The fight over a Blair presidency

[Zanza]

I hope they can't agree on anybody and then Angie steps up and takes the post. That way we would get rid of her in Germany.

EDIT: Of course that will never happen. Merkel has shown that she doesn't think of Brussels highly. She recently appointed a failed regional politician as the next German EU commissioner.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

One assumes they will dig up an extremely boring Belgian for this role,

unlikely as our country is about to go into constitutional crisis... probably in about 120 days if all goes well

[HisMajestyBOB]

Actually, it appears to be most similar to the election of the PRC President: the President is elected by a vote of politicians in a legislative body, without a popular vote.

It has very little in common with the electoral college.

[HisMajestyBOB]

One assumes they will dig up an extremely boring Belgian for this role,

unlikely as our country is about to go into constitutional crisis... probably in about 120 days if all goes well

Again??
You're as bad as Italy.

[Alatriste]

IMHO it's a bit complex but more democratic than US Senate, for example.

It is about as democratic as Republican Rome.  Not sure how weighted voting based on money or whatever qualifies as "more democratic" than one man, one vote.

Those votes are weighted based on population, not money or "whatever" and that's quite another thing. Where did you (and others, this answer is valid for HMBoB also) get such an idea, I can't understand.

We send our premiers and presidents, democratically elected, to the Council, and they vote according to population, but with a correction so that tiny little countries like Malta (extreme case, of curse) have at least some weight. 

In contrast, US states send each two senators to Washington. One can represent 20,000,000 citizens, other 200,000. That's not "one man, one vote", it's 20 millions one vote, 200,000 one vote, if you get what I mean...

[Archy]

One assumes they will dig up an extremely boring Belgian for this role,

unlikely as our country is about to go into constitutional crisis... probably in about 120 days if all goes well

Again??
You're as bad as Italy.

Indeed it seems like the eighties are back over here. That period is now known as the 'Malgoverno'
Francophone-Flemish tensions Check
Economical woes Check
An evergrowing of our National Debt and politicians to afraid to do something check.
Belgium came from a debt in that period of 125% of the GNP which was lowered to 90% in the 90s and is now up again.

I've got the feeling I'll be working till '70 for my pension if Belgium isn't broke by than.

[grumbler]

Those votes are weighted based on population, not money or "whatever" and that's quite another thing. Where did you (and others, this answer is valid for HMBoB also) get such an idea, I can't understand.

How did I get the idea that the votes were weighted by "whatever?"  The same place you got it!

We send our premiers and presidents, democratically elected, to the Council, and they vote according to population, but with a correction so that tiny little countries like Malta (extreme case, of curse) have at least some weight. 

So it isn't weighted by population, but rather by "population modified by whatever."

In contrast, US states send each two senators to Washington. One can represent 20,000,000 citizens, other 200,000. That's not "one man, one vote", it's 20 millions one vote, 200,000 one vote, if you get what I mean...

Each state gets two votes in the Senate.  Each vote counts exactly the same.  That's how democracy works.

Now, if you had the European Council members voting "proxies" so that each had the combined voting power of all the voters in the last election (or all the citizens of the country, or whatever), then this would be democratic.  A system where the votes of certain privileged persons counts for more than the vote of another person, in a system where the representation is supposed to be by populace, is less democratic.  What you end up with is a system like the US electoral college, which no one claims is actually democratic.

In fact, it is ironic to see so many Euros express so much disdain over the US Electoral College, when Europe does the exact same thing (only less transparently).

[MadImmortalMan]

In contrast, US states send each two senators to Washington. One can represent 20,000,000 citizens, other 200,000. That's not "one man, one vote", it's 20 millions one vote, 200,000 one vote, if you get what I mean...

Senators represent states, not people.

[Alatriste]

...a system like the US electoral college, which no one claims is actually democratic.

Source?

Yes, I'm being sarcastic.

Actually the system to choose the new president was designed to avoid precisely the problems posed by an 'electoral college' system. By demanding votes representing 65% of the population and 55% of the states, it guarantees majorities in both territories and citizens.

And honestly, I resent being told in one post that democracy means 'one man, one vote' and the opposite in the next, Grumbler. If every state, regardless of its population, sends two senators, votes are anything but equal in value. "Roman Republic", anyone?

[Duque de Bragança]

I hope they can't agree on anybody and then Angie steps up and takes the post. That way we would get rid of her in Germany.

EDIT: Of course that will never happen. Merkel has shown that she doesn't think of Brussels highly. She recently appointed a failed regional politician as the next German EU commissioner.

The (in)famous Barrosotrick