Opposition to EU grows in Europe

[RonOnGuitar]

Hmmm....this might mean that Chirac will have to delay any notions of being Europe's "Napoleon De Jour".

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Danish opposition to EU constitution on the rise: poll

08/04/2005

Danish opposition to the EU constitution has leapt more than five percentage points, according to a poll published on Friday, only five months before the Scandinavian country is due to hold a referendum on the charter.

The Danish "no" camp has gained ground over the past two months, jumping from 22.3 percent in February to 23.4 percent in March to 27.6 percent this month, according to the poll conducted by the Greens Institute of 1,229 Danes between April 4 and 6.

The percentage of Danish voters in favor of the new European constitution meanwhile remained steady at 38 percent, while 34.3 percent of those questioned said they were undecided, according to the poll, published in business daily Boersen.

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said during a visit to Brussels on Wednesday that Denmark would hold its referendum on the charter on September 27 regardless of whether or not it is accepted in a French vote next month.

A slew of recent polls have shown the French "no" camp taking a clear lead ahead of the country's scheduled referendum on May 29, and a number of Danish observers have said a French rejection of the charter could have a contagious effect in their country.

The Netherlands has said it will cancel its planned June 1 referendum if France votes "no", since such a rejection is expected to sign the constitution's death warrant.

Rasmussen has however insisted Denmark would not follow the Dutch example. "We will vote in an independent manner and we will not be swayed by the vote in France," he told Danish public television channel DR1.

Five of the seven political parties in the Danish parliament have recommended a "yes" vote, with only the far-right Danish People's Party and the former communist Unity List opposing the charter.



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Even France is thinking the EU isn't such a good idea anymore. As one French leader - Jean-Marie Le Pen - has noted, the EU would only serve as "an instrument of destruction of nations.''

Le Pen Calls For EU rejection



The "dream world" seems to having a head on colllision with reality.....

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French leaders aim to bolster EU support



By ELAINE GANLEY

ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER



PARIS -- French leaders stung by signs of rising opposition to the European constitution embarked on an all-out drive to win over voters ahead of a national referendum that could derail hopes of building continental unity and ensuring France's voice in Europe.



Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin on Wednesday began a 20-stop campaign to urge his countrymen to back the charter in the May 29 referendum. The constitution must be approved by all 25 EU member states to take effect.



The rising tide in the 'no' camp underscores an identity crisis felt by many French over what it means to be a European at a time when mostly Muslim Turkey is at the door seeking entry to the EU.



In a speech heavy on symbolism and thin on substance, Raffarin told attendees at a dinner-debate in Lyon that France risks losing its hard-won role as an EU leader if voters reject the charter, arguing the forces of conservatism and "immobility" underpinned the 'no' campaign.



"Its stunning to see those who vote 'no' are discontent with Europe. By voting 'no' they will keep the very Europe that they are unhappy about," Raffarin said.



A 'no' vote in France - one of the six nations that formed the European Coal and Steel Community in the 1950s that evolved into today's EU - would be a surprise to many. Former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing led the effort to draw up the constitution.



Some 'no' voters could want to send a message to the center-right government, whose cost-cutting initiatives and market-oriented reforms have stirred discontent among many in France. Others worry the country could be handing over too much power to Brussels.



With many in the center-right government on the defensive about what the constitution will mean to the French, Raffarin insisted, "I am convinced that Europe will protect France."



President Jacques Chirac, who has staked much personal prestige on seeing the constitution accepted, is soon to make his appeal to the French with a "strong message," government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said Wednesday, without giving a date.



At last week's EU leaders' summit in Brussels, Chirac warned the French that voting down the constitution could deprive their nation of its leadership role in Europe.



Five polls this month have shown that the French were leaning toward rejecting the constitution in the referendum.



Polls show the constitution could face a difficult road to approval in several countries - particularly Britain - but a "no" vote in France could deliver a fatal blow.



That possibility was creating consternation for the EU leadership.



On Wednesday, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called France "a great country that has made great contributions to Europe's course and without it Europe cannot move forward to new levels of integration."



"In Europe, France is an indispensable country," he said.

[Galmin]

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Hmmm....this might mean that Chirac will have to delay any notions of being Europe's "Napoleon De Jour".

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Even France is thinking the EU isn't such a good idea anymore.

