EU principles - better for Scotland?

Lochaber · EU principles - better for Scotland?

The EU allocates MEPS according to a principle known as degressive proportionality which, according to Prof. Luc Bovens (London School of Economics) and Prof. Claus Besibart (University of Dortmund), "mitigates the cartel-like advantages of large countries". Their view is that

"... countries in a federation are like larger or smaller cartels of social units and that the formation of cartels upsets the equality ..."

http://www.uni-konstanz.de/ppm/papers/cartel1.pdf

This is a very interesting academic view - one which, I feel, is of great relevance to the position of Scotland within the United Kingdom. Certainly, the consequences are marked. Scotland, with a population of 5.12 million has only 7 MEPs (to be reduced to 6 in 2009) whereas comparable nations have essentially twice as many:

Denmark (pop. 5.46 million) : 14 MEPs
Finland (pop. 5.24 million) : 14 MEPs

For those states in the EU which have recently become independent:

Slovakia (population 5.45 million : 14 MEPs
Lithuania (population 3.58 million) : 13 MEPs
Latvia (pop. 2.26 million) : 9 MEPs
Estonia (pop 1.32 million) : 6 MEPs

For those EU states which were formerly ruled by Westminster:

Republic Of Ireland (population 4.25 million) : 13 MEPs
Cyprus (pop. 0.79 million) : 6 MEPs
Malta (population 0.4 million) : 5 MEPs

Aventinian

The MEP situation is absolutely loathsome. Small states already have a natural advantage in the Council of Ministers, which will apparently evolve a Senate-like roll, which I think in itself is indecent.

It needs to be sorted out.

Lochaber