BBC Analysis (May 29): What 'Non' means in French EU referendum

[Jack Rabbit]

From the BBC Online
Dated Sunday May 29

What 'Non' means
Analysis
By Kirsty Hughes
Writer on European and international affairs

right to be nervous about the outcome of the French referendum on the EU's constitution.

The No from France is likely to plunge the EU into an unprecedented crisis.

It reflects a variety of factors:

• Dissatisfaction with the current French government
• Worries (mostly misplaced) that the constitution moves the EU in an "Anglo-Saxon" direction economically
• General concerns at the development of the EU, especially a perceived reduction of France's influence in the enlarged Union
• Concerns at possible future membership of Turkey in the EU.

But whatever the mixture of reasons, the French "No" means that, for the first time, a large founder member has directly opposed the current process of European integration.

Read more.

[ananda]

1. good

Good for the people of France.

They just said no to the creeping encroachments of corporo-fascism.

The question is: will that "non" actually stop it?

Sue

[xchrom]

2. they gave american corporate facists what they wanted.

i'm not saying there isn't reason for concern by the french people -- but make no mistake -- neocons and corporatist over here are toasting this outcome.

[Jack Rabbit]

3. Ananda and Xchrom have laid out the good news/bad news of this

First the bad news: the European Union offers a counterweight to US economic hegemony. This hegemony is characterized by global economic dominance of large, privately-owned corporations that are not responsible to the people who work for them, consume their products or live in the vicinity of their production plants. The primary concern of the corporation is for profits and worker safety, living wages, environmental health and even the quality of their product are of secondary concern. The corporation will maintain these secondary concerns only so long as they do not infringe on the primary concern.

Currently, this economic power structure is centered in the United States of America, which also seeks to maintain hegemony in political and military spheres. The day may be approaching, if it is not already here, when any nation or group of nation seeking to compete with "US interests" in any sphere must seek permission to do so or be crushed. Such concentrated power can only be an infringement on freedom.

The French vote will make it less likely that a European Union will be able to challenge the US while there is still time.

The good news: It is more than a little likely that in many ways the European Union would be a mirror of the US model, that is, a economic power dominated by large, privately-owned corporations that would be every bit as irresponsible as their American counterparts. Furthermore, to maintain such a system would require military and political power that would be a detriment to freedom and human rights. This model has been rejected.

The question is can a humanize model, based on real social democracy and a dispersion of wealth and power, rise to take the place of the imperial capitalist model?