Defense of the EU Lacks Substance
Ted Bromund /
In the latest issue of The Economist, a correspondent – Dewi Williams, a senior lecturer in European law at Staffordshire University – writes in to complain about the unfairness of the British dislike of the European Union. Williams argues that the reason why the EU is unpopular in Britain is because the EU hasn’t done enough to promote itself, and the benefits of EU membership.
It’s important to point out, first, that Williams is calling for the use of British money to fund EU propaganda aimed at the British themselves. Democratic governments are not supposed to behave in this way, because they derive their legitimacy not from propaganda, but from the consent of the governed. But of course, the EU isn’t a democracy and lacks that consent, which is why its supporters feel it needs to engage in propaganda. And the EU feels the same way, which is why it already spends lots of money selling itself to the peoples of Europe. (more…)