European Constitution

In France the “No” Has Won

This Orwellian constitution was soundly rejected in France. The 105 bureaucrats who spent years writing it were no Montesquieu or Hamilton. The text is so boring, so badly written, so long (485 pages for the online version) that when you start reading it you keep forgetting what you read on the preceding pages.

Moreover, this text appears farcical today since there are no clear provisions as to what will happen if one or more countries (see the Netherlands vote) reject this Constitution.

The bureaucrats’ arrogance was such that they only mention the possibility of “difficulties of approval by one or more states”! “Plain Yes or No is all you need to say; anything beyond that comes from the devil.” (Matthew 5, 37)

There is no better way to get close to the real thoughts of a bureaucratic “Elite” than by analysing their writings. You will not be surprised to know that there are no such words as wisdom, truth, not to mention God in this text but hundreds of ECB (European Central Bank), market, free market etc. Even for inrooting or roots there is only one reference in an annex at the end of the text concerning “vegetables, plants, roots and other alimentary tubercles.”

John Vinocur, Bill Kristol and others were rejoicing after this French rejection. Their joy has nothing to do with ours. They cannot stand Chirac or Schroeder because they refused to contribute to the Iraqi enterprise. Vinocur looked annoyed anyway that Angela Merkel, Schroeder’s would be successor “avoided any pledge to help the United States in Iraq with troops” (International Herald Tribune, 31st May 2005). They may be disappointed in the future, too, with their French darling Nicolas Sarkosy.

I have an idea, as it is obvious now that there is a huge gap between the People and the “Elites”, that more than 90% of the French parliament would have approved the Constitution. Let us keep our troops at home and send the “Elites” – Bill Kristol, John Vinocur and the likes – to the front lines in Baghdad.

J.C. Manifacier, Montpellier, France