Child Booster Seats And The EU

Boris Johnson waxes indignant at the new law on child booster seats, imposed as a result of an EU directive four years ago.

After picking holes in it, he says the measure was not discussed by the Commons' European Standing Committees, and even had it been it would have made no difference (which is a way of rationalising the failure to discuss the measure).

He goes on to say:

We need proper standing committees with the power to mandate ministers, and to refuse to accept directives ... Otherwise we will find that the law of this country ... is not made in this country; and that is a perfect and justifiable reason for massive civil disobedience.

Boris Johnson is not facing reality - the law of this country is not being made in this country now. The reason being that our politicians have abdicated responsibility for it.

In the areas in which they pass power to the EU, our politicians - and hence the British people - have no say in what the EU does. And because there is no mechanism for our politicians to change EU law, they cannot then challenge the EU on even the smallest point, the most trivial item, without challenging the very principle of EU power.

None of our political parties, and only a very few of our elected politicians, are prepared to challenge the principle of EU power, and so they will not challenge even the silliest things the EU does.

Our politicians prefer not to consider EU laws at all, lest they are forced to face just how unpopular and at odds with British interests the things the EU is doing may be, and their own cowardice and betrayal as they continue to sit on their hands and refuse to act. It is harder to avoid responsibility if there has been a carefully considered debate in which all the shortcomings of a piece of EU legislation have been revealed, so they don't debate them.

Which is why the EU continues in its unaccountable way, and as the EU grows British politics and politicians both matter less to the British people, and are at the same time held in greater contempt.

It still remains within the power of the British people to reclaim their birthright - independent self-government over themselves through their own Parliament - but only if we and our politicians wake up, and soon.