Euro at Seven-Month Low After French Vote

VOTE NO!!!It cant work. its a waste of time . how can it work? we are all different , we all have different cultures . we do things differently so how can it work? how can you expect english to do the same as french for example? its not possible . its all a load of pipe dreams

I have NO idea what was being voted on
I know it was the EU's first constition or whatever but dont know exaclty what it was
Guess I will find out if we ever have to vote

Ok, before I give my opinion, let me get a few things straight.

- I'm very surprised to see people like Alex or Keeper fall for easy generalisations such as the "no" voters are idiots that didn't read the text. It's wrong and unfair to say this. I have close ones that are as pro-european as can be, far from idiots, they read the text and yet voted against it. Do you actually think the "yes" voters read it? Did you?

- Valery Giscard d'Estaing didn't write the text. He directed the group of European representatives from all EU countries that wrote the text. Huge difference.

- The French prime minister is chosen by the President among the members of the the political party that holds the majority of deputy seats in the National Assembly. The Front National, Le Pen's party, has 0 seats. It also has 0 seats in the Senate. Clear enough?

- This result and it's consequences are being way overblown by politicians and the media. France has said no, the Dutch are very likely to say no, the UK probably will say no, and possibly other countries as well. This means it's highly probable that more than a third of Europeand voters will reject this text. Typically, a Constitution needs a 2/3 majority to be accepted. There's nothing outrageous about this result. Constitutions are written to be accepted or rejected by the people. Some have been rejected in the past with no particular political, social or economical consequence. They've been re-worked and re-voted, sometimes more then twice before being accepted. That's the way a democracy works.

5 Reasons for the French to vote "no"
1 - This version of the text is too liberal / has not enough social garanties.
2 - France would lose more of it's cultural identity, becoming another state in a vast federation.
3 - The political campaign was unfair. The media strangely awarding more space and time for the "yes" side.
4 - The political, economical and social situation in France is not good, it was a way to sanction yet again a government that has lost 3 elections since it was put in place and still persists with it's politic.
5 - A "no" would end negociations with Turkey for it to become a member. Are so some people thought.

5 Reasons for the French to vote "yes"
1- This text represented at last a step further to make Europe more accessible to it's citizens, and to carry on a long process that has brought peace and development.
2 - France can't defend it's interests alone.
3 - A "no" would weaken France's position in the EU.
4 - The global context with US imperialism and the rise of China and India makes it the wrong moment to dismantle a union.
5 - The solutions to France's economical and social problems need the EU to get solved.

Now for my opinion on the matter:

I wasn't allowed to vote as I registered too late at the French Consulate in Montreal, but would have voted "no" and here's why :

1 - I believe a constitution must be written by the people for the people. Even if I'm aware that it would be impossible to have written by the people, European leaders should have thought of a way to consult European citizens during the writing process. A least ask us what issues we wanted it to address, if not how to address them. They didn't.

2 - My parents sent me an issue of the text. I started reading it, ended up skipping parts I didn't care about or failed to understand clearly and came down to this conclusion :
- I'm considered a citizen of higher education in my country. If I can't get it, how can people with lesser education or political and law knowledge get it? For the people? No, for Brussel officials. I'm not answering a question I do not understand with a blind "yes".
- The parts I cared about, read and understood (Social issues, environment, foreign policy) were either absent, vague or opposed my beliefs. Can't accept that.

3 - While debates with family and friends and forum posters were cool and healthy, the political campaign has been a parody. Lies all over the place, media priviledges for one side, manipulation of people with fear, etc... I'm not giving these guys the keys of the house when they can't get their facts straight in their room.

4 - The French "no" politicians were from all sides, not only Le Pen's, ALL sides, dividing one of the most powerful parties in France. If so many people, many of which I don't usually agree with though I acknowledge the sincerityof their thoughts, from so many different sides, sometimes risking their political future, think there is something wrong with the text, then something must be wrong.
In the meanwhile, the "yes" supporters were the same that have been disappointing us throughout the last couple of decades.

5 - Only 10 of the 25 members have organised a referendum. In my book, the day the EU constitution will be accepted, it will be through 25 referendums with a global 2/3 participation and majority needed, if possible on the same day. Until then, the people will not have spoken.

5 - I hesitated a lot because of the global context, the fact that it might be better than nothing... But in the end it was also a chance to say that it is the people's word that counts and that if we had been consulted before on more EU issues, we'd be more enthusiast about the whole project.

6 - A French "no", even if we were the one and only country to reject the text, wouldn't be a catastrophy for France or Europe. Look at the UK, they have a foot on the continent and the other one in Washington, they're out of the Euro zone, yet are they going through hell? has the EU collapsed because of it?
This project needs time and application, it will move further. I'm sure a European Constitution will be accepted one day, by France and all other members, and I'll be happy that day.

Long live France, long live Europe, and long live Democracy.

Peace everyone.

Ponrauil

Well you guys could start with learning how to read, write and count. And drive. And cook. And have sex... And...

Yeah, pipe dreams indeed.

Easy one but I had to...

Ponrauil

I'm getting back on the rest of your text later on, but I wanted to make it clear that it wasn't me who thinks all no voters are idiots: it's the main idea over here in Holland (even from our ministers). However, I've heard the most idiotic reasons for a vote coming from no voters, such as 'the eurovision song contest were all about politics, the constitution of the EU won't be much better'. Er? Hello?

Furthermore, I didn't read the whole text, but I've read parts of it. And I thinks it's pretty safe to say that I read more about it than the majority of people over here. Which doesn't make me better, but makes me not coming with idiotic reasons such as described above.

I know also people who are very intelligent, read a lot about the constitution and still voted no. Which is ok for me, since they obviously thought it over. The majority however, didn't. I'm pretty certain about that.

haha but its us that drive on the right side of the road :P

Sorry to tell you this, but you're the ones that drive on the left... The rest of the world drives on the right side.

Ice

No in india we drive left(mainly coz of british influnce)... and i think lot of asian countries they drive left side... But in middle east we drive on right side...

Thanks ! I didn't want to take part in this debate but what you wrote is exactly what i would have loved to write ! but it's so long to explain and difficult to find the words in english

People think they KNOW, but they don't know how bad the situation is in France.

Some think french said no for "wrong reasons" but the reason to say no for someone is maybe not the same as his neighbour's .... it's a personal decision and each person has his own reasons.



Can't wait for the dutch vote ....

Thank you for your thoughts.

I am also of the opinion that it was not a vote against Europe but just against this specific paper, and the media, well, we should know how they work by now.
I haven't read the document so I won't judge about it. I just think it is nothing wrong with voting NO when it doesn't meet one's standards.

BUT on the other hand I am afraid that the majority voted NO not because they don't like the contents but because they don't like a European Constitution at all, like I think it will be with the cranks from the UK.

A European Constitution is important, there is no way around it. Vote NO when you're not happy with the majority of its contents, but please not for false patriotism.