Fear of the European Union

Wednesday, June 1, 2005
Reverend de Jong voting on the ratification of the proposed EU constitution.
With France voting NO for the ratification of the EU Constitution, a spotlight now follows the current voting on the same issue in the Netherlands. The world is expecting the Dutch to follow suit with the French, although not necessarily for all the same reasons.

The constitution of the EU grants more power to the developing centralized EU government in Brussels. Many fear that this will lead to a diminishing role of their own “state” governments and in turn cause upheaval in local economy and agriculture. The Dutch “no” that is expected results from fear that an EU constitution would further influence the standard of living and the cost of living – both issues that also arose with the replacement of the Dutch guilder with the Euro. Another fear common to all member states in the EU is a loss of personal identity caused by a centralized government. The Dutch want to remain distinctly Dutch, and the French want to remain distinctly French. Finally, there is fear of the de-democratization of the European states as a small political upper class gain more power in Brussels.
Posted by Jonathan Spalink in Business and Society at 13:45 | Leave a comment | Trackback
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Europe’s Statist Nightmare — Beginning of the End?

Wednesday, June 1, 2005
Voters in France have rejected the EU constitution, with the Dutch expected to follow suit today. The arrogance and centralizing tendencies of the European political class may finally have hit a roadblock. “The clearest lesson of the failed referendum is that Europe’s governing elite has suffered a tremendous defeat, a symptom of its growing democratic deficit,” writes Kishore Jayabalan, director of Acton’s Rome office.

Read the full text here.
Posted by Jonathan Spalink in Business and Society at 11:32 | Comments (4) | Trackback (1)
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