(June 25, 2016 at 12:32 pm)madog Wrote:(June 25, 2016 at 12:15 pm)Emjay Wrote: Okay, thanks for the info... it makes a lot more sense how it all fits together... the Council of Europe is separate from the EU, and it is the Council of Europe that is responsible for the ECHR. And you're saying that the EU itself is not bound by the ECHR and is only as good as the values of its members... so if right-wing countries join they can influence policy which is then not accountable to the ECHR? But I think abaris says, everyone has to vote (?unanimously) on it for anything to pass, so shouldn't that be a safeguard?
First you have to note that members of the European parliament MEP's don't have to be particularly clever or knowledgeable about Human Right Law.
The European Commission (not elected) draw up directives and then all the MEPS discuss, maybe ask for changes, then vote ....
You have MEP's now from Eastern Europe, but France can get Right wing MEP's ... and some are pretty way of the scale right ...
Note for some reason right wing politicians get voted in as MEP's, look at Nigel Farage ...
I don't feel comfortable with a lot of the MEP's that can Direct Europe from Directives drawn up by the EU Commission (not elected).
What others think of my right to vote on my conscience, doesn't concern me. It's my vote and my conscience and I trust my research right or wrong above sound bites from those that disagree ....
Would you liken the European Commission to the Civil Service as depicted in Yes Minister? Sir Humphrey Appleby et al... unelected and unaccountable policy-makers who propose and advise M[E]Ps according to their own agenda?
But anyway, yeah, I get what you're saying and where your concerns lie... and it's understandable if you've been directly dealing with these institutions for years on end. But nonetheless I'm still a remainer... against the nationalism that could be a much more immediate threat. But each to their own.