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Imagine a scenario in which the chief bureaucrat of the European Union proclaims that its fundamental values include promoting homosexuality and transgenderism to minors. This reads like poorly crafted, euroskeptic propaganda. Odd as it may sound, this exact situation transpired following the Hungarian Parliament's passage of a controversial new law.

While Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, portrays the law as borderline criminalizing all things related to gay advocacy, the reality of the situation is not so dramatic. As part of sweeping legislation intended to combat pedophilia, conservative members of the Hungarian government proposed an amendment that would prohibit exposing children to content that encourages homosexuality or transgenderism. The law, including this amendment, easily passed Parliament and awaits Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's approval. Brussels finds this deeply disturbing.

Hungary is a Catholic nation, and so preventing children from viewing sexually immoral content seems like a reasonable enough thing for its government to pursue. The people of Hungary overwhelmingly support their socially conservative government, and the government acts to fulfill the mandate of its people. Hungary's process, given this, appears to be without fault. Since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, it has been pretty much universally accepted that being a sovereign state necessitates having sole dominion over one's domestic affairs. EU officials, however, are seeking to relitigate the centuries-old consensus on statecraft.

What one thinks about the merits of the Hungarian law is irrelevant. The prospect of an unelected gang of foreign magistrates vetoing it should raise concern within any EU member state that values sovereignty.

Admittedly, the European Court of Justice, the body that would determine if Hungarian law is in line with EU regulations, is limited in its enforcement capability. At best, the court could impose recurring daily fines on the Hungarian government. Though with growing centralized power in the union, and a potential pan-European army on the horizon, the EU could become more heavy-handed with its judgments in due time.

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All the more reason to get out while it is still possible.

Boris Johnsons Brexit has had less than ideal economic ramifications. Foreign investment is down, trade has been complicated, and many of the nations industries have had trouble adjusting to the novel financial environment they have found themselves within. The people of the United Kingdom, however, are sovereign (officially, the queen is sovereign, but you get the idea). The government elected by the British people is the sole body responsible for creating laws for the British people. The same cannot entirely be said about many of the U.K.'s EU-affiliated continental brethren.

This raises the question: What degree of economic difficulty should a people be willing to endure to retain their political independence?

There, of course, is no clear answer to this question.

Europe is ideologically diverse. States in the East bloc that were left-wing authoritarians 30 years ago have swung to the religious Right, likewise, Nazi Germany was directly preceded by the relatively progressive Weimar Republic. Modern Europe, and by extension the EU, are not immune to such philosophical oscillation.

Should extremists, left or right, ever come to control the EU, they would undoubtedly wield power to move the rest of Europe into compliance with their radicalism. Any member state that resisted would be subject to punishment, with the will of its people at risk of violation.

Europeans must consider the degree to which they value self-determination. Perhaps it is true that the short-term struggles associated with decoupling from the union are a worthwhile sacrifice to reclaim self-governance.

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Tags: Hungary, European Union, LGBT, United Kingdom, Viktor Orban

Original Author: Robert Schmad

Original Location: The European Union shows Hungary why it should exit

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The European Union shows Hungary why it should exit - Yahoo News