JANUARY 2008

This Independent group have a bus and have travelled to various European countries to break open the nutshell of difficulties that surround the inexplicable and second text of the Lisbon Treaty, now offered to our Governments and ourselves for consideration and acceptance. They have done this, because they are outraged that no Member States except Ireland are being allowed to vote in referendums, despite a previous rejection of the Treaty by both France and Netherlands. The original text, EU authorities say, has now been amended. These latter populations have both had a change in Government since they rejected the Treaty and find that they have now been over-ruled - and they appear to have accepted this rule without demur. We are also informed of the astonishing fact that this Treaty is only going to be published for MEPs and the general public after it has been accepted into the Rule of Law. Many categories of the original treaty document have now been categorised by changed names and details to distract from the original as understood by the European Parliament, and it is clear that the Commisioners are afraid of Referendums being held throughout Europe. Unfortunately we do not know how these governments have been bought off.

Comparisons of the two texts primarily astonish by the second, a text of abnormal length, jammed into a smaller "product" by reducing the font/font. Religion and tolerance was mentioned in the original text but has been entirely omitted in the new text. Humourously Peter Bonde described that infact he had offered a bottle of good wine to anyone who could find any other differences between the original and the ammended version. He still has his bottle of wine though he himself added that there is now one new observation, a protocol recently added by the French President Sarkozy.

Examination of the texts reveal that there are 68 areas of Law that were previously available to Council Members Veto that will be disabled by Qualified Majority votes. These vote values are to be altered: Member states will no longer have a list of unanimity voting decrees or merely a membership vote. Instead each Member State's voting weight is decreed demographically by the population aggregate of each member State. The decisive votes for the Council recommendations that are passed down to the Commission can at present be obtained from 345 votes by 258 majority but decisions can be blocked with 91 votes. In the future a Qualified Majority Vote can be obtained by 55% of the votes instead of the present 73%(that is 65% of a population aggregate.) It can be easily seen that quite a lot of small member states will have to club together to obtain a Qual.Maj. Vote if they wish to rule against any project of the Council's or the decision of the big states France, Germany and the UK.The reason for this is that under the present Status Quo each country has a stipulated vote merely through Membership - under the new Treaty the voting rules will be regulated and dominated by the numerical populations of each State. The European Parliament already appears to be nothing more than a talking shop and will continue to be so - despite the illusion of propaganda that it will gain some power by this new treaty. Did we already know this or are we under the illusion that vast salaries are being paid to our MEPs by the tax-payer to "law makers"?

The European Council however is to gain almost unlimited power within itself (in contradiction of unanimity) as without revising treaty clauses in any way it can in future abolish a parliamentary national veto in any relevant area choosen. This is thus called a "self-reforming" Treaty and abolishes re-negotiation with any Council Member of any State.

A dangerous Precedent in Law has already been set by the EU who appear to be advanciung their reform powers before ratification of this treaty. In Sweden a case of interference by the European Court in Luxembourg whose privileges will extend in exactly in the manner of this precedent has occurred. The case concerns a Latvian building company whose Latvian employees, building a Swedish school, were paid a Latvian wage rate unequal with Swedish wages. The Court of Luxembourg judging this case over-ruled the Swedish indictment. Under the reform treaty this will be their manner of conduct in the event of any case they do not wish to recognise.

This problem of workers wage-rates will also enable Strikes to be prevented in the event of any Member state declaring a Minimum Wage. Such a clause could be used as a tool to regulate wages to any low level that Industry finds itself able to advocate.

Another example of EU decision's presumed and untoward power has been seen in recent days. Croatia just about to join the EU, established on Jan 1st it's fishing rights along their coast line. They have summarily been ordered by the EU to cancel them. Similarly Serbia has been ordered to cancel recent arrangements of shareholding with Russia in one of their prominent energy industries.

In reference to the Commisioners - the Irish representative can no longer hope to find a satisfactory vote for any of his decisions made on the Council recommendations, as the 2% vote, that he could add to accumulate with others like-minded in any outcome, has now been devalued by the population count to 0.8%. Only by finding one large member state and other small members to vote with him can he prevail.However, a horrific loss of power in the Council in this one respect , though not in the Commision, is put "on the long finger" for persuasive purposes until March 2017.

The Council is now a European Institution with an elected President who can twice be elected each time for a mandate of two and a half years.

