘At least we can vote them out.’ I feel sorry for EU members in that regard.
"The austerity-obsessed EU is once again forcing its member states to enact austerity budgets. [While] Draghi’s report was requested by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is working to amass more power to her mostly unaccountable throne, and is one of many voices calling for a defense union and militarization and the ability to borrow and potentially levy taxes to pay for those debts"
Wholly and entirely agree with Thomas’ argument here. The idea that democracy can be undermined in a crisis could not be more apparent - not only in the EU but in the U.K. also.. It is quite terrifying to observe how many rights and freedoms have been removed - since Covid, and now vis a vis Ukraine and Israel - how authoritarian and dictatorial governments have become. Having watched the presentation though, I found the Matea lady’s right wing xenophobic standpoint rather unsavoury. Nevertheless, this is what free speech means and in so far as she agrees with Thomas about the power-grabs the EU Commission has conducted, it is all the more persuasive coming from two contrasting political perspectives. I’m not sure that being out of the EU has led to the U.K. diverging very much from EU globalist policies, or being less of a U.S. sycophant- but as Tony Benn said of sovereign governments ‘At least we can vote them out.’ I feel sorry for EU members in that regard.
"The austerity-obsessed EU is once again forcing its member states to enact austerity budgets. [While] Draghi’s report was requested by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is working to amass more power to her mostly unaccountable throne, and is one of many voices calling for a defense union and militarization and the ability to borrow and potentially levy taxes to pay for those debts"
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/09/the-eu-retreats-further-into-a-world-of-self-delusion.html#:~:text=The%20austerity%2Dobsessed,for%20those%20debts