Most Excellent News
It isn’t difficult to recognize European nations are a horrible cesspool of leftist nonsense, from “Social Democracy” (socialism, to the Yanks) to inane political correctness.
However, the last few years have seen stirrings of sanity on the Continent- the Christian Democrats have won back seats in many nations, and various other rightist parties have come to power, both locally and nationally, often in countries long thought lost to leftist idiocy, such as the Netherlands. Even the Tories, in stark decline since the days of the Iron Lady, have regained some ground.
The latest news? France has rejected the EU Constitution, effectively terminating that gigantic mistake for the foreseeable future. Unless, as when Ireland rejected an EU “proposal” a few years back, the EU angrily makes the French vote again and again until it obtains the desired result.
Sort of like how Democrats treat ballot counting in the U.S….
Clam!
Good to see you guesting!
It’s hard to get too upset with anything that embarrasses Jacques Chirac. But many are expressing the argument that the vote is anti-capitalist and pro-socialist; i.e. the EU is too pro-capitalist for our good friends the French.
What do you say to this argument?
Patterico (e1f9fc) — 5/29/2005 @ 7:19 pmYou may be misreading the results. Methinks the real answer may lie with the socialists. The French are just too happy with their nanny state and it’s hammock.
The socialists won big.
10ksnooker (26027c) — 5/29/2005 @ 7:20 pmThe French leaving the EU and staying in France will enhance both cultures.
Ladainian (91b3b2) — 5/29/2005 @ 7:33 pmBut many are expressing the argument that the vote is anti-capitalist and pro-socialist; i.e. the EU is too pro-capitalist for our good friends the French.
The article I linked for my own post about this, quoted a “Vote Non” poster as arguing against a “free-market” Europe.
Anyone who thinks the EU constitution was going to create a “free-market” Europe needs to be Darwinned.
McGehee (acc74b) — 5/29/2005 @ 7:48 pmThat’s true, the socialists in France opposed the EU treaty because it would doom some of their particularly commie programs in that nation.
However, the French right, including Jean Marie Le Pen, also were in opposition to the treaty. Keep in mind that Le Pen, regardless of your opinions of him, polled higher than the Socialist candidate in the last French election, so he has a roughly equal base of support upon which to draw for a “no” vote.
Finally, regardless of the motives of your typical French voter, who, after all, had been urged to vote for this treaty to stick it to the Americans with an EU superstate, that same French voter has set back the socialist agenda embodied in the EU constitution by at least a decade. We do have to thank him for that.
Angry Clam (f05866) — 5/29/2005 @ 9:55 pmI wrote to No Pasaran for a take on whether the internet had something to do with it. French use of the web is now 60%, up from near zero four years ago. They, exactly like us, have a monolithic Left Wing press, government controlled left wing TV, and it could be that many of them found out that they are being lied to.
I agree that there is no way they don’t want more welfare goodies, not less; a shorter work week, and lower unemployment. There is probably a political party that will guarantee all that. AND an aircraft carrier that won’t sink.
Howard Veit (baba22) — 5/30/2005 @ 7:16 amFrench Reject EU Constitution – So What?
While the vote probably spells the political doom of Jacques Chirac, will his replacement be any better? Chirac is a mealy-mouthed blowhard but I think if you look around at the Western Europe leadership, you will see that all of the Western Europea…
Mark in Mexico (59ce3a) — 5/30/2005 @ 10:11 amThe French people in the countryside, the only ones with a French culture left to preserve, voted to preserve their culture against globalists and the open borders crowd who would have flooded France with unassimilable aliens from all over Europe. Just like the Republicrats are trying to do in America.
It doesn’t sit well, does it?
Neither the Republicrat NAFTA folks who sponsor an invasion of America with illegal immigrant labor, nor the EU bureaucrats who sponsor a similar invasion of France by poor Eastern Europeans, Turks and the like, are willing to face the truth.
We working class folks aren’t as bright as you college-educated boys and girls with your graphs and charts and efficiencies and plans to save the world, but we know what we know and we love what we love, and we don’t want to be submerged, drowned, globalized and crushed because it will maximize profits. And tell your boy Bush to call off his immigrant invasion and his new NAFTA laws. He go our voe the last time becaue he was fighting for is country. If he keeps this amnesty and free trade bullcrap up he ain’t gonna get ’em the next time.
Big Bill (2eddb3) — 5/30/2005 @ 2:37 pmNow, although I agree with everything Big Bill says, I feel compelled to also ask “what next time will W need our votes?”
Angry Clam (f05866) — 5/30/2005 @ 6:37 pm