Brexit unmasks EU arrogance

“Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.”—Aristotle

That’s it! The quiet real people of Britain rose up against an arrogant, aloof and untouchable political class and contemptuous Brussels elite.

So, Britain has broken free from the arrogant European Union dictatorship! Surely, they won’t see another stream of largely middle-class activists demanding that the will of the public be kept in check or told how to think by hapless Eurocrats. It surely deserved better than to be treated as a mere offshore province by an unelected, anti-democratic, corrupt pan-European bureaucracy. The British people have had enough of being abused by arrogant fools governing from a dysfunctional EU in Brussels.

What could be better? Britain out of the undemocratic EU at last!

As Eddy Privitera aptly noted on Brexit: “This may be the only opportunity for the British people to decide on who should govern them whether, those elected by them or by unelected foreign bureaucrats.”

“As I have been asking for years, we must now have the same referendum in France and EU countries,” wrote France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Why can’t dear Malta be afforded the same opportunity?

“It is not the EU philosophy that the crowd [the people] can decide its fate,” said European Parliament President Martin Schulz.

So, are you so arrogant to as to want to decide the fate of the people of Malta, Mr. Schulz? If we pretend inferiority, we would be encouraging his arrogance. Is this perhaps the adopted policy of the Maltese prime minister, considering that he and Schulz are bosom friends? Does it really come to shunning the people (who, after all, elected him) so much as to not let the people decide their own fate?

However, this should come as no surprise as Malta has experienced more than its fair share of EU meddling, hypocrisy and arrogance. Malta has always been bullied, even before its accession into the EU club, and, perhaps due to its inherited and inherent colonial mentality, has always succumbed to foreign influences and interferences.

Don’t we remember how in 2004, former president of the European Commission Romano Prodi had, from behind the scenes, pushed Malta to join the European Union. “Everybody understood that to have a ‘no’ from Malta could have been also a defeat for us [the EU],” the European leader had said. No bother of the Maltese citizens, the bottom line is the fattening of the greedy Union!

But a more classical example of arrogant imposition had ensued when, in 2008, Gunther Verheugen, former European Commissioner for Industry, (now confronted in the VW car scandal), had gone overboard and threatened Dr. George Vella, (then MLP deputy leader) that he would do everything to ensure that the Malta Labour Party would lose the election if he continued to oppose Malta’s accession to the EU! How low can they get? And then we ‘honour’ him by bestowing him with the decoration “Gieh ir-Repubblika”! How long are we going to keep kowtowing to this corrupt EU? Sorry, couldn’t find a stronger word than ‘bootlickers’, in spite of the fact that even Malta sometimes does its best to use loopholes to dodge EU regulations!

And the ousting of ex-Commissioner John Dalli by Barroso, the ex-president of the European Commission (and now chairman and a senior adviser at the international arm of Goldman Sachs International); “You have half an hour to resign,” the boastful emperor roared. It is evident that the arrogance of Barroso has been inherited and is seeping through the ranks of the whole European Union.

And the arrogant hypocrisy continues.

First rudely comes the rejection of Dr. Silvio Camilleri, Malta’s Chief Justice, as Malta’s second judge to the EU General Court.

Then follows the blatant rejection of the government’s nomination of Dr. Toni Abela for the European Court of Auditors.

Once we nominated these two finest Maltese gentlemen, it is an insult to our country that they were rejected. It is our national pride that was at stake here and an arrogant humiliation to us all. They both could have fulfilled their jobs properly with integrity, dignity and honesty. Anyhow, the EU’s loss is our gain as definitely it does not deserve them as it seems that what the EU prefers is more in line with criminally-convicted lobbyists.

And goodness knows what would result now that we have Malta’s nominee for the EU Court of Auditors defending a minister exposed in the Panama Papers scandal to escape a no-confidence motion!.

It is no secret that the EU chieftains always were and still are on a power trip, instructing countries what leaders to elect. Malta is no exception. Didn’t we experience this kind of arrogant meddling in 2008, when Labour leadership contenders fumed over Schulz’s endorsement of Muscat and lodged a formal complaint to the Party of European Socialists of Schulz’s offensive, totally irregular and highly unethical interference. It had been reported that, at least, such other proposed unethical endorsements had been stopped. As expected, the EU never condemned this arrogant ‘Big Brother’ meddling in Malta’s internal affairs. Of course, how could it, if the whole EU is infested with such corrupt abuses and interference in internal affairs of member states and such abuse is inherent in its rotten soul! And was it ever considered whether Schulz’s audacity consisted of an infringement of our Foreign Interference Act? Does it still exist?

And, quite sadly and disastrously, this arrogance has infiltrated into our political arena and our leaders. How could any Maltese ‘thinking’ quack not observe and comment on our prime minister’s unilateral, factional and unsolicited declaration: “EU referendum for Malta? It would be suicide!” What a condemning statement!

Why are most people such slow thinkers? Can’t we realise what this involves? Firstly; his thinking is given away in that he is so sure that the people would vote for exit from the EU. Secondly; his opinion does not necessarily reflect the general wishes of the majority of Maltese citizens and consequently one may rightly remark that he is leading only his ‘minority,’ and thirdly, the arbitrary denial of hearing the people’s voice through a referendum is akin to a dictatorial attitude. Our prime minister should worry more about what confidence the people have in their own opinion than in his. Such serious considerations of expressed arrogance should not escape the attention of us all. Was the Malta prime minister perhaps looking forward to his extended EU presidency?

Totally unlike what’s happening in my country, sheepish Malta, most European countries, including Germany, Italy and France are all under pressure to hold referenda. Malta, still doggedly dreaming of glorification in its EU presidency has been denied the hearing of its people’s voice of their aspirations. Hopefully, the EU won’t endure until then!

And finally. The cherry on the cake!

A written letter of complaint, accompanied by a list of signatories, by a group of Vittoriosa (Malta) residents and addressed directly to Emily O’Reilly, European Ombudsman, went totally ignored by the self-nominated ‘Europe for the People’!.

Well, none expected any immediate intervention. However the lack of even a decent acknowledgment highly exposed the disdain, haughtiness and arrogance which has even permeated the lower levels of administration of the European Union.

Let’s not condone simple minds, as all we would get in return would be simple pleasures!

The strength of nations is their masses and their system. I want to feel well by being Maltese in Malta!

“People who want the most approval get the least and the people who need approval the least get the most.”—Wayne Dyer

Joseph M. Cachia, resides in Malta and is a freelance journalist. Contact him at jmcachia@maltanet.net.