The Constitution.

international | eu | opinion/analysis

Thursday June 17, 2004 13:32

by primarily concerning myself with Love, Salts, Bodily Fluids - and Synchronicity.

barcelona- Spanish "catalonia" or Catalúnya or "EU region Aragon/Catalonia/rousillón"?

The European Constitution is nearing it's presentation date.

It is thus timely to open a thread here on the ideas proposed and opposed which are going into this Pan European Constitution, which Bertie is hoping will redeem his magnificence in the eyes of Irish voters ahead of his dismal general election performance which is presently scheduled for 2005.

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Ahern aims to restore image with EU triumph

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TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern will today try to put the worst week of his career behind him by clinching a deal on the EU Constitution.

He believes he has found solutions to the thorny problems which have bedevilled the negotiations.

If he secures a deal, it will go some way to restoring his image after the debacle of the European and local government elections.

Mr Ahern, in his capacity as EU president, believes he has succeeded where the previous Italian presidency failed in coming up with a package which will get at least grudging agreement from the other leaders.

They will gather in Brussels today and consider the Irish attempt to get agreement on the Constitution six months after the Italian bid ended in acrimony.

The Irish presidency believes it has found the key to the most sensitive outstanding problems, our diplomats calculating thattheir solutions to complex questions, which cut to the heart of the balance of power and sovereignty in the EU, will be accepted.

But Britain has warned that it could still block, not just the Constitution but also the Taoiseach's choice of the Belgian prime minister to be next president of the European Commission.

The key points of Bertie's proposals unveiled last night are:

* Majority votes in the Council of Ministers must have the support of 55pc of the countries, and those countries must represent at least 65pc of the EU population.

* A minimum of four countries is required to block any ministerial measures.

* Commission size will be reduced to 18, so that all member states will go one term in three without a commissioner from 2014.

* All countries will be entitled to at least six MEPs.

This is Bertie's compromise, it so far suits the current Spanish administration, the only administration in Europe not be victim of either punishment vote or abstention in the EU elections. We will remember that the previous Spanish administration of Aznar threw many spanners into the works of the fine and merovignian minds entrusted for the last five hundred days with writing the founding principles of European Constitutional Unity.

Bertie is not out of the woods, it is very likely that they deal will collapse "@ the last minute", and I'll and us and you will be doing our best to ensure it does.

Here are some of our fulcrum points:-

Section 2 of the proposed draft constitution article 4 will ban all human cloning within the EU. = "reclaim the genome!".
Now as you know, british scientists are attempting to build on the Feb23 2001 change to British Embryonic research Law to attempt the cloning of a human in the next year, an initiative supported in "scientific principle" by the Mammy Harney (she of the eggs).

Section 1 of the proposed draft constitution includes the "roots" of European civilisation, against the wishes of the Holy See, Poland, Malta and all the papists of the continental church of Rome (and previously spurred on by the former Aznar regime) no mention will be made of the "christian roots" of European Philosophy.

Whatever you think of the roots of European culture, you can be sure this sticky little article is not really "said and done" quite yet. Let us not be Aquinine not Lecky about it :-)

Another sticky point is the decision (again at Aznar's insistence -¿ didn't diminutive of stature josé maria really make life difficult?) that the building blocks of European Unity be the states of Europe and _not_ the peoples.

This means, most nationalists (elected to represent the very diverse peoples and languages and cultures of Europe, many of whom are presently contained within "super"nation-states) will call for a NO VOTE at the forthcoming referenda, which you will note, will be the fulcrum for Eurosceptics to take down Blair. THey shall do so, on the grounds that the proposed EU constitution makes no allowance for further devolution of state hood to national cultural regions, nor allowances for the accepted universal right of self-determination of nations and peoples.

Anway- that's just 3 points to begin with.

I'm sure everyone else on the team has an opinion on the EU draft constitution, and I'm sure we may profit now, (as will our united kollective chums) from opening the "leftist €urosceptic debate".

Allow me volunteer a line!

"an EU without the UK will be safer, more just, more honest and sincere, and one which will see our commitment to human rights more easily secured and is most certainly in the better interest of "RTS! 2016, the re-unification of Ireland gig".
Ergo, encourage the British Hun to leave."

sorry Bertie, but you _did_ preside the most miserable and non democratic elections yet.

