A note on ‘ever closer union.’ Danish voters have said ‘no’ to it, going against the recommendations of the ruling political party and the opposition, both of whom had campaigned for ‘yes.’ What was at stake?
Denmark had ‘opt outs’ from the EU’s criminal justice and home affairs system via negotiations in 1993. The ‘opt outs’ preserved Danish sovereignty in legal matters and prevented a kind of ‘cross border’ policing. The Danish government wanted to give up those ‘opt outs.’
53% of Danish voters said no to that. If you want to know why, make sure you read part one of the interview Charlie Morris did with Steven Baker a few weeks ago. As Charlie pointed out to me the other night, a Croatian police officer could arrest and extradite a British citizen on British soil under the EU’s criminal justice and home affairs system.
That kind of centralisation of judicial and police power is far beyond what anyone would have expected when they agreed to join a common European market. It shows you—or me anyway—that the ‘ever closer union’ means ever fewer British liberties. The Danes know that too. Does the British public? Do British political elites? We’ll find out next year.
Category: Economics