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Ron, your totally off-the-mark comments at the beginning of every article you paste in here is a real treat.





The fact that an opposition to EU does not by far equal opposition to the proposed EU constitution is probably just one mere detail for you too keep track of when typing the text, though by leaving it out you try to create a report of a situation (based on real journalism) that does not exist.

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As one French leader - Jean-Marie Le Pen - has noted, the EU would only serve as "an instrument of destruction of nations.''

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Oh yes. Le Pen the statesman. Do you let the head of KKK speak for the people of the US or do you by any chance write him off as a certified nut?

[DreamTone7]

In the US, we don't elect KKK members to positions of leadership, Galmin...so they are not in a position to make policy. Big difference.







...a little more thought before speaking, maybe?

[Galmin]

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In the US, we don't elect KKK members to positions of leadership, Galmin...so they are not in a position to make policy. Big difference

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In countries outside the US, political parties can be set up and run by practically anyone without having astronomous funds to rely on. That's why the French election in 2002 had 16 parties involved. In this election, just as every election before, Le Pen losed hard and had to go back to his cave to wait for the next election. He has just as much power to make policy as a publicly known KKK leader do, exactly zero.



However, when you say "we don't elect KKK members to positions of power", how can you possibly know anything about that when they carry hoods on their meetings?



The fact that Dick Cheney, Rummy, Condi and George W Bush is in a position to make policy speaks volumes. (Note for the rudimentary intellect: this last line of mine is not Anti-American, 'tis merely anti Bush-Administration).

[DreamTone7]

You were the one comparing Le Pen to a KKK leader Galmin...so you tell me how we will know the difference, OK?

[RonOnGuitar]

LOL, Gal - but if you didn't catch that Chirac is worried and the EU is facing big problems on this, then either you didn't read the articles or you are engaging in what US slang terms as "whistling when you walk through the graveyard". (That is, a person who whistles a little tune to himself to keep his mind off his surroundings.)



But by way of getting you up to speed on what's up in your part of the world:



From the "Scotsman.Com" -



French 'Non' A Nightmare European Scenario



Two of Europe’s best-known founding fathers were French. So is the main architect of the European Union constitution. But Europe faces the nightmare prospect that the once-stalwart French could reject the charter in next month’s national referendum, and spoil dreams of greater European unity.



With repeated polls showing most French oppose the constitution, President Jacques Chirac wades today into the public debate with a TV appearance he hopes will inject momentum into the ailing ‘yes’ camp.





A French rejection in the May 29 referendum would all but destroy the constitution. A ‘no’ in France, only the fifth of the 25 EU members to vote on the constitution, would send a potent message to places like Britain, where polls indicate broad opposition, or in the Netherlands, where a similar referendum takes place three days after France’s.



All member states must approve the constitution for it to take effect.



For many supporters across Europe, a French ‘no” vote is as unthinkable as it would be devastating to designs for a tighter EU. Wary proponents from across Europe, including German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, have recently urged the French to vote ‘yes’.



“Rejecting the constitution would send a signal to the world and ourselves that we are not able to modernise the union, that we are not able to work together,” Polish parliament speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said yesterday in Warsaw, referring to the French vote.



A French ‘no’ could shake up the currency market, said economist Laurence Boone of Barclays Capital, by temporarily unsettling the value of the euro. However she said the European currency created by the 1992 Maastricht treaty would probably not suffer any long-term effects.



France tethered its economic fortunes – and hopes for continued grandeur – to Europe after its vast colonial empire in Africa and Asia vanished after World War II.



Back then, two Frenchmen – Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet – set in motion the six-nation European Coal and Steel Community that evolved into today’s EU.



France’s government sees the EU as a key player in a ”multipolar” world in the 21st Century. The constitution could help unite Europe and avoid embarrassing public dissension, such as what happened over the Iraq war.



For many in France’s elite political classes, support for the constitution is nearly an article of faith in Europe. But supporters have struggled to convey a convincing argument to voters.



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From Reuters News-



France will reject EU constitution, surveys indicate



2005-04-14 / Reuters /



Reuters

Three new opinion polls yesterday showed a majority of French voters oppose the EU constitution, in a fresh blow to government hopes of drumming up support for the charter before a referendum on May 29.



