Stupid parliamentary trick: Hold the vote on the day before the summer break - ensuring that many people have already returned to their home countries. Then use a sort of "reverse" parliamentary trick: the default is that this legislation is accepted. They needed an absolute majority - not of voting members, but of all members - to reject it.
Result: 314 against, 276 in favor, 17 abstentions, 113 absent
The EU is well on the way to becoming a totalitarian government.
ETA: It is shocking that 276 members of parliament would vote to support this. Are so many so naive? Or being paid off?
> It is shocking that 276 members of parliament would vote to support this. Are so many so naive? Or being paid off?
There are a lot of countries in the EU that aren't shining beacons of democracy.
The EU makes sense as an economic block but some of the countries in it are politically unaligned with what people think of when they think of the EU.
>ensuring that many people have already returned to their home countries...
Aren't they fucking paid to be there 'on the last day'?
Yeah, there are two scummy things happening here. This would not be possible if they did their job. What sort of weird example does it set, when they don't ever care enough to stay for all the voting?
The EU and corrupt politicians (that's most of them), will do what they want, regardless of your opinions. I have completely given up on participating in democracy. My country is going to hell, and I don't believe anyone is able to stop it.