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Baroness Ashton was only appointed to her various UK ministerial jobs on the basis of being an appointed member of the House of Lords.
Within the institutional context of British politics, her life peerage is totally incidental to a political apparatchik's career. If someone has to be made a peer in order to be a minister because they're not an MP, they are made a peer. It's pretty meaningless. Most non-hereditary peers know this and are not assholes about being a Baron(ess).
Sarah Ludford MEP is also a life peer and nobody questions that she works her arse off as a parlamentarian. Then again, she's in an elected position and in the Lib Dems you have to go through an open (to party members) primary in order to get the #1 slot on the party list. En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
Within the institutional context of British politics, her life peerage is totally incidental to a political apparatchik's career. If someone has to be made a peer in order to be a minister because they're not an MP, they are made a peer.
Precisely my point. In Britain it is possible to have an extensive ministerial career without ever standing for election - something which is less common in most other member states as far as I am aware - and not necessarilly a great way to tackle the acknowledged "democratic deficit" within the EU.
My point is that because of long-standing tradition (some would call in class prejudice) it is not very unusual for senior political leaders never having to be electorally accountable in the UK. As long as they're the right sort of British, that's all well and good old chap.
However the EU has nothing like the long tradition and legitimacy that appears to be bestowed on the British ruling class. What legitimacy it has is largely bestowed on it through popular elections and the participation of popularly elected Governments.
I'm sure if she ends up doing a very good job, none of this will be an issue. But its not a good place to start from right after the difficulties we had in getting a popular endorsement of Lisbon against allegations that it was all an elite project and a conspiracy against ordinary people. notes from no w here
In Britain it is possible to have an extensive ministerial career without ever standing for election - something which is less common in most other member states as far as I am aware
You make a factual claim, I rebut you and you reply with this? I was not part of the yes campaign in Ireland. En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
I've had enough of your populist demagoguery in this thread.
"I've had enough of your populist demagoguery in this thread."
I don't find these statements can be lumped together with other "reasoned arguments and fact."
Without going into the validity of anyone's arguments here, i would be displeased if ET lost the quality Frank Schnittger brings to the table simply because you might dig too deeply for civilized discourse.
If you've indeed had enough of x or y, the proper response is leave it alone.
And i may discuss the anti-Brit thread elsewhere, but not here. "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
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