tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22498220.post3565521336925954507..comments2021-05-28T04:54:45.702+02:00Comments on Martinned: The Plague Reaches EUObservermartinnedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15282998467090268537noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22498220.post-81235974167264817022013-04-10T01:48:24.761+02:002013-04-10T01:48:24.761+02:00Ah, thanks.
And I suppose those kinds of problems...Ah, thanks.<br /><br />And I suppose those kinds of problems might make the decision "undemocratic", it's just that the article goes on and on about referendums, and how Kohl is saying he never could have won one.<br /><br />The thesis actually looks interesting. I've added it to my stuff-yet-to-read list. Strange, though, that EUObserver say it was recently published, when it seems to have been completed in 2010.martinnedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15282998467090268537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22498220.post-706413491918730902013-04-09T23:21:36.389+02:002013-04-09T23:21:36.389+02:00The link is in the EUobserver article you've l...The link is in the EUobserver article you've linked to. http://www.statement-television.de/app/download/5792929033/Bilanz+einer+gescheiterten+Kommunikation.pdfAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22498220.post-46875224540628297072013-04-09T20:31:45.385+02:002013-04-09T20:31:45.385+02:00@Anonymous: I can read German, but I'm afraid ...@Anonymous: I can read German, but I'm afraid you forgot to include your link. (It didn't end up among the spam comments either, I checked.)<br /><br />Anyway, that sounds quite plausible. I'm wondering, though, why any of that would be an argument for referendums, or for the legitimacy of a hypothetical referendum. Why is the result of a referendum with low turnout and voters who don't understand and don't care more legitimate than a decision that is essentially taken by the government, a body that is democratically legitimated through Bundestag elections? <br /><br />(Remember, those elections are <i>de facto</i> Kanzler-elections, so that's not the problem. The Chancellor's decision making powers wouldn't have more legitimacy if she were directly elected, because essentially she is.)martinnedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15282998467090268537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22498220.post-67148712616975262202013-04-09T16:04:31.672+02:002013-04-09T16:04:31.672+02:00I do not know if you can read German. If so have a...I do not know if you can read German. If so have a look at the linked PhD thesis. Their main point is actually that the "democratically elected legislature" i.e. the Bundestag failed massively in the years running up to the introduction of the Euro. With few exceptions the issue was too complex for most MPs, there was not much interest, too much herd-like behavior, partial sidelining of the opponents for the sake of the greater good. The decision was made by the executive not by parliament.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com