Comment by rayiner
2 days ago
Wow does it become law if the majority of those present opposed it? The American Congress might be utterly dysfunctional, but we’ve never had a law pass despite the majority of members voting against it. What am I missing?
The fact that there was a second vote on a modified law which passed.
Did it pass because a majority voted for it?
Yes.
> What am I missing?
Nothing really.
Some will disagree with this, but this is neither new or surprising behaviour from the EU. In the EU if the political class want something, it doesn't really matter what the public want or vote for.
In the US a lot of your dysfunction is from the fact that your political system actually "works". You maniacs actually can vote for someone like Trump (twice), and he can do stuff regardless of how unpopular he is among the political class.
Here in Europe things like democracy and freedom of speech are only permitted if our political class approves. We can decide things like tax rates, but some things we're not allowed to express opinions on, and some things we have no power to vote for or against.
With some exceptions most European democracies work like this and EU is really the gold standard of this system. They have lots of ways to do what they want regardless of how popular it is, and regardless of what the opinions of our elected representatives are.
This is incorrect.
Meet the senate, where most stuff doesn’t pass unless you get 60 votes, not 51
Who is the "political class" of the EU?
In the US, it seems more obvious how corporate money pulls the political strings, but my impression is that corporate influence is a lot weaker in Europe..
> Who is the "political class" of the EU?
Highly educated people, often from wealthy backgrounds, who are very globally orientated.
They are generally not representative of the average person in Europe.
They are the people who European government appoints.
> In the US, it seems more obvious how corporate money pulls the political strings, but my impression is that corporate influence is a lot weaker in Europe..
I agree, but not sure that directly contradicts what I said?
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