The Dutch look to strike a further blow to the European Constitution
May 29, 2005 ~ 2:16 p.m.
On June 1, the European Constitution, which seeks to establish a super-state out of all EU member nations, might already be dead in the water. Today, the French could vote by a 53 percent margin to reject la Constitution pour l'Europe. The French vote could be crucial to the survival of the Constitution.
Last month, Spain voted by 77 percent in favor, although a considerable amount of the country�s electorate abstained from voting. Meanwhile, the French are worried about what the future of their country would be once the bureaucrats in Brussels have been given a virtual green light. The issue of sovereignty is a big one.
The Socialist Party in France, led by Laurent Fabius, is a major player in the �non� campaign. Although the Socialists elsewhere in Europe are in favor of the Constitution, Fabius won his bid for the French Socialists to encourage a no vote. Although a majority the Left feels that the social model for Europe would be strengthened by adopting the Constitution, most left-wingers in France, as well as nationalists, do not buy that argument. They fear neolibeal market forces that will corrupt their way of life. The French also feel that this would signal Turkey�s inclusion into Europe, an idea they are aghast at. If those encouraging a no vote, which runs the gamut from far Left to far Right, succeed today, the Constitution would be stalled with no sure chance at re-negotiation. At any rate, it is clear that the French nation is very much divided over the issue.
However strong the sentiment in France against the EU Constitution may be, injury could be added to insult by the Dutch, who have their own referendum on the treaty on Wednesday. Seventy percent have already claimed that they�ll abstain from voting, following the Spanish electorate model.
Although all five major political parties in The Netherlands support the treaty, Dutch voters, if they do not abstain, look to reject it, fuelled in part by French suspicion. As with the yes campaign in France, pro-Constitution leaders are struggling to find the winning argument to convince the nation to adopt the treaty. The Dutch citizenry are asking themselves, �Will we get back what we pay to Brussels?� They are determining that the answer is a fat no. The Dutch, like the French, feel that they will give up too much for their culture and their concerns to the Eurocrats.
�I am seriously worried the Dutch will vote no. A French no or a Dutch no means the treaty is dead,� says Lousewies van der Laan of the center-left D66 party.
It is ironic that the two countries voting this week encouraged The Maastricht Treaty of 1992, in which plans for the Euro currency were accepted and the European Union as it exists today was formed. The French voted �oui,� and the Treaty was signed in the Netherlands.
In addition to France and Holland, Britain, whose government still has yet to set a date for its own referendum on the treaty, is poised to reject the Consitution as well. Assuming the British referendum is held sometime this summer, it will further send a message to the EU bureaucracy that nationalism is still a very strong factor that cannot be overlooked in establishing a federal European bloc.
It is theorized that Europe will only continue to accumulate power, that a federal union of the twenty-five member states will become a reality someday. But, after this week, it may be that the dream of a united Europe will remain stuck in 1992.
� M.E.M.
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Copyright � 2001-2007 by M.E. Manning. All material is written by me, unless explicitly stated otherwise by use of footnotes or bylines. Do not copy or redistribute without my permission.
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