There follows material taken from texts provided at the meeting described above and also from the EU's own website called "Europa", a female who was abducted by a bull in Greek myths, whom the Handstand has evidently prophesised as a symbolic motivator during the last six years!(see above illustration which has been used for all Handstand's European miscellanies and reports.) Europa Ovid tells us was a daughter of King Agenor of Phoenicia, so beautiful that Jupiter fell in love with her who, the better to seduce her, assumed the shape of a little bull where Europa gathered flowers in a meadow, and where when she caressed his tame demeanour she even ventured to sit upon his back.Precipitately the bull rushed to the shore and swam away with her to Crete where he resumed his mortal shape, they consummated Minos who in his turn lived and died a King of Crete to retire as a judge in Hades shaking an urn wherein are the destinies of mankind.Among a long list of famous Cretens are ElGreco the artist; the poets Kazantzakis and Odysseas Elitis, the composer Thodorakis and many other artists and actors, musicians and singers.

Foreign Policy
Europe as an actor on the global stage will be achieved by bringing together Europe's external policy tools, both when developing and deciding new policies. The Treaty of Lisbon will give Europe a clear voice in relations with its partners worldwide. It will harness Europe's economic, humanitarian, political and diplomatic strengths to promote European interests and values worldwide, while respecting the particular interests of the Member States in Foreign Affairs.
http://europa.eu/lisbon_treaty/glance/index_en.htm

and -

We can see from the above that the same old colonial warlike policies of our past history will be the same in the future.


Justice and Social Policies (Competencies in EU jargon)

Member States are replaced in International relations by "Union" not "Community", having a single legal status - an important step from a legal point of view toward a Federal or European State.
Thus case law defines that the law of Member states is in accordance with the Court of Luxembourg which has primacy over National laws and Constitutions
Cosmetic dogma re. flags and anthems have been abandoned along with any reference in the future to any national Constitution.

