Thread: Dutch Vote on European Union Constitution

Jun 1, 2005

Dutch Vote on European Union Constitution
By Toby Sterling
Associated Press Writer


AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - The Dutch voted in their first national referendum on Wednesday, choosing whether to accept a proposed European Union constitution. Polls indicated the Netherlands would be the second country in four days to reject the idea.

Recent surveys have shown almost 60 percent of voters will say no to the proposal. Following France's rejection of the charter on Sunday, a Dutch repudiation would leave Europe's leaders with no clear backup plan for what to do when two of the 25-nation union's members say they won't approve the new ground rules.

"Let's not let ourselves be led by polls," Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said Tuesday in a last-minute plea for a yes vote. "Let's hope that when they're in the voting booth, people think about all the people that say this constitution would be a positive development."

Dutch supporters - including both Balkenende's conservative government and the main opposition Labor Party - say the constitution would streamline decision making in the union and create a single foreign minister to give Europe more sway in international affairs.

The referendum is nonbinding, but Dutch leaders have pledged to accept it as long as the result is clear and turnout is above 30 percent.

"I think it's a good thing if there's a strong Europe," said Jaena Padberg, an early yes voter outside a busy voting station at a community school in Amsterdam. "It's good that our rights will be secured."

Opponents fear that the Netherlands, a nation of just 16 million, will be engulfed by a superstate headquartered in Brussels and dominated by Germany, France and Britain.
That could mean the end of liberal Dutch policies such as tolerating marijuana use, prostitution and euthanasia.

Still other voters will say no to voice their discontent with the unpopular Dutch government. Many here are angry about price increases that followed the introduction of the euro in 2002, and some fear that Turkey will soon be admitted to the union, worsening tensions between Dutch Muslims and the non-Muslim majority. "In other countries that are going to join human rights are not as well protected as they are here," said no voter Mika Gruschke.

"Things are going too fast," said no voter Maarten Pijnenburg. "There's not enough control over the power of European politicians" under the new constitution, he said.

Jort Kelder, editor of the Dutch business and style magazine Quote, said politicians were reaping what they have sown.

"People see that they were bamboozled" by the price rises after the introduction of the euro, he said. A no vote "will be a success for democracy, but a drama for the constitution."
Balkenende repeated that a Dutch no would not mean that politicians would resign. In France, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin resigned and was replaced by interior minister Dominique de Villepin in the aftermath of the rejection.

Some analysts expect Dutch "no" voters to be emboldened by the outcome in France, since the Dutch will avoid the stigma of casting a lone veto.

But Peter Kanne, of the TNS Nipo polling agency, said the French "won't be a decisive factor" on the turnout. "Mainly, people will do what they intended to do anyway," he said in a telephone interview. TNS predicted 59 percent of Dutch will vote no, versus 55 percent in France.

Turnout was expected to be far below the 70 percent seen in France, and several Dutch walking past the voting station in Amsterdam said they wouldn't vote.

"I don't understand the contents of the constitution and I promise you I'm not the only one," said Mohammed Sali.

Aurore Wanlin, an analyst with the London-based Center for European Reform, said the EU leaders meeting in Brussels in mid-June are unlikely to pronounce the treaty dead.

But "when two member founding states vote no, it looks like a big crisis," she said.

So far, nine countries have ratified the constitution: Austria, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Slovenia by votes of their parliaments; and Spain by a referendum.

Efforts to ratify the treaty will continue, in the hope that the French and Dutch remain the only members to shun the treaty by the time the process ends in October 2006.

AP-ES-06-01-05 0643EDT

This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBZ8JLFF9E.html

THANK YOU NETHERLANDS FOR DEFEATING THE EU CONSTITUION LAST WEEK!

It's taken me awhile to find this but a friend helped me and here it is:

"De geweldige baan stemming beneden in de EU Grondwet"

"Great Job Voting Down EU Constitution"

We stand with you against Globalism and Constitutional UNIONS.

We stand with you for Freedom, Democracy, Constitutional INDEPENDENCE and National Sovereignty!!

Many are apparently wondering what the Americans are doing?

Well, we are abit embarassed to admit that "we just found out"!!

But, we're mad as heck and THIS WILL NOT FLY HERE!!

We are not "merging" with anyone; We are not "converging" with anyone; We are not "combining nations" with anyone; We are going to defend and protect our borders, our sovereign territory, and trade as friends with other Nations....not become part of them for money.

WE Are the Americans!!

And we are AWAKE and ON THE TASK!!

Am I wrong or does it look like this whole EU idea is coming apart?

W

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

Am I wrong or does it look like this whole EU idea is coming apart?

W

I hope it is, its sad to see all these people giving up their history, culture, etc by being in the EU and "one nation, one Europe" crap ... thats like what Hitler wanted, except he also wanted the whole world.

ChrisF--what Hitler wanted is also what the proponents of the EU want. World domination. Consolidatin of nations like the EU and what Bush is trying to do with CAFTA, NAFTA and Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA).

I believe the europeans already see they were sold a bag of goods. Except for the countries where their Parliaments owned by these multi-national corporations, the only country to have approved it by Referendum is Spain, whose President told them, "you don't need to read it" referring to the 475 page EU Constitution. Ours is only 15 pages by contrast.

EU Constitution is dead IMHO. It needed France, Great Britain and the Netherlands to make it. They've set the tone.

Lets be as smart and kill CAFTA, FTAA and the ever so sneaky, Security and Prosperity Partnership (combining nations with Canada and Mexico).

Lets end it now.