President of European Parliament on Brexit: Contempt for Will of the People

On June 23, 2016, the citizens of the United Kingdom went to the poll to decide whether UK would leave or stay in the European Union (EU).

The result of the Brexit referendum was clear: nearly 52% (51.9%) favor the UK’s exit, 48% prefer remaining in the EU. (See “Political Earthquake: Brits vote to leave European Union!”)

According to a June 26, 2016 tweet by Giovanni Zibordi (@gzibordi), an Italian financial advisor and Cobraf trader, President of the European Parliament Martin Schultz high-handedly dismissed the Brexit referendum:

“gli inglesi hanno violato le regole. Non è la filosofia UE che la folla possa decidere del suo destino”

Translated into English:

“The British have violated the rules. It is not the EU philosophy that the crowd can decide his fate.”

Here’s a screenshot of the tweet:

Martin Schultz, 60, is a German politician who is the twice-elected President of the European Parliament (since 2012). Before that, he was leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament. Schulz is widely considered an ardent EU supporter.

As president, Schultz presides over the Parliament’s debates and activities, as well as represents the Parliament within the EU and internationally. His signature is required for enacting most EU laws and the EU budget.

How has Britain “violated the rules”?

Before the 2007 Treaty of Lisbon that is the constitutional basis of the EU, the question of whether a member state of the EU had a legal right to leave the union was unclear. But the Lisbon Treaty contains an exit clause (Article 50) for members wanting to withdraw from the Union, which states:

“Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.”

What is required is that a member state must inform the European Council before it can terminate its membership, and a withdrawal agreement would then be negotiated between the EU and that State.

In fact, in 1985, both Greenland and Algeria had voted to leave the EU’s predecessor, the European Economic Community (EEC). Following last Thursday’s Brexit referendum, the UK is expected to activate the withdrawal clause and begin exit negotiations within a few months.

Good to know that the President of the European Parliament has such utter contempt for both the British people and for democracy — rule by the people. /sarc