mainbeam wrote:Rolyan wrote:There are various laws and rules and policies passed by (or obstructed by) the EU, that directly affect the UK. We cannot vote out or remove the people responsible.
I'm not happy with that situation, which is partly why I voted leave, but I'm happy for you to think it's okay and vote remain.
The laws are made with the help of our elected representatives. If you don't approve you can vote for different representatives. It is actually quite unusual for our elected representatives to be overruled in the EU and in those cases they believe it is a price worth paying and we elected them to make that choice. As I said above you may not be happy with the 5% of laws we have to accept as the price for being part of the single market but you are massively overstating the democratic deficit in the EU.
It's a matter of public record that in the last 25 years, a large percentage of legislation has come about as a direct result of the EU. In 2010, the government reported that 50% of the legislation that has 'significant impact' on the UK is a direct result of the EU. So hardly the 5% you report; that is far less than even the lowest estimate given so far. It's extremely difficult (I would suggest impossible) to calculate the exact percentage. I usually give 25% as its towards the lower end of many estimates, but I personally believe the actual percentage is much much higher, particularly if you include all the influence of the EU. The official position of the European Parliament is that "a big portion of the laws adopted by the House of Commons and House of Lords actually are EU-laws that are made into national laws by the national parliaments".
But of course it's not just the laws. It's the EU policies on fisheries, energy, taxes, benefits, free movement, communities, subsidies, etc. We have to accept those rules, laws and policies; EU regulations have binding legal force, and we cannot vote out those who introduce them.
I would rather the electorate be allowed to remove from power those who fail to deliver and/or enforce rules, laws and policies. However, I appreciate that you don't agree; you don't have to, that's democracy. Having been allowed a democratic vote I'm happy that the majority also want that democratic power returned to them.
StrangelyBrown has already answered your next question
Strangely Brown wrote:mainbeam wrote:What is your view in on the loss of sovereignty under NATO membership?
We haven't lost sovereignty. NATO does not control the UK armed forces unless they are operating as part of a NATO operation. The UK armed forces can, and do, operate autonomously. Remember 1982? Are you suggesting that was NATO?