US keeps its head down as European crisis looms
US keeps its head down as European crisis loomsThe United States is doing its best not to be seen as taking sides as the European Union agonises over whether to approve a landmark constitution. Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said that US officials would be happy to see a French "no," because it "would correspond to their idea of a weak Europe". French President Jacques Chirac has also played the anti-American card in his campaigning for the May 29 vote.
Dutch No looks irreversible
Less than two weeks before the Dutch referendum on the EU Constitution, pollsters see a rejection of the treaty as irreversible. A poll by Interview/NSS for public television predicted that no less than 63 percent would oppose the constitution, while 37 percent of the Dutch would endorse the text. Chances for an eventual "yes" are "very small".
Eurovision harmony dies a death
The notion that the Continent's peoples are basically a bunch of genocidal whackoes champing at the bit for a new bloodbath is one I'm not unsympathetic to. But it's a curious rationale to pitch to one's electorate: vote for us; we're the straitjacket on your own worst instincts. However the French and Dutch votes go, it seems unlikely that the EU's rulers will allow anything as footling as the will of the people to derail the project at this late stage. In Euro-referendums, there's only one correct answer; it's just that sometimes you have to have two votes before the people figure out which one it is. My sense is that the French will vote narrowly for the constitution and the Dutch will narrowly reject it, but either way the EU will figure out a way to inflict it on the Continent. A stitch-up in time saves, nein?
posted by Unknown @ 12:54 PM
4 Comments:
I don't think the US wants a weak Europe. I think the US wants a Europe with a less oppressive central government than is promised by the 500-page proposed constitution. Can you imagine the Kafka-esque bureaucracy that will result? It seems that the trend is towards complete domination of all power in Europe by the elites and their legal teams, with no place at all for the people. The EU should scrap this constitution and draft a new one that is succinct and general enough that everyone can read it, and that reserves all powers not explicitly allocated to the central authority for the member states and the citizens thereof.
Americans want a "weak Europe"? Who says Eurocrats can't think ahead? I guess Euro politicians are already jumping ahead to the war between the United States and the Froggakraut Caliphate of Europe.
In case any EU politicians are reading this, your economy is not exactly intimidating. Moreover, your military abilities cannot be rebuilt during a weak economy without turning the EU into North Korea.
The United States doesn't not want any sort of European Union, but we can't say so publically for obvious reasons.
The reason we don't like it is because we don't want nations like France, Belgium, and Germany to have too much influence over nations like Poland.
Poland and other eastern european countries supported us in Iraq while France and Germany didn't.
I still think the European Union is a joke. The idea of a strong European military is laughable at best, and like another poster said your economy is exactly intimidating.
Not to mention this ridiculous 500 page constition that is written so nobody can understand it.
You should model your constition after one that has worked. Ours is only 12 pages long and has lasted over 200 years.
Look at http://www.youthforum.org/en/forum.html
It is a forum which is sponsort by the EU. I made many anti-EU Constitution posts there.
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