In a nice commentary, Professor Keller points out the strange situation of national politicians who enjoy salaries and other benefits as if they were in charge, while their powers are minimal. Economic matters are decided in corporate headquarters, political matters in Brussels and Washington. These people, Keller says, may be at risk of everyone noticing that they are actually useless.
National governments are there to enforce the decisions of supranational bodies and to keep an eye on their fellow citizens.
I think Jan Keller has overlooked their new role. National governments are there to enforce the decisions of supranational bodies and to keep an eye on their fellow citizens. The point of elections, then, is that the people choose their drabs, so the drabs are between two pressures. Their superiors want them to strictly carry out their tasks; their constituents, in turn, are against the use of whips. Perhaps if someone who wants to defend the interests of the electorate were to win a national election, it would be a revolution. But this is extremely rare.
