Posted on 02/15/2006 1:42:31 PM PST by RWR8189
In the decade since they voted to join the European Union the islanders of the Aland archipelago in the Baltic Sea have been outvoted and overruled by Brussels, time and again.
Now Aland, a unique, autonomous region of Finland, is about to teach Brussels a lesson in democracy it may never forget.
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Thanks to a quirk of early 20th-century history, Aland's 26,000 people are essentially sovereign co-rulers of their home nation of Finland. As such, they can veto any international treaty that Finland wants to enter, including EU treaties.
And the islanders are threatening to do just that when the European Commission attempts to revive the moribund EU constitution later this year.
But last week the archipelago's head of EU affairs, Britt Lundberg, travelled to Brussels - a day-long trek - to deliver a warning that dismally low public opinion on Europe could mean Alanders prevent Finland from ratifying the constitution.
The islanders' revolt has been brewing for some time. First, this community of Swedish-speaking Finns lost the right to fish at sea with traditional nets.
Then Alanders saw their beloved spring duck hunting virtually abolished. To the Alanders' final outrage, local laws on consuming "snus" or Swedish chewing tobacco, are about to be quashed by the European Court of Justice.
Finland, which takes over the rotating EU presidency later this year, is committed to reviving the constitution after No votes in France and Holland last year.
Parliament in Helsinki is poised to adopt a positive "position" on the treaty, as part of a plan co-ordinated with powers that include Germany and Austria.
So Mrs Lundberg's warning made the Commission take notice.
Brussels is trapped in a "Catch 22" situation of the EU's own making. Snus, a form of chewing tobacco, has been outlawed by EU fiat in every nation except Sweden, which secured a -special opt-out as a condition of its joining the EU, and in every region - except Aland.
The Commission recently took Finland to court to quash Aland's snus law. But Finland has no power to change that law. Finland does not control laws covering health in Aland; Aland does.
Aland is not allowed to defend its law before the justices in Luxembourg because the court recognises only nations. So the court is set to convict and fine Aland, without allowing the island's government to plead its case.
A ban on snus threatens serious financial harm to the capital, Mariehamn.
Mrs Lundberg said: "Every Alander is very, very upset. It's the principle of the thing that we can be judged, made to pay a fine, but have no chance to tell the court in Luxembourg why we made our law, and that we have the sole right to make this law."
The head of the Aland government, Roger Norlund, admitted that he did not even like snus. To him, the row is philosophical. "Aland finds small-scale solutions to its problems. But the EU model is one of large-scale solutions, and harmonisation."
Tomas Grunér, a navigator on the big boats, uses snus "24 hours a day". "It keeps me relaxed," he said. "I thought the EU was a good idea, but now I think it sucks."
Haaaaaaaaaa, Ha, Ha, Haaaaa....sucks to be the EU
LOL! The path to hell...
It seems that more and more people are finally realizing that the EU is nothing more than tyranny. What I still don't understand is how any sane person could have supported it in the first place.
Regardless, now that the EU has been given a chance to breathe, it will continue to bring each member nation under its harsh grip. The only difference now is that it will just take a little longer than the architects had anticipated.
This sounds like something right out of "The Mouse that Roared!"
I love it!
Love it!
It's hard to beat a big wad of snus in my gullet. All juicey and whatnot.
Looks like he's in a gun shop to me. Gotta like those Finns.
I think it's time for them to develop nuclear weapons.
Outlawing snoose????
No wonder Europe is in decline!
There's snusing like it.
EU = thuggish left-wing facist organization designed to bully all european nations on what to say, how to act, and how to spend their money.
Chirac pushed for it soo hard because that socialist dinosaur wanted it to act as a obstruction to the US.
I'm hope they vote it down.
Aland has another distinction: It has an interesting trade status which allows ships which port there to run duty-free shops.
A popular cruise is a day trip from Stockholm to Aland. A lot of people don't even get off the ferry. There are three draws: the scenery, the smorgasbord, and the duty free shop. It is quite inexpensive and most people spend more in the duty free than they do for their ticket.
My wife and I took this day trip last summer and I would recommend it.
This is snus to me!
C'mon. certainly you've heard the saying: "If you snus, you lose."
Because we have an American mindset where we prefer freedom to promised security.
The general mindset in Europe is that they'll trade away freedoms left and right if it means Free health care, 6 weeks paid vacation, ad nauseum.
Caliber: 5.56 NATO (.223rem)
Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt
Overall length: 710mm (27")
Barrel length: 420 mm (16.5")
Weigth: 3.3kg (7.3 lbs)
Magazine capacity: 30 rds
Rate of fire: 750 rds/min
Based on AK/AKM internal design, but chambered in 5.56NATO. Frame made from polymer
Yah! Day kin hav me snus vhen day pry it from me cold dead lips.
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