The Battle for a Democratic Europe Proceeds Apace

As a federalist European I never thought I would see the day when I agreed with UKIP's Nigel Farage, let alone admire his eloquence. That day has come.

It seems that his experience as a Europarliamentarian has made Farage into a worthy critic of the Brussels Eurocracy and that he now represents the views of a constituency far greater than that of UKIP or his own. It is, at the same, time a matter of shame that Europarliamentarians who should know better appear ready to abandon democracy quite so easily as they have.

The Treaty of Lisbon is fatally flawed. It should be rejected and something more representative of the democratic process replace it. I do not agree with the chauvinist view of national sovereignty that the anti-EU brigade reflects. Nor do I support the Machiavellian manoeuverings of the 'neoliberal' Eurocrats behind this Constitution-cum-Treaty. Let us hope that the expected Irish NO vote will throw open the question once more of what kind of a Europe it is that we, as its people, really want.