Europe is mad, mad, mad.
The citizens of Europe could find that they are inadvertently voting for a return to commercial whaling this week whether they like it or not.
In one of the most dramatic moves to remove the democratic rights of Europe’s citizens, European bureaucrats have created a procedural ‘Catch-22’, which means that a single pro-whaling country (Denmark) can now dictate the whole EU position on whaling. As a result, European citizens can no longer be assured that their elected governments are free to represent their views and, indeed, must go against their declared position to protect whales.
The whole shameful scenario is being played out at the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) intersessional meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA, on the 4th and 5th March. EU members have been legally advised that, if they cannot reach consensus on a proposal to increase Greenland’s quota by 10 humpback whales, they must abstain at the IWC meeting.
EU countries make up almost one third of the membership of the IWC and, because a vote of this type requires a three-quarter majority to pass, a mass abstention by the EU would almost certainly result in the proposal being adopted.
It's a farcical situation and the ludicrous EU voting system effectively means that the UK and other Members of the European Union who oppose Greenland’s proposal to hunt humpback whales can not act in the interests of whale conservation as their hands have been tied firmly behind their backs.
This is rule by brute bureaucratic force and Europe’s citizens have long opposed whaling but we now find ourselves forced into abdicating our strong, democratically established position because of the spurious guidance of unelected bureaucrats
There are also further reaching, and catastrophic consequences beyond this current proposal as the same situation is likely to arise at the annual IWC meeting in June when the IWC will consider a proposal to suspend the global moratorium and allow commercial whaling to resume.
We can only anticipate that the EU IWC Members will not be able to find consensus on this deeply controversial proposal. If they have to abstain en masse at the next IWC annual meeting (IWC62), and the proposal is adopted, the consequences for whales and the future of the IWC are devastating.
I bet they are all already preparing their press releases to try and sell the reasons why 'they had to vote for Greenland' in June 'why they had to vote for whaling'.
Well they don't have to!. They are hiding behind the voting process, with a few brave voices standing up to this bullying and threats. We know who is championing the whales and we know who is selling them out
We shall remember them
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