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DUTCH EU VOTE - 'No' raises 'profound questions' about EU direction - UK UPDATE

06.01.2005, 06:24 PM



(updating with further comment)



LONDON (AFX) - British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the Dutch rejection of the European Union constitution raises 'profound questions' about the future direction of Europe.



Straw, whose government assumes the rotating European Union presidency next month, said he will make a statement in parliament on Monday 'on the implications of the French and Dutch referendums.'



Three days after the French rejected the constitution, voters in the Netherlands overwhelmingly rejected the document which is aimed at streamlining decision-making in the 25-nation bloc, partial results showed.



'The people of the Netherlands have now added their voice to that of the people of France in voting no to the EU Constitutional Treaty,' Straw said.



'This reinforces what I said on Sunday night, that we must all respect the results of the referendums, and we do,' the foreign secretary said.



'The prime minister and I have long made clear that the Constitutional Treaty is a good deal for Britain and for the EU. But the verdict of these referendums now raises profound questions for all of us about the future direction of Europe.



'In an era of globalization, when nations need to find new ways to work together to tackle new problems, Europe needs to be capable of giving citizens the prosperity, security, and social justice they require in ways which fit the modern world.



'And these issues will be the subject of reflection and debate up to and beyond the meeting of all European leaders at the European Council on June 16/17,' he said.



In the wake of the French rejection of the EU charter, British newspapers cited senior government sources as saying that Britain will rule out a referendum of its own if the Dutch also vote 'no,' as expected.



Prime Minister Tony Blair and his ministers have been at pains to keep open the possibility of a British referendum, which had been expected for the first half of next year.

Good riddens to the EU. I want my Irish money back. Ireland will Vote NO in November 05

capt_buzzard wrote: Good riddens to the EU. I want my Irish money back. Ireland will Vote NO in November 05


I hope you're right capt. Cheers to France and Holland for voting to maintain their sovereignty!

turbonium wrote: I hope you're right capt. Cheers to France and Holland for voting to maintain their sovereignty! :oturbonium, what part of the Earth do you hail from?

capt_buzzard wrote: turbonium, what part of the Earth do you hail from?
The land where ice hockey is the main religion, and maple syrup and smoked salmon are plentiful - Canada.

If the lying propaganda machine hadn`t been so powerful back in 73, I expect the British wouldn`t even have voted to join the EU then! I hope for a massive NO vote, too!

Hey guess what, the earth still turns, my drive to work ws the same, everything seems in it's place, so the "Collapse" of europe as predicted by such the welsh windbag Kinnock and his equally freeloading wife has not happened.

The NON/NEI was basically a no to a federal Europe, we are doing fine as we are thankyou very much.

The most amusing thing is going to be watching the Straw man try not to have a referendum, especially as his Tonyness is EU chief soon.

The tories are now clamouring for a vote on a dead treaty, bit like Charles II digging up Cromwell's body and having it beheaded.

Which parts of the treaty are you guy’s opposed to?.

TMC, as I understand it and there is every chance I am wrong, one of the main arguments against is the loss in some cases of the single veto

Bothwell wrote: TMC, as I understand it and there is every chance I am wrong, one of the main arguments against is the loss in some cases of the single veto


What the constitution says:

The principle of voting by qualified majority will be generally applied. It is felt that otherwise getting the agreement of all 25 members would be a recipe for inaction. There will however be a veto for members in foreign policy, defence and taxation. And there is to be what's called an "emergency brake" in which a country outvoted on an issue can take its case to the European Council, though it can still be outvoted there. The European Parliament will have an equal say on decisions requiring majority voting.

turbonium wrote: The land where ice hockey is the main religion, and maple syrup and smoked salmon are plentiful - Canada.Cheers, I'll have the smoked salmon, thanks

Eating their chips (French Fries) from a cone, Dutch voters in the port city of Rotterdam were divided yesterday on how they would vote in the Constitutional Treaty.

But all agreed on one thing, nobody understood exactly what they were voting about.

Flattened by World War 11 bomb raids,the cityscape is completely different to Amsterdam, with no canals and few bicyles.

The coffee shops and red light district is also prominent.

In fact, while foreigners go to Amsterdam for wild weekends, it's Rotterdam that has the hip reputation for the Dutch, even McDonalds stays open until 5am.

In the daytime, the port city has a gritty charm, with the local people more relaxed than in Amsterdam and happy to explain in near perfect English how they feel about the Treaty.

We want to rule our own land,our own country and not be dictated by the 'Big' EU member states.

There are to many Muslims from Arab countries coming into Europe. What is Europe to them? Is the middle east not big enough? Sent them back to their own countries said one local man.''That's why I'm voting NO'.

john8pies wrote: If the lying propaganda machine hadn`t been so powerful back in 73, I expect the British wouldn`t even have voted to join the EU then! I hope for a massive NO vote, too!Thanks bud

This is the problem Capt, These people are voting on issues that have nothing to do with the treaty.

British Prime Minister,The RT.HON Tony Blair takes over the EU presidency on July 1st,made no comment after the Dutch result.

Six more countries, Ireland,Poland,Luxembourg,Denmark and the Czech Republic are planning a referendum on the Treaty later this year.

TMC wrote: This is the problem Capt, These people are voting on issues that have nothing to do with the treaty.As I said above, nobody knew exactly what they were voting for. They just went along with the Far Right punters crying Wreck the EU & Vote NO