Let’s congratulate the national peoples of Europe for their courage

Jewish World Review ^ | 6-7-05 | Sam Schulman

[SJackson]

Don’t be disturbed by the stories from France and the Netherlands that a motley coalition of communists and neo-Nazis have defeated the EU constitutional referenda. The restoration of the principle of self-government to the various European nations is the best news for the Jews to come out of Europe since the acquittal of Dreyfus.

The fact is that the European “superstate” was founded on one idea: nationalities cannot be trusted with a state of their own. A majority of Frenchmen or Dutchmen must not be permitted to decide on their own economic and foreign policy — lest — well, lest the heavens fall. Under the new European constitution, a panel of unelected experts would take all decision-making power away from individual national groups. The Dutch, the Germans, the French, the Czechs would surrender their ability to govern themselves in the interest of something higher. What, exactly, that higher value might be was never explained — but if one opposed it, one was a “xenophobe” or a reactionary.

So the national peoples of Europe were about to surrender their states. Needless to say, the notion that, of all people, the Jews should be allowed alone to have a state in which they could govern themselves and choose their own leaders under the rule of law was an outrage to the “European Idea.” To the extent that the European Union continued its march against national self-determination, Israel’s legitimacy would be eroded.

[ddantas]

Actually, what the French chose was to defend their socialistic welfare state and xenophobic social policies against a more-open-to-movement-of-capital-and-workers Europe. That's why you got such an amusing coalition of communistic and ultra-right-wing parties voting "Non".

[CarrotAndStick]

Exactly. Many forget that the vote against the European common constitution was actually a vote against capitalism, the free market and all. It was all about preventing the removal of subsidies and the other tripe that socialism sells to win votes.

Sure, some feel satisfied that the "European Dream" is dead, but then a lot is to be interpreted from this.

[monday]

"Exactly. Many forget that the vote against the European common constitution was actually a vote against capitalism, the free market and all"

In the French case, yes. In the Dutch case it was more about freedom and independence from the EU and it's bureaucrats.