Thirteen successive polls have put the "No" vote ahead, threatening to torpedo the constitution because it requires approval by all 25 European Union member states. The treaty is designed to streamline decision-making in the EU.



A "No," particularly by an EU founder, could trigger a political crisis in the bloc, a risk that has prompted France's political leaders and European partners to step up their "Yes" campaign. President Jacques Chirac enters the fray today.



"By rejecting a text which we asked for, inspired and favored, we would inevitably be marginalised," government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper released before publication yesterday.



But discontent with the government's economic and social policies, especially over high unemployment, and opposition to Turkey's possible future entry into the EU are fuelling French voters' scepticism towards the constitution.



Fifty-three percent intended to vote "No" compared to 47 percent who planned to back the treaty, said a BVA institute poll for Le Express newspaper. An Ipsos poll for Le Figaro newspaper and for Europe 1 radio produced the same results.



A CSA institute survey for Le Bleu de Profession Politique newsletter gave the constitution's opponents a bigger lead. Fifty-four percent would vote "No" and 46 percent "Yes," it said.



But the government remained optimistic it could win the referendum.



"I am well placed to know that when it comes to electoral issues, there are no certainties before voting day," said Cope.



Chirac, who will begin campaigning with a widely flagged televised debate with 80 youngsters today, has so far left it to the center-right government to put the case for a "Yes."



He has come under pressure from the opposition Socialists to join the campaign to win over voters.



Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has in the past few weeks highlighted government measures to cut unemployment and maintain people's purchasing power in the hope that voters will be more inclined to vote for the constitution.



Unemployment stood at a five-year high of 10.1 percent of the workforce in February, much higher than the average of 8.9 percent in the 12-nation euro zone.



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Brussels fears crisis if nations vote No



By George Parker in Brussels, Peggy Hollinger in Paris andIan Bickerton in Amsterdam

Published: April 13 2005 20:18 | Last updated: April 13 2005 20:18



Fears are mounting in Brussels of a full-scale European Union crisis in June as officials begin discussing contingency plans in the event of a No vote on the new EU constitution in France or the Netherlands.





Jacques Chirac, French president, will on Thursday night launch his personal campaign to reverse opinion polls, which suggest his country could effectively kill the constitutional treaty in a referendum on May 29.



Even if France votes Yes, senior EU officials are increasingly worried that the Netherlands another founding member of the club could also reject the treaty in its referendum on June 1.



Jean-Claude Juncker, the veteran prime minister of Luxembourg and holder of the rotating EU presidency, is said by officials to be on standby to try to contain a political crisis if either country votes No.



“We may want to issue a political statement quickly to try to limit the damage,” said one senior EU official. “Then we would try to pick up the pieces at the EU summit on June 16-17.”



He said there were no formal contingency plans in place and there were still hopes that both France and the Netherlands would endorse the treaty, which aims to modernise an enlarged union of 25.



The sense of apprehension has been heightened by the fact that the medium-term handling of the crisis would fall to Britain, which takes over the union's presidency on July 1.



Tony Blair, British prime minister, hopes to be re-elected for a third term by then. He has a fractious personal relationship with the French president. Mr Chirac will today attempt to turn the tide in France's increasingly acrimonious debate over the European constitution when he meets 80 young voters in a live televised debate. The French president, who has so far let his government lead the debate, is hoping to give a boost to the Yes campaign, which has struggled in the face of widening opposition to the constitution.



But Mr Chirac's television appearance is far from certain to win over sceptical voters. The most disaffected are those from the left, who fear the constitution threatens employment in France and its social regime.



While the French debate on the constitution is intense, in the Netherlands it is virtually invisible. There is little sign that campaigning in support of the treaty has started in earnest among the Dutch. The treaty appears to be of marginal interest to the media. There have been no national debates and there are few, if any, posters or billboards.



Yes campaigners have warned that this “information vacuum” may lead to a No vote in the Netherlands on June 1.



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There's a axiom that advises "don't shoot the messenger", Galmin - it won't change the tide of bad news....

[RonOnGuitar]

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In the US, we don't elect KKK members to positions of leadership, Galmin

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Gotta partially correct you there, DT. Yes, the thoughtful and decent majority of America wouldn't vote for a KKKer.



But some Democrats do (US Democrats in Swedish political terms = Social Democrats, Liberals, Left Party, etc.).



