I read somewhere that joining the European Union has had a number of domenstic consequesnces that nobody really anticipated.
In particular, I read that the British/English/UK(?) court system now has the right of judicial review, and can now declare domestic laws unconstitutional, something they’ve never had the power to do before.
Is this correct? Are there other examples, more noticeable on a day to day basis?
Inspired by this thread about free speech in the UK. Do you UK dopers have more rights because of the EU charter, rights that can supercede domestic law?
The German constitution banned women from the armed services until two years ago (they were allowed in the army’s medical services and similar, but not to carry arms). One woman, who unbelievably was keen on fighting, sued the government at the European Court of Justice, and won. She’s a soldier now.
The EU did get very silly a while back about what sort of seeds could and couldn’t be sold commercially by imposing unreasonable conditions in the ‘listing’ process, driving many heritage and non-commercial vegetable varieties to extinction*; it’s changing for the better now, but we’re not quite there yet.
*This did actually affect me, as I am a keen gardener.
but I now have the right to migrate to - and work in - whatever EU country I might wish. There’s red tape, of course, but there’s never a risk that I won’t be allowed to do so.
@Schnitte: As far as I know, she decided not to join the Bundeswehr. When the trial was over, she didn’t want to be a soldier anymore, and is now doing something different.
And to the OP: We can more or less travel freely across borders to other EU countries (actually: other “Schengen” countries) without border controls. Sometimes, when there was a bank robbery or some other felony, border control are set up again for a short while…
Or when another G8 summit is scheduled. In the days before the Genova one, Italian border controls were pretty tough, I heard.
I don’t have a cite, but I am fairly sure this woman did join the army; I’ll search and post a link if I find something.
There is the EU Working Time Directive which limits the hours you can be forced to work . Averaged over three months this must not exceed more than 46 ( I think ) hours per week. People can opt out of this if they wish but it is a useful especially in the UK which has the longest working week in all of the EU.
There is the EU Working Time Directive which limits the hours you can be forced to work . Averaged over three months this must not exceed more than 46 ( I think ) hours per week. People can opt out of this if they wish but it is a useful especially in the UK which has the longest working week in all of the EU.
IIRC new directives on labour have threatened the British phenomenon of “paperboys” - kids who before or after school would deliver newspapers on a bicycle. A great shame, as kids do less and less exercise, and assuming their health and grades weren’t suffering, they should be allowed to do a little pocket-money job rather than play videogames if they so wish.
The paperboys thing has been slammed as hype or a “euromyth” but the directive is there. This site tries to rubbish it, ** this document** this document claims it is a problem.
The UK has signed up to various European treaties, which I am not an expert upon.
I understand that a UK citizen can make a final appeal to the European court of human rights to override a decision of the British court system.
Two particularly tragic recent cases concern terminally ill people who want to have ‘the right to die’.
This patient succeeded, on the grounds that she would die unless medical staff kept her alive. So she won the right not to be treated:
This woman would have needed active intervention, e.g. by her husband. She went to Europe but lost.
You can’t judge a court system on a few cases, and I put these two up mainly because they were recent, important and showed differing outcomes.
My personal opinion is that practically all Governments will keep their mistakes as secret as possible, impose restrictions on us without thinking carefully about the consequences, and be mainly concerned with being re-elected.
So I welcome the European court of human rights having jurisdiction.
How can you tell when a politician is lying?
When their lips move. :rolleyes: