Who really controls the EU?

I thank our MEP Philip Bushill-Matthews for his excellent advice to me that "when he (me) is completely ignorant of a subject he should not put pen to paper".

Philip goes on to say, "As elected politicians, MEPs have a primary legal responsibility to shape EU laws". But does the EU take its own MEPs' opinions seriously when it is in the process of shaping EU laws?

The EU has more than 600 MEPs but 80 per cent of votes are taken by a show of hands and the average time taken to count them is eight seconds.

In other words the EU cares so much for the MEPs "primary legal responsibility to shape EU laws" that it does not even bother to count their votes.

Some MEPs sometimes demand an electronic check (an RCV). The RCV itself is merely a matter of pressing one of three buttons Yes, No or Abstain.

On January 18, 2006 the acting president, Mario Mauro, declared a show of hands vote on an amendment to a piece of legislation on Climate Change as 'rejected'. An electronic check showed that it had been approved by 574 votes for to 41 against.

The true function of MEPs is not to shape legislation but to provide the illusion of democracy to the 'ignorant' masses while the Junta that really rules us (The Commission) pulls the levers of power.

Denis Allen, Councillor for Park Ward, Wellington