This is a little out of my normal boundaries, so please feel free to comment with additional information or counterpoints.

Thanks for posting this, I've been trying to hear as much as I can. Out of the 450 million people in the eu I'm one of the 4.5 million that will get a vote on this. Thing is they (eu) have already decided they are going to press on regardless of the result. Not exactly democratic is it?

EU as a concept is incompatible with referendums, thus most of the treaties and agreements are made behind closed doors by elected representatives.

In some cases it's necessary, in many though its a stark example of the elite pushing through their beliefs about what Europe is and has to be on the recent of the European population.

Only Ireland I believe held a referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon.

Just wondering, why is the EU as a concept incompatible with referendums?

Ireland will be the only country to have a referendum, when it does so in June. Its largely irrelevant though, on past experience if they get a no vote they will just hold the referendum again later.

It tells you all you need to know about the EU that they are content not to hold referenda in each country. Why bother asking the plebs? Even some Irish politicians are saying the people are too dumb to be asked their opinion.They might not give the answer the pols want...

I'm all for democracy and all, and it's great, and I hope it sticks around for many many many years. However I have to agree that 90% of the people on this planet are simply too stupid or ignorant to vote. I'm sorry but that's the fact. We all know that the really big changes for the best have been done by intelectual elites. They've screwed up a few times as well obviously, but the changes that are really needed, were up to them.

But, EMPIRE, don't you see? That's the MAGIC of it! By having voluntary elections, we allow the people to who don't care enough to get educated or understand the importance of the process to simply abstain and save the rest of us the trouble of canceling out their vote.

If 50% of the population votes (as in the U.S.) and you only need 50% to win, then essentially 25% of the populace control the lives of the other 75%. It's good to be in the powerful quarter of the population.

That is assuming those you vote for actually do what you want. The EU referendums proof that is not always (hardly ever?) the case.

If you believe that only a fraction of the populace is capable of leading and making choices, then how do you solve what fraction that is? I am sure you belong to the capable fraction. As will everyone else in their mind. And since even your intellectual elites have "screwed up a few times", what is the difference between them and the rest? And that is just assuming there are intellectual elites in politics.

The entire idea of a democracy is based on the wisdom of crowds principle. There used to be practical reasons not to have a real democracy but an electoral but those are mostly gone now. What is left is the idea that others (Never yourself) are too stupid so should be managed or at least not interfere. That sounds like arrogance to me.

"You are conservative until you have been in jail"

*dead

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