A massive list of Justice and Social Policies now lose their unanimity (or Veto possibility) to be replaced by Council decisions No mention of introducing European Parliament debate or decision anywhere in this list. The Council will control the Commission's power of implementing Laws.Employment is to be free of all national legislation on wages and taxes by the look of it - the Council decrees all legislation in relation to self-employed,social security,and freedom of movement of all workers and their dependents. Conditions of access to certain professions is the only unanimity vote that preserves the possibility of veto. (And will they decree ultimately the direction of worker's movements?)
When push comes to shove in the form of a financial crisis or stockmarket crash the Council can legislate the activity of the European banking system.
Precedent set in Common Law is now under threat the Council shall decide the approximation of legislative acts if there is any difficulty with mutual recognition among Member States.
The Council shall set minimum rules defining crimes and sentences.
The Council shall determine the structure operation and field of action and tasks of Europol (European Law Enforcement Organisation)
Cultural Incentives shall be decided by the Council ( and we should know already that all cultural incentive monies have so far been dispersed to publishers, galleries, theatres and agents and never to authors, artists, musicians, or actors; and that the cultural folio of the European Union is the smallest folio there is in that mighty library.)Veto possibilities only remain in that field of trade where language and national diversity may be prejudiced
Commercial agreements re. education, social and human health services shall be decreed by the Council except(ambiguously)in risk of the national organisation of such services and their exercise free of prejudice. As Peter Bonde explained in this context re. Health services, where special and probably expensive services can be obtained in a country not one's own, such patients as are rich enough to travel can obtain services on another Member State's Health Service which will be paid for by that foreign Member State's tax-payers.
Specialised courts of Law may be established by the Council
Intellectual Property Rights shall be established by the Council - which may jeopardize internet information in many areas or alternatively jeopardize the effective claims of invention by any inventor.Also intellectual property rights shall become uniform in Europe by Acts created by the Council - though Language "arrangements" shall retain the possibility of Veto under Unanimity law.
Social, economic and demographic (population aggregate)developments shall be reviewed and their nature of composition be determined by the Council
A European Defence Agency and its operational rules to be decided by the Council.
No referendums may be obtained, but "invitations " may be given by 1,000,000 people for submissions, proposals of legal acts to the Council who will legislate if they accept.
Europe's "Own Resources" (what ever they may be) as a system shall be implemented under Council orders.
Though unfortunately not applying to individuals, AGREEMENT TO WITHDRAW FROM THE UNION MAY BE NEGOTIATED AND CONCLUDED BY THE COUNCIL.
Principles and conditions under which services of general economic interest shall operate shall be decided by the Council and also all measures to ensure such protection (Beware of the Dog)
Customs and Excises between Member States, and between any Member State and the Commission, shall be subject to cooperation decided by the Council excluding national criminal law or national administration of justice.
Financial funds, movement of same or economic gain of natural or legal shall be administrated or frozen by the Council.
Solidarity between member States in the fields of economic policy, produce, and energy shall be inserted in emergencies.
Common positions for Europe in matters of economic and monetary union shall be maintained in relation to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank as defined by the Council.
Environment policy shall be under survey by the Council to end Unanimity or Veto in regard to energy sources and supply
An entire European Research area is now proposed under regulation by the Council.
A European Space policy shall be established by the Council
The energy market in measures of efficiency and saving shall be legislated by the Council. But fiscal measures shall have Veto possibility under unanimity.
Freedom, Security and Justice policies shall be evaluated in their implementation, and in their mutual recognition by the Council and Council regulations ensuring administrative cooperation shall be created, with an integrated Border system.
Immigrants may suffer re-admission to their countries of origin under Council legislation.Or they shall be legally integrated into the European Union.
Family Law shall obtain Veto possibilities under Unanimity but all procedural and substantive civil laws for the member States shall be legislated by the Council.
Various or all aspects of Criminal law shall be possibily be legislated in the future by the Council. There remains the possibility of a Veto available in emergency.
Crime prevention laws shall be created by the Council.
Cross Border health threats (radiation?),monitoring, early-warning and control shall be legislated by the Council.
Public Health acts concerning Alcohol and Tobacco shall be legislated by the Council.
YES BELIEVE IT THE LIST GOES ON AND ON...
Competitiveness of Tourism within the EU shall be undertaken by the Council.
Incentive measures for Sport shall be undertaken by the Council
Systems effectiveness, administration etc to prevent natural or man-made disasters shall be Legislated by the Council and also them administrative effectiveness of all Union Laws shall be legislated on by the Council.
A common commercial policy shall ofcourse be sought and implemented by the Council.
Untoward or emergency financial aid shall be decided by the Council
Humanitarian aid shall be defined and given a framework by the Council.
A volunteer Corps (corpse?) shall be defined and rules applied by the Council
Restrictive measures against any one of us as individuals as natural or legal persons or even groups shall be decided on by the Council that hitherto had a Veto possibility.
Solidarity in the event of a decision by the EU Minister for Foreign Affairs (God forbid Mr.Javier Solana or the event of Civil or Foreign War) shall be implemented by the Council.
Judicial appointments by judges shall nevertheless have their panel and operation established by the Council.
A legal base for EU Staff regulations shall be legislated by the Council.
Fraud in the EU's financial interests shall receive necessary measures by the Council to prevent it in the field (of interest?)or to fight it. (Hopefully rewriting the present condemnation of whistleblowers which condemns them to the sack or demotion)

The Commission presently having one member per country (28 at present) shall be reduced to 18 members in the year 2014, thus disenfranchising 1/3rd of the Members for 5 years between the mandates of the Commission President (who will be elected by the EU Parliament, their solitary duty as far as I can presently ascertain)

The European Council shall have a President elected by themselves by Qualified Majority Vote. This Council shall become an Institution whose decisions must be submitted to the Court of Luxembourg, the Court of Justice. I am not clear who are the members of this Council

The Council shall have a Presidency for 6 months and whose votes shall be demographically regulated and a qualified majority without veto reached with 55% result among the Members, or/and such a result as represents 65% of the aggregate population. This in order to gull you is called a "Double Majority Vote" pretending that one ensures the other.

The European Parliament a parliament that now represents all the citizens of the Union, where dissension it appears will be entirely absent as the vote by population aggregate of each member State will never allow small States any force of opposition. Democracy because of this type of voting system is absent and "Codecision" is yet an ambiguous generalization that does not so far confirm any power either with or against a Council vote or determination. It is stated that codecision enables opinion and protest by a vote that is not democratic or any longer related to the countries from which its members are elected. The Court of Luxembourg (Court of Justice) shall apparently settle any dispute.

The EU Minister for Foreign Affairs. This post confirms (also designated as Vice-President of the Commission) that the European Parliament is now the Parliament of a State, not a diverse collection of States and people. The post is taken by Qual.Maj.vote within its Diplomatic Service. There are problems: the Sovreignty of the member States is thus abandoned; Responsibility of this post is only before the Council and never to the Parliament. Also it is not clear if the Minister gives the main political impulse to the decisions and will he or otherwise the President of the Commission represent the EU's International relations?

