The "Nons," "Neens," and "No's" have It

Fire of Liberty

According to The Times, It seems the various leaders in France have thrown up their hands in disgust after their failed efforts to sway the French voters into the "Yes" column on the EU Constitution referendum. Just look at what the future President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, has to say about the upcoming referendum:

THE leader of France'’s ruling party has privately admitted that Sunday'’s referendum on the European constitution will result in a "no" vote, throwing Europe into turmoil.

"The thing is lost,"” Nicolas Sarkozy told French ministers during an ill-tempered meeting. "“It will be a little "‘no" or a big "‘no’," he was quoted as telling Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the Prime Minister, whom he accused of leading a feeble campaign.

Along with Sarkozy noting the failure of the government to promote the EU Constitution, you also have others from the "Yes" campaign offering recriminations against the government. Probably the most noted critic of France's failed "Yes" campaign is "the father" of the EU Constitution, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who noted to a French newspaper:

"Our current leaders are of course believers in the idea of Europe but in their heart of hearts they are not men and women who are inspired by an European feeling."

You know that all is lost in the promotion of the EU Constitution when its supporters start pulling out their knives and start attacking each other. Instead of taking down each other down over the Constitution and its ill-fated demise, maybe these elites of France should admit that maybe the people of France know something more than they do. The people of France as well as all other people in their respected nations are generally predisposed to like the way their national parliaments and leaders make key decisions on issues like the economy and the everyday functions of their government than another nation applying their will on them.

In the past weeks I've come across opinion columns and articles that have discussed the various reasons why France, Holland and Britain are opposed to the EU Constitution. In France you have this overwhelming opposition based on the fear that the Constitution would de-calcify the purely socialist economy through the "Anglo" inspired economic liberalism (The truth of the matter is that this would help rather than harm but no matter, this is what the French voters wanted and got by electing socialists), the Dutch and the British are opposed to joining any entity that ties their hands and places their nation under the will of an omnipotent supranational power like the unelected bureaucrats in Brussels. What this all boils down to is a fight for the preservation of a nation and its people's sovereignty. When a nation cannot conduct its rightful and lawful business on the behalf of its people because another entity supersedes its decisions, you eventually cease to become a nation. The French, Dutch and Brits are proud of their nationality and will walk through hell with a can of gasoline before they would ever renounce them for the sake of an United States of Europe. I hope the people of these nations come through for the sake of their nations and the current configuration of Europe that the World has been accustomed to.

To get a further explanation of this fight for sovereignty that is occurring throughout the various nations of Europe, check out George Will's most recent column. It's a good read.