Joe Higgins: the EU is a load of crap and there's no difference between an MEP and a TD

Back to politics. The second Dublin MEP candidate to provide responses to relevant European questions put by Jason O'Mahony and I is Joe Higgins. Joe avoided answering a few of the questions, which is disappointing (and surprising). He also says that the EU is fundamentally a capitalist conspiracy. Finally, he sees "no major distinction between being a TD or an MEP". A bit odd, to say the least.

But at least he has responded, unlike FF's Eoin Ryan, FG's Gay Mitchell or SF's Mary Lou McDonald, none of whom have even acknowledged receipt of the questions, sent twice.
Finally, Joe provided several paragraphs of his thoughts in addition to his answers section, but little of it addressed the specific questions we put, so I'm only publishing part of it (at the end).

1. European Parliament
Do you support a directly elected Commission President? If so, what will you do as an MEP to progress this?
I am not in favour of an EU President, a new Bonaparte in effect.
In the event that some such institution was attempted to be implemented, who would be eligible to stand? Any citizen or just representatives of the big establishment political parties in the EU? Would it be like the Irish Presidency, the process of electing which is fundamentally undemocratic, with aspiring candidates having to have the support of the establishemnt political parties which can then corner the presidency between themselves.

2. European/foreign affairs
(a) Are you in favour of Turkey joining the European Union?
Just as in the case of the recent expansion of the EU from 15 to 27, we raise no objection to expansion.

(b) Are you in favour, generally, of further expansion of the European Union within the next 10 years?
Just as in the case of the recent expansion of the EU from 15 to 27, we raise no objection to expansion.

3. Tax/finance
(a) Do you agree that if Ireland exceeds the European average wealth level, it should be a net contributor to the EU?
Not answered.

(b) Are you in favour of tax harmonisation across the EU? If not, do you support the right of other EU countries to undercut us with lower taxes?
I believe that the taxation level is a matter that should be decided democratically within each State. The current situation of a downward spiral of corporate taxes is not in the interests of working people in any member State.

4. Defence/military
(a) Do you believe that a joint European defence force is a good thing?
I am firmly opposed to the proposals to construct an EU armaments industry and, in essence, an EU army. factors which would be significantly advanced by the Lisbon Treaty.

(b) Should we refuse to trade with countries that are at war or that have poor human rights records?
Not answered.

(c) Are you in favour of Irish troops training and coordinating operations with Nato countries?
We should not have anything to do with NATO which represents the interests of the economic and political elites of the US and major EU countries.

(d) Do you consider Irish companies bidding for Nato military contracts a breach of neutrality?
Not only would I want no facilitation of military contracts, but I believe the obscene EU spending on armaments should be challenged and halted. The waste of resources in both personnel and materials in the creation of weapons of mass destruction is utterly repugnant. Neutrality is a word which has no meaning when it comes to the Irish Government.

5. Telecoms/IT
France has proposed a European law that would give each country’s regulator the authority to shut off users’ Internet services if they were caught illegally downloading movies or music. A vote in the Parliament will take place in six months. Do you agree with this proposed law?
I am not in favour of giving powers to a regulator to shut off people's access to the internet.

6. Election
(a) What are the top three things that you will attempt to do as an MEP that you could not do as a TD?
I see no major distinction between being a TD or an MEP.
For me it is all about being a campaigning representative for working people whether primarily based in Ireland in the Dáil or intervening in the European Parliament. What being an MEP would certainly facilitate is trying to build concrete and campaigning links between Irish and European workers with a view to having a common front against the vicious neo liberal policies being pushed within the EU.

(b) What would you describe as the three most important messages in your EP campaign?
We need to build strong campaigning links between European workers and Irish workers, to link up across borders for their common interests as workers, in the same way as the transnational corporations do.
We need to challenge the thrust of EU economic policy which pushed neo liberalism, the privatisation of public services and enterprises and endorses the race to the bottom in giving subcontaractors the right to import migrant labour to undercut established wages and conditions in various industries.
We need to build a new mass political party of working people, and this on a Europe wide basis, to fill the gaping political vacuum left by the move of the Social Democratic and Labour Parties throughout Europe to the right.

Further position on the EU...
The establishment political parties and the capitalist media would have us believe that the European Union is about peace, love and goodwill to all humanity, that the fundamental aim of the EU is to create a world of peace and justice based on equality and human solidarity.

The reality for me is that the EU is conceived primarily as a major economic unity dominated by powerful  corporate interests whose primary aim is the maximisation of the profits of their giant shareholders. They see the expanded EU, in particular, as a major economic unit of capitalism and a major market. Economic policy within the EU is not dictated by the desire to have a humane and just society but by entities such as the European Roundtable of Industrialists which beings together the major multinational giants based in the EU.

Comments

[Ross Duggan]

Joe Higgins is effing mental. One can't help but hear echoes of Francis E. Dec when he starts talking about "vicious neo liberal policies" within the European Union.

[PK]

I would have thought Joe's 'no more competition' would mean he was pro tax harmonization. As the theory is this will end the race to the bottom.

Joe you can be mental, but not inconsistent.

Similarly, I would have expected a line about no future EU expansion til all existing EU workers aren't being played off one another as he alludes to elsewhere.

Lazy, lazy, lazy.

Game, set, match de Burca.