EU Constitution Vote
France votes today in a referendum on the EU Constitution. We'll probably know in a couple of hours how the vote went. If France votes "no," the Dutch will be even more likely to vote the same way in a few days. Britain will probably cancel its planned referendum. Despite Jacques Chirac's arrogant statement that he'll ignore the vote, the result of a French "non" will, at a minimum, set back EU development for at least several years.
George Will discussed the issues bedeviling the EU in his column today. While you can find a virtually infinite number of words written on the subject, this is the best summary I've seen. His opening paragraph:
The European Union, which has a flag no one salutes and an anthem no one knows, now seeks ratification of a constitution few have read. Surely only its authors have read its turgid earnestness without laughing, which is one reason why the European project is foundering. Today in France, and Wednesday in the Netherlands, Europe's elites -- political, commercial and media -- may learn the limits of their ability to impose their political fetishes on restive and rarely consulted publics.
I don't know whether it's in the best interests of the U.S. for Europe to be more or less integrated. Seems to me that issue-by-issue, it's kind of a wash. For the citizens of European countries, however, the stakes are high indeed. Read Will's column for a quick review.
Update: At 2200 CET, exit polls show France voted "non" by a margin of 55-45. Interesting.
George Will discussed the issues bedeviling the EU in his column today. While you can find a virtually infinite number of words written on the subject, this is the best summary I've seen. His opening paragraph:
The European Union, which has a flag no one salutes and an anthem no one knows, now seeks ratification of a constitution few have read. Surely only its authors have read its turgid earnestness without laughing, which is one reason why the European project is foundering. Today in France, and Wednesday in the Netherlands, Europe's elites -- political, commercial and media -- may learn the limits of their ability to impose their political fetishes on restive and rarely consulted publics.
I don't know whether it's in the best interests of the U.S. for Europe to be more or less integrated. Seems to me that issue-by-issue, it's kind of a wash. For the citizens of European countries, however, the stakes are high indeed. Read Will's column for a quick review.
Update: At 2200 CET, exit polls show France voted "non" by a margin of 55-45. Interesting.
2 Comments:
What worries me about Europe is that it seems to be going down the tubes and is becoming a refuge for Arab Muslims. Europeans seem to be so far to the left of the political spectrum, their militaries are impotent, at best, their Muslim population is multiplying faster than any other demographic, and their socialist marketplaces doom the continent to not be able to keep pace with the United States. I see Europe as the next hotbed of anti-American Islamofascism, simply because the incompetent, limp-wristed, socialist Europeans will allow themselves to be taken over without a shot being fired.
I have to agree, however reluctantly. I don't know that I would go so far as to call the Europeans "incompetent, limp-wristed, socialist." A lot of them are competent, after all.
And it's important to note that there really is a difference between Old and New Europe. I've lived and traveled extensively in both, and I'll take New Europe any day.
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