You know the Democrat leader, Senator Robert Byrd, doncha DT?



Once elected to the Senate, he was appointed the Democrat Party Senate leader.







Image from and more info at:

SENATOR BYRD AND HIS KKK PALS



The overwhelming majority of Americans dismiss such garbage as is emitted by KKKers or Communists.



But in America people can think/speak their viewpoint and our government trusts it's citizens to handle such freedom.

Galmin is not used to living in that same political paradigm.



The governments in Europe don't trust the masses. E.G. If someone writes or says what we in the US might call "politically incorrect", the government cracks down on the person.



The fear is that if the European masses hear X.Y or Z, they will immediately riot in the streets, burn down buildings and axe-murder one another in an emotional frenzy.



Hence the plethora of thought-crime and speech limitations to be found throughout Europe. The "leaders" are trying to protect the Europeans from themselves. They don't trust their own citizenry with free speech.



Conversely here we take free speech for granted as a basic component of democracy.



And as Galmin knows, Sweden imposes some of the most severe anti-democratic limitations and restrictions on thought & speech.



By way of an example:

An old Swedish pastor was charged with a "hate crime" for a sermon in which he noted the fact the Bible condemns sexual immorality, including homosexuality.



The pastor, Ake Green, said in his sermon

"What these people need, who live under the slavery of sexual immorality, is an abundant grace. It exists. Therefore we will encourage those who live in this manner to look at the grace of Jesus Christ. We cannot condemn these people. Jesus never belittled anyone. He offered them grace."



Of course - here in the US - if we disagree with a pastor's sermon, we don't listen to it. That's basic, good ol' USA common sense! Or a person can leave the building, change the channel, etc. In America, people have the freedom to speak and people have the freedom to ignore.



In the case here the Swedish government has been trying for years to imprison him for saying something that apparently upset some homosexual person(s). (Prob the bulk of Swedish bureacrarcy, one wonders?)



In Green's most recent court appeal, the court - in a rare display of common sense - found in his favor. But the Swedish government is still trying to convict and imprison Green.



(Hmmmm...maybe it is a "dream world" utopia if the most heinious crime is some old, country pastor's sermon! hahahaha!)



To Americans, used to democracy as we are, government limiting free speech is bad enough, but government persecution for having and expressing religious beliefs is even more appalling!

Especially since that's precisely why our founders set up shop here - to get away from the European government's dictating speech and those same govt's choosing which religious beliefs it's people are allowed to have/express.



All in all such things serve to remind me of how fotunate we are to live in a nation where we have a diverse "marketplace of ideas"! We hear things we agree with, things we don't agree with and all stops in between!



Info on Ake Green from one religious freedom - human rights group:

Sweden - Criminalizing Religious Speech - Ake Green

[Galmin]

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(US Democrats in Swedish political terms = Social Democrats, Liberals, Left Party, etc.)

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Oh yes, the US democratic party equals the Social Democrats in Sweden. You don't know much, do you?

[Galmin]

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There's a axiom that advises "don't shoot the messenger", Galmin - it won't change the tide of bad news....

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I dont, I shoot the one adding a hugely misleading comment at the top of the first post mainly containing a pasted article or giving an article a header that have absolutely nothing to do with the article itself. It's your Modus Operandi. Congratulations.

[Galmin]

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Gotta partially correct you there, DT.

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Aha. Well, it's a good thing David Duke didn't win aswell or DT would be wrong twice.

[DreamTone7]

Well....I stand corrected, and somewhat shocked. But, stranger things have happened.



Europe seems quite the oppressive place to live, Ron...compared to here, anyway. Makes one glad to live here where we don't have to worry about such things.

[Galmin]

The fact that an opposition to EU does not by far equal opposition to the proposed EU constitution is probably just one mere detail for you too keep track of when typing the text, though by leaving it out you try to create a report of a situation (based on real journalism) that does not exist.



Hard to keep on topic, Ron?



Even I could start a thread about how the failure to legislate this and that in the US has put the US on a brink of a new civil war. It wouldn't have an ounce of truth in it and when someone points the craters of flaws, I could always switch and talk about something completely different in order to avoid the confrontation, that would make us alike. I prefer, however, to be different from you in that regard. Each to his own.

[Galmin]