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00288: France rejects shit

From: jllortega(at)andorra.ad
Date: Mon, 30 May 2005 12:42:53 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: France rejects shit

I suppose the result of the referendum in France is open to all sort of
interpretations, and there will be certainly no lack of them around in the
next days. However, one thing seems sure to me, nationalists has won
against European and World Federalist as myself. By nationalism I
understand the attitude to preserve all kind of decision power within the
nation state in the interest first of all of its inhabitants. By European
and World federalism I understand the attitude to transfer some level of
sovereignty upwards to more global parliaments and governmental bodies in
interest of all people across countries.

People have voted perhaps because of socio-economic or ideological
considerations, but the objective result is that nations states are going
to keep power in the future that the new constitution timidly transferred
upwards.

This is not to say that the proposed constitution was flawless or even a
particularly good one, but it remains to be seen how future changes will
improve it. There is no single reason for the refusal,.different people
have voted for different reasons. So, the most likely scenario in my view
is a reform of the proposal in the nationalist sense outlined above.

The USA among others will be happy without the possibility of a strong
European Union that could provide some counterbalance to its undisputed
ruling of the world. Countries waiting for entry into the European Union
must be wondering why they are not welcomed, because the other likely
result is that with the old (now current) political structures the
European Union will not so easily expand. And the many countries within
the European area of influence will be dismayed.

Nevertheless, nothing is an absolute catastrophe and perhaps I am wrong
and the result of the referendum will be for the best. In any case, as a
direct democrat I prefer this result from a referendum than an approval by
parliaments as in other countries.

By the way, I find the expression shit as applied to the proposal of
constitution completely inappropriate. There has been talk about
masturbation and shit. I wonder what this language adds except to
propitiate quarrel instead of discussion.

Josep Ll. Ortega



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