OK lads.
I know politics is a touchy affair but I have this concern in the back of my mind for quite a few weeks already (like a good lot of the frenchies currently). Sorry but I couldn't resist.
The story:
There's a big process going on in Europe right now. Some politicians have written a draft for a Constitution for the EU, with the goals of giving Europe more political power (for it was merely until now, only an "economic" power. Not a political one). The text is written, and now all the member states are required to approve it, either by votes of their parliament or by a popular referendum.
A few of these states so far have approved it, most of them by parliamentary means (meaning that the people has not been consulted for that). Only Spain had a referendum so far : the spanish population approved the text, sort of... but with 60% abstention. 9_9
Sunday the French people are required to vote. It's our turn.
Our president (who is a VERY notoriously crafty liar, guess what - if he hadn't been re-elected last time, he'd be in trouble with the justice right now) thought that it would have been a good idea to ask the french people instead of making our parliament approve the text discretely : he was expecting a plebiscite, and that would have been somewhat good for his fame too. Unfortunately for him, the recent polls show about 52% of intents for a NO and 48% for a YES to the "European Constitution" text.
What they probably didn't expect was that the french would actually read it before voting I guess.
I will vote no, and I will explain why. After that, I'd like to hear your opinion. Because it's an affair concerning the Union as a whole, and not just france.
This subject has been so important for me that I had written down a list of arguments and sent them by email to every frenchman I know. Here's a translated version.
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Europe, does that ring a bell to you ? A big and beautiful Europe full of happy people inside, does it ? Well, this does for me, and it happens that we're not talking enough about it. For the first time in the history of mankind, nations are willing to unite altogether willingfully, peacefully, without firing a single cannon, and we are about to grant ourselves a constitution - a CON-STI-TU-TION - and there is no debate ! There is no discussion ! The 29th May will be voted one of the most important referendums in our history in the middle of an astounding silence !
Then there are two possibilities. Either the answer to the question we are asked is so obvious that it would be useless, ridiculous, or even frankly awkward to debate it with real arguments, or else nobody gives a shit.
Of course, one can very well let things go on alone, and not give a shit at all, i.e. exempt oneself to "make politics", because politics is a boring thing : it comes down to exempting oneself of dealing with one's own business. Very well. If you are in that case, no need to continue reading beyond that paragraph. Follow the herd, graze conscientiously and bleat when you are told to. The twentieth century has suffered from 2 ideological dictatorships, which happened exactly like that ; but that's the past, of course, it cannot happen anymore ; democracy is forever granted. Let's forget quickly Nuremberg in the 30's and these thousand people raising the arm, screaming salutes loud enough to make the sky collapse.
Europe deserves better than that.
What is the point ? The point is to tell whether we allow our parliament to grant its agreement to the "Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe". Concretely : some folks laid a text for us and we are asked to agree on it.
About giving a constitution to Europe, everyone agrees. Europe NEEDS a constitution. But hold on a bit before voting THAT text, folks, and let's at least take the time to take a closer look ! Have you seen the implications ?
For myself, I've just read it. Okay, right. Not completely. In fact I COULD NOT finish it. I admit. At least I hope to have managed to understand the essential. But even in spite of that, there is in this project (our Constitution) at least FOUR monumental aberrations, that concern ALL the political opinions, and I believe it is of the duty of a citizen to discuss about it. It is MANDATORY.
Successively:
1. A CONSTITUTION, the people establish it by electing a CONSTITUTIVE assembly, whose purpose is JUST THAT, and that is disbanded JUST AFTER. Here, this text has been written ARBITRARILY, by men who are ALREADY in power, and validates dispositions established for fifty years by THEMSELVES.
2. A Constitution, by defining a legal boundary by the citizens FOR their government, shall thus be READABLE.
This text is TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY PAGES LONG (without the annexes !), which makes it perfectly UNREADABLE. For comparison, the length of the Constitution of the United States of America is merely 20 pages long. I defy you to claim that you've read it, that text we're supposed to give our approval to.
3. A Constitution shall be REVISABLE. This one is NOT : to change the slightest comma, you have to gather the unanimity of ALL the governments of Europe (25 states!), then the unanimity of ALL their people (by referendum or by a vote from their parliament). Put it another way, it is not a Constitution, it is a STRAIT JACKET.
4. A Constitution must be a NEUTRAL text. This text is POLITICALLY ORIENTED : even the politicians in their speeches confess it shamelessly, this Constitution is about defining the "rules of the game" : monetary policy, financial policy, defense policy, everything. That it be liberal, nazi, bolshevik or stalinian is not the question ! It is PARTISAN.
Now, discussion:
(because the forum would not allow me to post the whole text I will develop each point in a separate post).