In Ancient Greece, democracy meant: "Rule by the people".
Democracy, yes! But without the people
Wednesday 24 January 2007
German Chancelor Angela Merkel is multiplying the means of pressure to get the Constitutional zombie, uh… body ratified by the bad pupils of the class. Altogether, eighteen Member States have ratified the Constitution, but nine are still missing. Since the French and Dutch referenda, the UK, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Czech Republic, Ireland and Denmark have postponed indefinitely the planned referenda or parliamentary ratification. Keen on getting things moving, Mrs. Merkel has insisted during her speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 17th January that any further enlargement couldn’t be done on the basis of the Nice Treaty. Her message was clearly addressed to the UK, Czech Republic and Poland who are known to be supporters of expanding the EU. But Merkel’s strategy is wider. Her fear for referendum is known, that’s maybe why she blames the French and Dutch voters for their sincerity and the “negative consequences” on other countries that would have ratified in other circumstances. That explains also her latest strategy to restart the Constitution talks based on “confidential consultations” with the Heads of Government only. In the meantime, the Swedish news service Europaportalen is suspecting Mrs. Merkel to have sent a secret letter to the Swedish government. According to Swedish MEP Nils Lundgren, the letter may well be advice on how to avoid a Swedish referendum over a revised Constitution. Could that be it? A confidential consultation aimed at “How to avoid questioning the people”? The promoters of the Constitution may well declare that it will enhance democracy in the EU; the question has to be raised whether Mrs. Merkel shouldn’t herself go back to school.
Sources: Europaportalen, European Voice