We didn’t vote for Juncker as EC president

The recent impasse between Britain’s prime minister, David Cameron, and EU leaders highlights, yet again, the diluted democracy of European politics.

Cameron has been attacked by ‘pro-EU’ politicians for his objection to Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission. The claim is that as a result of the European elections Mr Juncker has been elected. That is part of the ‘big lie’ of EU politics. I did not see Junker’s face on a single election poster in Ireland, nor did I see his name on the ballot paper, and there was very little discussion about the policies of Mr Juncker and the other candidates for president of the European Commission. The vast majority of the electorate did not vote for MEP candidates based on who their party supported for EC president.

Yet, typical of the European Union, a vote for any Fine Gael candidate was deemed a vote for Mr Juncker, via the usual ‘inferred mandate’ politics of the EU.