zens is secondary to the overriding ideological goal. In tackling its crises the ECB prioritised institutions (especially banks) over citizens, who had to bear the costs. 
Democracy The EU is based on an unshakable belief that Europe’s nation states cannot govern themselves because they are dependent on electorates, who can replace their governments. Citizens have no say in appointments to EU institutions (other than to vote for a largely pointless Parliament, and that only through political ‘parties’ set up for them). Institutional leaders are neither selected nor deselected by any representative process, but the EU has managed to convince many uncritical commentators and voters that it is democratic. We can vote for members of the European Parliament but to what purpose, since we cannot vote to remove an EU government we don’t like?
The EU has decided against democracy; they believe that it doesn’t matter what citizens want, if the goal is to deliver what they need. Failure to replicate representative democracy at the federal level makes nonsense of democracy at the national level, since federal decisions overrule elected national decision-makers. 
Lies & Deceptions The visionaries recognised that the unenlightened, general populations of the disunited nations might not welcome a homogenised super-state, so the goal would be achieved through scarcely-noticeable but irreversible steps. Since it cannot achieve its dominion through persuasion it has to resort to propaganda and to outright deceit.
EU propagandists state, invariably without supporting theory or evidence, that divergence is the problem; convergence the solution, although they don’t explain why we should believe this, they simply repeat it, endlessly. They claim, for example, that law and justice are upheld by an independent judiciary but in practice the judiciary is not independent of the European Commission and other EU institutions.
Another example affects the UK directly; when Edward Heath explained to the public the implications for the UK of joining the Common Market he said there would be no loss of sovereignty. In fact the civil service had briefed the Cabinet differently – Heath lied. 
Disdain & Contempt Like Heath, the EU’s founders and current leaders hold the citizens of Europe in disdain and their elected, national governments in contempt for being elected, and therefore impermanent. They think what is needed is a unified, supra-national entity, a federal government, which has the powers to override the decisions of the governments of its member states.
There is not enough achievement to recommend the EU to its citizens; it follows that they must be persuaded to accept it by propaganda, threats or coercion. 
Breaking EU Rules We are expected to believe that the EU adopts practices that are consistent with its own principles and rules, but it doesn’t; when it feels it is necessary, the EU ignores its own rules.
For example, the principle of subsidiarity conflicts with the ideology of the EU, which requires authority to be centralised. In EU practice powers move only in one direction, ‘upwards’ as they see it, from member states; powers may go up but are not allowed to come down. 
Fear & Fragility The growth of populism is alarming EU’s mandarins, who see it as a threat to their project. Some populist national governments challenge the EU’s declared fundamental values. If the EU does not take action against governments that attack democratic rights and processes it will encourage other member states to go their own ways, putting further integration at risk. If it does take firm action against miscreants then it risks rebellion against the federal centre. This fragility arises because the EU is not itself democratic. 
Politics The true aim of the EU, to become a super-state governing its member states, is not one that many citizens would support. People are willing to believe in the declared goal, of economic growth benefiting all, and choose not to notice that the EU is not achieving this but is progressing fitfully towards its real goal. 
Draft Wi