Monday, May 30, 2005
The French reject the constitution of the European Union
People often do the right thing for the wrong reasons...
... as well as the right ones...The "no" vote was urged by a disparate array of forces, including the far-right of Jean-Marie Le Pen, nationalist Eurosceptics, Communists and Trotskyists, dissident Socialists under former prime minister Laurent Fabius, and anti-globalisation groups ...
Many ordinary voters caught the message that the constitution would open up France to cheap competition from eastern Europe and lead to "dumping" as norms of social protection are dragged downwards. Some saw a "no" vote as a way of blocking Turkish entry to the EU, even though the issue is not in the text....
...it is also clear that many voters used the referendum to punish his [Chirac's] government -- which they blame for 10.2 percent unemployment, falling real wages and the crisis of confidence in the country's future... [AFP]
