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Summary of Professor Micael Dougan on EU law and the imminent referendum

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Elegran Tue 21-Jun-16 20:21:50

3 topics which are prominent in this campaign.

1 Sovereignty
Britain is a sovereign state, making its own laws. Westminster is the paramount law-making authority of the country.
The EU is not a sovereign state. The only powers it has are those it has been given under treaties. If UK courts sometimes put EU law before UK law it is because the Uk parliament has told them to.
Sovereignty is not the issue, it is shorthand for power and influence. In joining ANY organisation, there is a trade-off between influence and obligations. In leaving an organisation, you give up your power to influence it. Leaving the EU would mean giving up all power to influence it, or share in its influence in the world - which is immense.

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Elegran Tue 21-Jun-16 20:11:29

Others who have studied EU law have said similar things to Prof. Dougan, but he has a very accessible and informative video at Michael Dougan on EU constitutional law It lasts 25 minutes but you don't have to watch it all at once. It starts with him saying just why he is not talking from a position of ignorance, but from 20 years professional experience of teaching law. What he tells us here is the basics, as taught to students in their first and second years.

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