The Court of Luxembourg, (the Court of Justice) because of the new single legal personality of the EU and its designation as decisive over so many areas of law, the vanished separation as "pillars" of law by merging under its decisions immigration,visa,asylum, circulation of workers and dependents, it has become extraordinarily powerful. It governs in the heel of the hunt all disputed areas of the European Council that will now be an institution and not representative of merely one man.

Enhanced Cooperation a method of regulation created in 1997 that has never been used. Its decisions have to be recognised by the Parliament in all areas of debate. However, it cannot be used in currency policy or to negate Council decisions, and only activated by the Commission as a result of direct instruction. All these mechanisms can only be accepted by a single federal State which has not until now, by the Lisbon Treaty, been accepted as the Legal position that we will all be in if accepting this Treaty.

Conclusions:
1. Unanimity and the possibility of Veto can now only be exercised if there is a threat to linguistic, or cultural diversity, or appropos the Social services.
2. Euro finance and deficits: The Commission can send an opinion to a Member State if it be found absolving an important decision. The Council can veto this by unanimity vote if it chooses.
3. Energy. All Member States must share EU policy and all decisions must be made in this case by Qual.Maj. Vote denying any Veto except in fiscal provisions.
4. Intellectual Property Rights must submit to a Qual.Maj.Vote
5.Open method of coordination for specified and global targets for employment. A shared policy. Creation of such a competence with Trade Unions - possibly nullifying Trade Union national regulations.
6. Justice and Home Affairs - the end of seperate forces unanimity and the merging of Laws by Qual.Maj.Vote in the areas of freedom, security and justice. Also in Immigration etc as before stated. Also on European Border laws. Also in Police and Criminal Justice - However there is an opt-out here for UK and Ireland.
Research,sciences and Space.Shared policies but they shall not impeach Members own policies. New and specific policy on Space policy.
7. The Charter of Human Rights shall be a legally binding force under the policy of the Luxembourg Court. UK opt-out in force.
8. A new Protocol to ensure national, regional and local authorities can organise services for the general uses and needs of the citizens
9. Measures "combatting climate change" shall be observed.

Unanimity and thus possibility of Veto shall only remain in the following areas : Foreign policy with important exceptions that are not noted, Fiscality,Social policy with exceptions that are not noted, resources of the EU, new memberships and amendments of Treaty.

The Reform Treaty shall be drawn up on 23rd July 2008 to amend the existing Treaty in order to adopt it on 18th-19th October 2008 in Lisbon. The Treaty must be ratified to enter into force prior to European elections in 2009 of what is only the European Federal State. It is decreed that at least three countries will have to hold a referendum - however Ireland only has been able to obtain this because of Raymond Crotty's case in 1986..

Appropos of Foreign Affairs and the Defense Agency a concept of a BATTLE GROUP is proposed and an EU Neighbourhood Policy which at the moment in regard to EU requirements in Serbian legislation re. Kosovo is totally unneighbourly under any Christian concept of the word - but then Christianity is no longer accepted as a moral perogative in Europe...................................

The EU's ambitious authorities have already examined all the proposed legislation to ensure that nearly all Council legislation proposed for the future shall take place immediately the Treaty enters into force.Their emergency concepts ofcourse centre round the word "terrorism". This appalling nomenclature that has been expanded to cover almost all concepts of civilised and uncivilised protest against the EU governments connivance and action at war in Iraq, or favouring the Israelis criminal activities against the Palestinians; protest at legislation against immigrants, and even the EU's revolting inactivity against paedophilia and child and woman trafficking should give us food for thought RIGHT NOW and ensure a 'NO' vote in the Irish referendum forthcoming on the Lisbon Treaty which has been conjured up during the Presidency of Senor Barroso. A President who like all other barristers and legal experts has been well trained in creating arguments to legislate and rescue both criminals and dictators from shame and incrimination by the public. Their concerns for EU security do not consider that individuals everywhere in their thousands want to live and do live harmoniously with one another, but they consider that they must ensure CONTROL of security, employing thousands of otherwise innocent individuals, trraining them in the concepts that man is vicious, unreliable, and criminal in his outlook, that his morals and modesty is a disguise for unrepentant avarice and harmful acts, and that trust is not a virtue but a well paid trade of secrecy.

