Posted on 06/02/2005 7:09:55 PM PDT by quidnunc
In the game of Euro-Cluedo now unfolding, some unlikely names are being mentioned.
A year or two back, any EU-watcher asked to name a culprit for the murder of the European constitution would probably have named Captain John Scarlett, in the conference room, with the lead pipe.
Instead, Le Viscomte Lebleu and Dr Jan Orange are in the frame, for a joint killing on the streets, with the ballot-box.
But while the crime is clear, the motives are murky. For the French, the treaty was the ghastly work of Anglo-Saxon liberals intent on prizing open long-closed markets and exposing them to the cold wind of global competition.
For the Dutch, the constitution was written by soulless Brussels bureaucrats who wanted to end their liberal laws on drugs and euthanasia.
The common thread is that both saw the constitution — and the wider European project — as something created by others and imposed on them. It's a long way from the good old days when the old guard could dictate the direction Europe followed, presenting refusniks like Britain with the hard choice of taking it or leaving it.
In essence, "Europe", or "Brussels", or whatever you want to call it, has become something foreign even to the people whose forebears created it.
Perhaps the best illustration of that was the role EU enlargement played in the two referendum campaigns.
In France, it was the threat of the Polish plumber "taking" French jobs that drove much of the Non vote.
In the Netherlands, it was the prospect of Turkish entry to the EU bringing more Muslims to a densely-populated country.
Incoherent though it was, the antipathy towards EU enlargement is an acknowledgement that power in the union is shifting away from its founders. They may have started the club, but increasingly they feel it is no longer run for their benefit.
-snip-
I think the failure of the EU ,is good news, for US. we Don't need a unified Europe ploting aginst US.....
Watch and learn - our very own Sovereignty is at stake in this country as is our matchless Constitution.
I have not seen it but, correct me if I am wrong, I heard the proposed constitution was in excess of 1000 pages. WAY to windy apparently. Trying to please everyone and ended up pleasing no one. They will continue bickering for quite a awhile before getting there.
Hope you're right. Islam is a cruel, sadistic medieval cult. If the dutch do eradicate islam from the netherlands, it will not be ugly to watch.
"I heard the proposed constitution was in excess of 1000 pages. WAY to windy apparently."
In a vain attempt to make an informed decision on the constitution, I downloaded a PDF copy. It's 465 pages long, and, well, "windy" doesn't even begin to do it justice. The "Protocol on the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank" (pages 225-246) was particularly arse-numbing.
Just as a taster, here's one of the more penetrable parts: "The European Central Bank shall ensure that the tasks conferred upon the European System of Central Banks under Article III-185(2), (3) and (5) of the Constitution are implemented either by itself pursuant to this Statute or through the national central banks pursuant to Article 12(1) and Article 14."
465 pages of it! I confess, I lost track after 20 and gave up shortly thereafter.
Ugly? Just what are you implying. For heaven's sake, are you advocating genocide? Get a grip!
I think it was also good news for the people of Europe.
"...it will not be ugly to watch"
Maybe so for us (as it will be sweet revenge for their behavior), but for those who make it a point to stick you butt up in the air 5 times a day, it will be quite ugly.
Sorry, sent this to the wrong poster.
I have a slightly different take on things. While I am gald to see the Dutch vote no on the EU constitution, I don't think it means anything other than a call to maintain the status quo. The average Dutch voter may be unhappy, or even angry, but they don't have the courage to follow through with any significant political reforms.
I have spent some time in the Netherlands. I met some very nice people, but politically they are mostly left-wing nut jobs. No was a vote for stasis. Nothing will change.
I am sure someone will be posting articles in the future about the Netherlands. If things change politically, I will be the first to post that I was wrong about the political will of the Dutch.
gotta wonder how we did so well with not as near as lengthy a tome as the EU constitution. And we had quite an ethnic mix at the time. so maybe they shouls try following the kiss principle (Keep It Simple Stupid). From the section given as example by Glyndwr4Cymru it does not have the ring of a an inspiring piece of work.
Whatever it takes to trigger the Dutch to act in their own national interest. Islam is a malignancy of the human spirit. It has great attraction for the sociopathic mentality..."finally, an outlet whereby I can conduct mayhem against my fellow man without being held accountable". Like any malignancy, you cannot coexist with it (listen up GW Bush)...it must be removed lest it becomes fatal.
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