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UKT: The 27 mediocrities who will rule Europe

Daniel Hannan is a writer and journalist, and has been Conservative MEP for South East England since 1999. He speaks French and Spanish and loves Europe, but believes that the EU is making its constituent nations poorer, less democratic and less free.

By Daniel Hannan Politics
Last updated: February 9th, 2010
UK Telegraph Blog
46 Comments

As predicted, the European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly for an underwhelming European Commission. Twenty-seven bureaucrats will exercise extraordinary powers, being responsible both for the initiation of legislation and the execution of policy. Yet the closest they get to a democratic mandate is being approved en bloc by MEPs.

As predicted, the European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly for an underwhelming European Commission. Twenty-seven bureaucrats will exercise extraordinary powers, being responsible both for the initiation of legislation and the execution of policy. Yet the closest they get to a democratic mandate is being approved en bloc by MEPs.

Are they the best qualified men and women to lead the EU through its present turmoils? Instead of fulminating against them, let me refer you to the delightfully dry remark of my Hungarian ECR colleague, Lajos Bokros, a brilliant former finance minister. As he puts it in the above clip, with truly British understatement: “What we can see is a sub-optimal allocation of portfolios among Commissioners”. You can say that again, Lajos.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100025601/the-27-mediocrities-who-will-rule-europe/