Greater Powers for the European Parliament (Propaganda as it does not appear to be contained in any measure listed above) has been described in the EU website:
Lawmaking: the 'co-decision procedure' (renamed 'ordinary legislative procedure') has been extended to several new fields. This means that Parliament now has the same degree of lawmaking power as the Council in some areas where it used to be merely consulted or not involved at all. These areas include legal immigration, penal judicial cooperation (Eurojust, crime prevention, alignment of prison standards, offences and penalties), police cooperation (Europol) and some aspects of trade policy and agriculture. From now on, then, Parliament will have a role to play in almost all lawmaking.http://europa.eu/lisbon_treaty/glance/index_en.htm

An Agricultural Policy I read of recently was to decree that no cow may be milked by hand. Last year a decree was issued that all spring ploughing, utterly regardless of different weather conditions over this vast terrain and different soil conditions, is to be conducted on a certain day.
The policy has evolved to meet society’s changing needs, so that food safety, preservation of the environment, value for money and agriculture as a source of crops to convert to fuel have acquired steadily growing importance.European Common Agricultural Policy - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Underlined: A dangerous, hazardous proposal that could diminish Grain production and Food Banks of same DISASTROUSLY, as it has done in America. JB.editor)

Replacement crops can also make nations agriculturally independent. Sugar, for example, comes from sugar cane imported from Polynesia. Instead of buying the sugar from Polynesia, a nation can make sugar from sugar beets,...European Common Agricultural Policy - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - (So why did our Government in Ireland close down Sugar-Beet Production?Plenty of harvested sugar-beets can presently be seen in heaps in fields in northern Germany.JB editor)The Answer: In April 2004 the WTO ruled that almost 50% of EU sugar exports are illegal.


Jocelyn Braddell, editor.

TUAEUC launches website

Trade Unionists Against the EU Constitution has launched an extensive website outlining the progressive case against the ratification of the renamed Constitution and for a referendum. It will carry new items and regular articles on a huge range of issues including why the proposed Charter of Fundamental Rights does not give workers the right to strike, the attack on democracy and how it will privatise public services across the EU. Please pass on to your contacts who may be interested.

http://www.tuaeuc.org

news from england:

21.01.2008 - 09:17 CET | By Leigh Phillips
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown is facing a significant backbench revolt as the bill ratifying the EU's Lisbon Treaty begins its House of Commons second reading today (21 January).
At this legislative stage - the first parliamentary vote on the treaty - it is unlikely that the bill will be voted down. While most Conservatives are set to vote with the Labour rebels, the leader of the centrist Liberal Democrats, although supporting a referendum on the treaty, has said his party will abstain.In Westminster, a 'second reading' is the stage of the legislative process where a vote is taken on the general principle of a bill before it is sent to committee. The government has set aside a full 20 days of parliamentary time to consider the bill in some detail, hoping this will expose differences amongst the opposition Conservatives over the issue of Europe.

Nonetheless, the leader of the Labour rebels, Ian Davidson, warned that opposition is expected to grow as the bill progresses through parliament. The eurosceptic Mr Davidson said that frustration has grown within the governing Labour Party since it became clear that former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who negotiated the treaty shortly before leaving office, has ambitions to be appointed EU president, a new post created by the treaty.The vote may also feature an amendment, backed by 18 of the rebels, calling for a referendum.

The development comes a day after the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee issued its opinion on the matter, concluding that the was "no material difference" between the EU treaty and foreign policy elements of the original EU constitution.The Labour government under Mr Blair had indicated it would have a referendum on constitution but Mr Brown has said there is no need for public poll on the new treaty as Britain's ‘red lines' have been defended.

Mini-referendum
Meanwhile, the UK government's Europe minister, Jim Murphy, is facing an extra-parliamentary 'mini-referendum' in his own East Renfrewshire constituency organised by the cross-party eurosceptic group I Want A Referendum (IWR).The group is set to hold the poll, which will cost IWR £30,000 (c. €40,000) to stage, some time in February. It has commissioned Electoral Reform Services to run referenda in East Renfrewshire and nine other UK marginal constituencies as part of a rolling campaign aiming to embarrass the government into holding a full nationwide referendum on the treaty.Labour MP Gisela Stuart said: "We made a very clear promise of a referendum at the last election. No one really believes for a second that this is a 'fundamentally different document'. We must keep our promise. "These referenda will give people the chance to have the vote that the Government is trying to take away from them. Gordon Brown must listen."
In February, voters in the constituency will receive a pack containing an information leaflet with contributions from both sides of the debate, a ballot paper, and a envelope with prepaid postage.
http://euobserver.com/9/25497/?rk=1