European federalists praise democracy, but do not want citizens to have a say

Stubb: "a treaty change would probably be derailed by referenda"

Alexander Stubb, Finland's Minister for European Affairs, is known as a firm believer in a federal European state. He is also a typical representative of an EU elite scared to death by democratic participation of the citizens in decision making. Stubb's speech on Tuesday at the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum is an another example of the thinking of the Brussels bureaucrats and their political allies in the member countries:
The major tool for institutional development is changing the treaties. So the question arises – do we need treaty change to makes things work, to improve the Union, make EMU stronger.

I have no problems with treaty change as such – but we should be careful. Treaty change has shown to be an unpredictable and time-consuming process. I belong to the persuasion ‘never-say-never’, but the case for treaty change would need to be absolutely compelling for the risk being worth taking. The safest and most practical way ahead is to work with the treaties we have.

And let’s be practical – a treaty change would probably be derailed by referenda. And let me add another dimension – would it not tempt our British friends to question their involvement with Europe – a move that would be a tragedy for both the United Kingdom and Europe. With a half-British family I feel entitled to speaking boldly on the subject.

In festive speeches Stubb and the other "federalists" like to talk about democracy and the value of a functioning civil society. But if somebody proposes that an important issue should be decided by a popular vote - a referendum - these federalists always find a number of reasons why the citizens should be excluded. That is how "democracy" works in the European Union. And that is also why people in most EU countries are fed up with Brussels and the EUSSR!

PS

It is also difficult to understand why Stubb should be particularly "entitled to speak boldly" on British involvement with Europe, just because his wife apparently belongs to an almost extinct breed - British federalists.