Sunday, May 29th 2005
No EU -> No more Chirac?
The French people have apparently decided not to ratify the EU Constitution:
French voters rejected the European Union’s first constitution Sunday, a stinging repudiation of President Jacques Chirac’s leadership and the ambitious, decades-long effort to further unite the continent.
Chirac, who urged voters to approve the charter, announced the result in a brief, televised address. He said the process of ratifying the treaty would continue in other EU countries.
“It is your sovereign decision, and I take note,” Chirac said. “Make no mistake, France’s decision inevitably creates a difficult context for the defense of our interests in Europe.”
With 92 percent of votes counted, the treaty was rejected by 56.14 percent of voters, the Interior Ministry said. It was supported by 43.86 percent.
Treaty opponents chanting “We won!” gathered at Paris’ Place de la Bastille, a symbol of rebellion where angry crowds in 1789 stormed the Bastille prison and sparked the French Revolution. Cars blared their horns and “no” campaigners thrust their arms into the air.
Apparently, the conservative party leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who campaigned vigorously for the constitution’s defeat, has called for President Jacques Chirac’s resignation.
Chirac “wanted to gamble … and he has lost,” Le Pen said, alluding to Chirac’s decision not to submit the charter to sure approval by parliament. The EU constitution can be adopted either by a referendum or a nation’s legislature.
So, I have two talking points - Would Le Pen be Chirac’s replacement, and, if so, how would that affect relations with the US? Secondly, how will the fact that France isn’t entering the EU affect the economy of Europe and the rest of the world?
If anyone could start some discussion on this that would be great …
From the little that I know about French politics, I can tell you that Le Pen is most definitely not a mainstream conservative. You might not believe it, I couldn’t at first, but Chirac is actually part of the center-right coalition in France. Le Pen is part of the far-right European ultra-nationalist movement that really has no counterpart in the United States (and hopefully will never). Pat Buchanan is like a hippie compared to these people. They are violently opposed to immigration (openly xenophobic), capitalism, and globalization. Le Pen also opposed the Iraq War and had a close relationship with Saddam Hussein. He would certainly be no friend to America.
Today’s “No” vote was mostly supported by the far right and far left (Marxists). This isn’t to say that it was the wrong decision. I like this blog for UK/European issues: Samizdata. These bloggers are comprised of the Margaret Thatcher style of British conservatism and libertarianism. Their consensus is that France made the right decision for the wrong reasons. See:
So basically, France opposes the EU because it is not socialist enough, while the UK opposes it because it is too socialist. It wil be interesting to watch how this story develops.
Also, this woman is probably France’s only hope. She’s one of the few pro-American and pro-capitalism political leaders. She’s around our age and she already has quite a following. Let’s wish her luck; she’s gonna need it.
Comment by patr — 5/30/2005 @ 1:34 am
Here are some good Wikipedia links for further research:
General French Politics
Le Pen
National Front [his political party]
Comment by patr — 5/30/2005 @ 1:37 am
“It is your sovereign decision, and I take note,” Chirac said. “Make no mistake, France’s decision inevitably creates a difficult context for the defense of our interests in Europe.”
I certainly hope that’s a translation or context issue. I hope France’s leader doesn’t refer to France’s elections as “your” decisions.
Comment by B.A.D. — 5/30/2005 @ 4:28 pm