The EU is an oppressor, really? Hyperbole, much?

Everyone joined the EU willingly. The fact that they can leave whenever is further proof that the EU is not autocratic.

Of course it is oppression, it is antidemocratic, was forced on the people and pushed heavily by propaganda. It is a project of the elites and industry, any benefits to ordinary people are far outweighed by the benefits of industry. For the longest time it was simply that: A number of economic treaties, the political stuff was added later on because people realised that it would be far easier to push through their agenda if they only had one semi-democratic negotiating partner to deal with. In the last ten years several anti-democratic "directives" were pushed down to national parliaments, cast into law and later found to be unconstitutional. The best example would be the "Telecommunications data retention" laws:

- They were formulated as an EU-directive in 2006 (which means every national parliament is forced to pass a law based on this directive)

- The corresponding German law was passed in 2008

- The law was declared unconstitutional in 2010 by the German Supreme court and in 2014 by the EU high court

- Of course the german parliament reintroduced slightly changed legislation in 2015

I don't see how that is the Eu being anti-democratic. Note that I oppose the regulation on the merits as well but procedurally: - all member countries except for Ireland and Slovakia voted for it in the council. That includes the German I have no illusions it wouldn't have passed in the German Bundestag - the EU parliament voted for it - the ECJ struck it down for violating the Charter of Fundamental Rights

It basically the same thing that keeps happening within Germany, it seems like the institutions work equally well or badly.

Now what is a problem is that national politicians like to hide behind the EU. That's why you should always check who voted for these things in the council. Usually it's the same people (or at least parties) who later they the EU is forcing their hand.

Well that is the problem: There is no good way for people to organise effectively on an European level, or at least it is much harder. By comparison is very easy for a determined few to organise at this level, which is why you have tons and tons of lobbyists in Brussels. You can partially observe this when "Wutbürger" protest against local changes like building a new railway station (months of protest, sitins, general disorder), but you barely get two days worth of protests against the ECB on the occasion of the opening of their new head quarters in Frankfurt.

Note it was not the ECJ which struck down the law first, they did it after the BGB did strike it down, partially because they did not want to get into a fight about who has primacy in decision making I believe (the BGB still claims to have the last word, changing this would be unconstitutional in Germany).

I don't think politicians "hiding behind the EU" is what is actually happening, what actually happens is collusion to shift away power from the people by obfuscation and misdirection. People like Schäuble have active contempt for democracy (According to Varoufakis he told him "Elections can't change economic policy"). See for example this discussion of ECB policies (https://www.yanisvaroufakis.eu/2017/03/14/19258/).

I truly believe the EU has to go, in order for Europe to not further slide into a corporatist neo-liberal nightmare. It is very unfortunate that this push is lead by right-wing nationalists.

> was forced on the people

When?

Ireland is a member of the EU.