C'est Non!
Today, the French voted to reject the EU constitution.
What struck me was not the vote itself, but the comments from some of the people who voted against it. Their rationale seemed . . . well . . . questionable.
"There is no more constitution," said Philippe de Villiers, a leading opponent. "It is necessary to reconstruct Europe on other foundations that don't currently exist." What do you mean by "other foundations that don't currently exist"?! Does that mean that they could exist in the future? Or does that mean that you have no idea what they are or what they would even look like?
"I voted 'no' because the text is very difficult to understand. Also, I'm afraid for democracy. The way the EU functions is very opaque. Many people there are not directly elected," said Emmanuel Zelez, 32, a film editor. Could you have made more of an effort to understand the text? Why bother voting at all if you don't understand what you are voting for/against?
"If you look at every sentence, every turn of phrase, practically every article has a mention of (financial) markets," Anne-Marie Latremoliere, a 57-year-old graphic designer. "We want Europe to be a beautiful place," she said, "and this is certainly not it." Does "making Europe beautiful" belong in the consititution? Perhaps you are you referring to environmental issues? Cultural issues?
Of course, these quotes have been taken out of context. It could very well be that all of these voters had studied the constitution, weighing the interests of Europe against the interests of France and coming to their conclusions in a logic manner. Somehow, though, I doubt it. It seems to me that voters there are generally* as un/mis-informed and lazy as many of the voters here.
Still, I believe that the French did not really say "Non!" More like, "Pas encore." I'm interested to see how the vote goes in the Netherlands.
*I know I'm making a sweeping generalization based upon three quotes - hardly a significant sample. My ex was always fond of saying, "Voting is an irresponsible act." I believe it's irresponsible to vote if you haven't made an effort to educate yourself. Many people don't. This appears to be true in other countries, not just our own. We are more alike than different.
What struck me was not the vote itself, but the comments from some of the people who voted against it. Their rationale seemed . . . well . . . questionable.
"There is no more constitution," said Philippe de Villiers, a leading opponent. "It is necessary to reconstruct Europe on other foundations that don't currently exist." What do you mean by "other foundations that don't currently exist"?! Does that mean that they could exist in the future? Or does that mean that you have no idea what they are or what they would even look like?
"I voted 'no' because the text is very difficult to understand. Also, I'm afraid for democracy. The way the EU functions is very opaque. Many people there are not directly elected," said Emmanuel Zelez, 32, a film editor. Could you have made more of an effort to understand the text? Why bother voting at all if you don't understand what you are voting for/against?
"If you look at every sentence, every turn of phrase, practically every article has a mention of (financial) markets," Anne-Marie Latremoliere, a 57-year-old graphic designer. "We want Europe to be a beautiful place," she said, "and this is certainly not it." Does "making Europe beautiful" belong in the consititution? Perhaps you are you referring to environmental issues? Cultural issues?
Of course, these quotes have been taken out of context. It could very well be that all of these voters had studied the constitution, weighing the interests of Europe against the interests of France and coming to their conclusions in a logic manner. Somehow, though, I doubt it. It seems to me that voters there are generally* as un/mis-informed and lazy as many of the voters here.
Still, I believe that the French did not really say "Non!" More like, "Pas encore." I'm interested to see how the vote goes in the Netherlands.
*I know I'm making a sweeping generalization based upon three quotes - hardly a significant sample. My ex was always fond of saying, "Voting is an irresponsible act." I believe it's irresponsible to vote if you haven't made an effort to educate yourself. Many people don't. This appears to be true in other countries, not just our own. We are more alike than different.
posted by Jerry Blank at 10:13 PM
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