The EU Constitution;Savaging
National Sovereignty
By Mike Whitney
01 June, 2005
Znet
The
EU constitution is a Trojan horse slapped together by corporate and
banking elites with the clear purpose of undermining national sovereignty
and accelerating globalization. Thank God the French had the common
sense to read the document and vote it down. Unlike their American counterparts,
who have been the victims of a barrage of free trade agreements (NAFTA,
CAFTA, FTAA) which have sacrificed the environment, eviscerated national
sovereignty, and savaged the middle-class, the French thumbed their
noses at a plan that was designed to torpedo their economic system.
If the constitution had passed, its neoliberal policies would inevitably
put Frenchmen in direct competition with the lowest paid workers in
Canton Province.
No thanks; that
a model that only works for the corporate oligarchy and their friends
in the free press.
It doesnt
take much research to figure out who was behind this EU turkey. A quick
glance at Google News shows that almost every major media outlet in
the world supported the treaty and is already bemoaning the election
results, dismissing them as a sign of French stubbornness
and cultural arrogance. Most of the news completely eschews
the facts; choosing instead to whimper about a divided Europe
and the disgrace that Chiracs naughty children have heaped on
his pristine reputation.
Just listen to the
braying at the New York Times: PARIS, May 29 - Turning its back
on half a century of European history, France decisively rejected a
constitution for Europe on Sunday, plunging the country into political
disarray and jeopardizing the cause of European unity.
Plunging the
country into political disarray and jeopardizing the cause of European
unity? The "paper of record" never veers in its unfailing
support for globalization, despite its dismal results in the third world.
First of all, its
a stretch just to call this neoliberal rag a constitution at all. Typically,
we think of a constitution as a document that embraces the highest ideals
of a people; laying out clear guidelines for safeguarding civil liberties
and the rule of law; not a compendium of perks for big business and
their cronies in high finance. The EU constitution simply hands over
more power to an unelected class of euro-parasites who want
to suck the life out of the social welfare system that has raised the
standard of living for the middle class to the highest in the world.
The French were smart enough to say, non!
The constitution
poses an even greater threat to French national sovereignty. As George
Will notes in his May 27 article, The constitution says member
states can exercise their competence only where the EU does
not exercise its. But the constitution gives EU institutions jurisdiction
over foreign affairs, defense, immigration, trade, energy, agriculture,
fishing and much more.
What?!? Control
over foreign affairs, defense, immigration, trade, energy, agriculture,
fishing and much more?
Why would any sovereign
people transfer authority on these issues to bureaucrats and corporatists
whose only interest is the bottom line? Even the conservative George
Will admits that a yes vote would accelerate the leeching
away of each nation's sovereignty. (Ironically, Wills article
was one of only two articles, out of 1,400, to criticize the EU constitution)
An article by America
Vera Zavala The French vote on the Constitution further
clarifies the sovereignty dilemma: The constitution centralizes
even more power in the hands of the undemocratic
EU commission.
The EU commission gets a fast track in trade issues
.The constitution
clearly speaks about a military union and states that the nation states
have to increase military expenses in their national budgets
.The
neoliberal economic policy is fixed in the treaty; it gives priority
to the fight against inflation over unemployment - an economic dogma
creating problems in the entire world.
In other words,
the same neoliberal straightjacket that has been used throughout the
developing world is now being tailored for Europe. It is a strategy
that reliably transfers the lions share of the wealth and resources
to multi-national corporations and their colleagues in the banking establishment.
Presumably, the resources that are directed into the military would
go straight into NATO (not some alternative, European force) and remain
under American control. The reason for this is that the US Military
is a fully owned franchise of the corporate elite; a model that requires
no fine-tuning.
The French vote
is just the first volley in what will undoubtedly be a long war. The
corporate moguls and their political underlings have sharpened their
talons for a long and bloody conflict; they wont be discouraged
by results of the democratic process. Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude
Juncker has already brushed aside the French vote saying the ratification
process must, go on; and certainly it will.
The EU constitution
provides an excellent example of the underlying dangers facing democracy
in the modern world. The insidious influence of corporations far surpasses
the danger of international terrorism; at risk, are the institutions
that protect personal liberty and national independence. The EU constitution,
bathed in the soft pastels of a massive public relations campaign, is
just the latest malevolent scheme to undermine the nation state and
establish the apocryphal new world order.
George Will said
it best, Sovereignty is a predicate of self-government. The deeply
retrograde constitution would reverse five centuries of struggle to
give representative national parliaments control over public finance
and governance generally.