Netherlands Rejects EU Constitution

[onedomino]

Dutch reject EU charter in referendum - exit poll
Wed Jun 1, 2005 03:45 PM ET
By Emma Thomasson and Paul Gallagher

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=8669947

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands emphatically rejected the European Union constitution in a referendum on Wednesday, an exit poll showed, deepening a crisis in the bloc and potentially dooming a treaty already spurned by France.

Interview/NSS projected the "No" camp had won 63 percent of votes based on an exit poll to 37 percent for the "Yes" camp with voter turnout at an estimated 62 percent -- well above the 39 percent that voted in European Parliament elections in 2004.

The resounding "No," even stronger than nearly 55 percent against the treaty in France on Sunday, is the latest sign of Dutch anger with the political elite since the 2002 murder of anti-immigration populist Pim Fortuyn. Unease was further stoked by the killing last year of a filmmaker critical of Islam.

Leading "No" campaigner Geert Wilders, seen as an heir to Fortuyn, called on Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende to resign and call new elections.

New elections are not due until 2007 and Balkenende has insisted he would not quit if voters rejected the charter.

"If you realize that two-thirds of parliament supported the constitution and two out of three people in the land are against, it means a lot is wrong in the country," he said. "The voters have spoken and they must be taken seriously."

The rejection of the charter by the Netherlands, like France one of the six countries that founded the bloc in the 1950s, could deliver a fatal blow to the treaty designed to make the EU run better following its enlargement from 15 to 25 states.

It also casts doubt on the EU's hopes for a more muscular foreign policy and its plans to expand further to the western Balkans, Turkey and Ukraine, and raises questions about its appetite for economic reform amid mounting global competition.

The euro fell to its lowest level for eight months after the Dutch exit poll. The euro has steadily fallen against the dollar since March when polls turned negative on the treaty, which needs the approval of all members to go into force.

Most EU leaders have said ratification of the charter should continue as planned until late 2006 to allow all countries to have their say, but diplomats say that is just a holding position until an EU summit on June 16-17.

WILL TREATY SURVIVE?

The Latvian parliament is expected to approve the treaty with a big majority on Thursday, meaning 10 members representing almost half the EU's 454 million citizens will have approved it.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair hinted after the French vote that the Dutch result could help determine whether he calls off a referendum next year in his Euroskeptic country.

If EU leaders do halt ratification, analysts warn the bloc could sink into an extended period of introspection with repeat referendums unlikely given the strength of French and Dutch opposition and renegotiation of the charter also difficult.

While most Dutch were hostile to the constitution, they seemed keen to make their voice heard in the country's first national referendum, with turnout high for a European vote.

The Dutch vote is not legally binding, but lawmakers have said they would be guided by it if turnout was over 30 percent.

Interim results with about half the vote counted are due at around 2000 GMT, with a final outcome expected at 2400 GMT.

Opposition has been driven by a range of issues including concerns about a loss of control over immigration, opposition to Turkey's bid to join the bloc and concerns Brussels might undermine liberal Dutch policies on gay marriage and abortion.

Many Dutch feel short-changed by the introduction of the euro, are concerned about losing clout in a continually expanding EU and are unhappy with being the biggest contributors per head to the bloc's multi-billion euro budget.

The referendum was also seen as a vote of no confidence in the center-right government of Balkenende, which has pushed through budget cuts and welfare reforms despite a stagnant economy and rising unemployment.

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[ScreamingEagle]

Euroskeptics

 

[nosarcasm]

these ungrateful bastards. I ordered German troops to reunify the two
rebellious provinces of our European Empire. As always we count
on the Us to stay out of it. Tried and tested

 

[5stringJeff]

these ungrateful bastards. I ordered German troops to reunify the two
rebellious provinces of our European Empire. As always we count
on the Us to stay out of it. Tried and tested

Hah!

 

[Annie]

http://powerlineblog.com/archives/010616.php

No, Once Again

As expected, voters in the Netherlands dealt the European Union another blow today with a resounding vote against the proposed European Constitution. The vote was, I think, even more one-sided than expected, with over 61% voting "No."

Will it matter? Hard to say. In the short run, when votes aren't going well in Europe, an easy solution is to cancel the next referendum, as Tony Blair's administration is now considering. It's hard to imagine that this strategy will work indefinitely, but then again, maybe the Eurocrats will press on until the voters get their minds right. I found these paragraphs amusing:

The Czech Republic said on Wednesday it would seek an extension of the November 2006 deadline for ratification to give countries that vote "No" more time to reconsider.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker voiced concerns on Wednesday about the July 10 referendum on the treaty in his broadly pro-Europe state after the Dutch "No."

"I myself and others must plead the European cause with lots of vigor," he told reporters in Brussels.


"More time to reconsider" suggests that the Eurocrats will take the Cool Hand Luke approach. But how about the statement that Luxembourg is "broadly pro-Europe"? I should think so. The population of Luxembourg is less than one half-million. I don't think national sovereignty is a big issue there. Unfortunately for the EU, sovereignty is a concern elsewhere on the continent.

Posted by John at 06:57 PM

 

[theim]

these ungrateful bastards. I ordered German troops to reunify the two
rebellious provinces of our European Empire. As always we count
on the Us to stay out of it. Tried and tested

Nobody will complain if Germany wants France

 

[nosarcasm]

http://powerlineblog.com/archives/010616.php

even before the French vote they tried to spin it that the vote doesnt matter
Their idea of listening to the public goes out of the window if it
does not concern Bush 43's ideas.

Well I am hopefull this has buried the constitution for now and
I would appreciate it if a true European representative democracy
for the EU can arise from this.

 

[Annie]

even before the French vote they tried to spin it that the vote doesnt matter
Their idea of listening to the public goes out of the window if it
does not concern Bush 43's ideas.

Well I am hopefull this has buried the constitution for now and
I would appreciate it if a true European representative democracy
for the EU can arise from this.

that would be good. Holding it to broad principles under 12 pages would work too.

 

[nosarcasm]

It will be hard to keep it short, too many countries, too many sensibilities.
But I hope the vote will make them aware that the good old boy
network that runs the EU is despised by the public.

Overall the EU itself as an institution would be a better
ally to the US because it supports the Washington consensus and
is a turn away from the post WW2 socialism.

But the centralist bureaucracy and the good old boys network
support socialist filth and corruption. Thats why it is hard
to support or oppose the EU definitatly to me.