Yes, many comments on that page are thoughtful and inciteful, and not a one of them even questions the reasoning behind the EU making this declaration. They just all seem to be wondering about what’s in it for them—nary a comment about a weakened autonomy or a directive from on high.
Point taken...sadly, we'll never know whether the lack of such essential questions is due to the Times readers being overwhelmingly Socialist and therefore sympathetic to the plan or whether it's a matter of the Times censors refusing to allow opinions or questions of that nature from readers.
I've submitted numerous comments both to the Times as well as the Daily Mail over the years, and although the comments have been polite, devoid of foul language and entirely in keeping with the focus of the article, they haven't been supportive of Leftist ideology and I have yet to have a comment successfully posted in either of those places.
It could also be that they simply don't like stoats....