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Comments (7 of 7)

Ok. you win.

by humble pie pi iosaf - "we've lost the EU constitution battle" (well I have you can go on, on your own if you want)

Fri Jun 18, 2004 11:27

woke up this morning and it's me who has run out of fax paper. Curly cheapo paper all over the piano, running across the floor curling around that cat who looks very shocked.

Walk out looking for a coffee, pick up the paper-
aaarghghgh
it's all of them. "de bosses".
Pressie ZP, Pressie Chirac and himself the supreme little rascal Bertie and nice man Prodi staring out @ me, "nothing but nothing not even no-one is gonna stop our constitution".
The other café customers don't see the invisible print underneath, ( I do) _especially not you!_ it says, "we've effed your fax, go back to mozart, we'll send you a chocalate festival next week".
I Flick the pages, usual stuff, nothing unusual to report, oh yeah North American archivists have unearthed a letter from a 14 year old Fidel Castro to Roosevelt "please Sir, I am a fan, will you send a 10$ bill, as I've never seen one". ¿can you imagine that?
We surely are in the post-post-modern
world of politics, when letters from Castro to Roosevelt hit the morning café.
Xavi, I say, (Xavi is the café owner), do you reckon Roosevelt wrote back?
-"Haven't you read the invisible ink, "yosaf", you're not to intefere in anything till next week, goto the chocolate festival, relax, forget about it, it's none of your business".
"oh yeah says I", I pause for a moment, we look out the window, passing tourists the annual invasion of blondes, fairhaired families of northern europeans, on their way to the beach or to the park, skin glistening creamed up with sun protection, they go to the beach in nuclear family units, German fathers walking ahead of their pretty daughters scowling at the locals.
- "wouldn't you think about writing romantic fiction or something else "yosaf" you can't go on doing the anarquisti thing all the time in this day and age" says Xavi.
- "I'm not that romantic to be honest, I wrote a letter to a US president once, I think I was about 12 years old".
-"oh you were an eary developer, two years younger than Fidel, still I don't think Che would ever have written to Caesar" -Xavi is licking his lips, a particularly beautiful nothern european passes the window, "keep them here, in two generations all Spain will be blonde!".
-"they fucked my fax Xavi".
-"that's a warning, "yosaf", they fuck your fax and then sooner than you know it, the men in black will be at the door".
-"they won't be able to get the van down the street, it's too narrow".
-"oh they work something out, maybe they'll wait for you on the corner".
-"Xavi, do you feel European? do you feel like ready for this constitutional unity, and ready to abandon your veto, and religious roots"
- "I'd love to feel a european, and it would probably get past the wife, if there were no religious roots happèning".
hmmm.
-"I'm going to blog now."
-"Oh yeah, well you know, you have to be sensitive, try and give them the impression you're slowly withdrawing from being critical"

-"i'll do my best".

Mr Putin has said "I love you Mr Bush".

by mills and boons - take it easy @ first, holding hands, smouldering looks, lead upto the Yes Yes Yes slowly

Fri Jun 18, 2004 17:04

Mr Putin has said he warned the USA about attacks on its homeland soil organised with links to legendary bad'un Saddam.

Meanwhile, in hated Brit Hooligan Homeland, Jack Straw is pushing Patton, former HMG Governer of Hong Kong, Chancillor of Oxford University and Thatcher Era "wet" (he held a seat in the SAS homland of the West Country).
We can not allow this to happen.

At the same time, in disastrous former Commonwealth Hotter Countries,
The Swazi oppostion have stepped up plans to end the absolute Liqoqo monarchy (hopefully by the end the weekend for maximum post imperial blues effect on Tony Blair).
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/dh/0,14-0@14-0@2-3208,39-23132897,0.html
And Zimbabwe (another former Brit Hun territory) has been getting loud and embarassing about AIDS.

ooops, we *never* mention AIDS in romantic fiction, it spoils the fantasy. that AIDS ought to have been in lower case, and means aid deals, whereby richer former imperial expliotating nations dedicated resources to helping poorer ex imperial exploitated nations.
Nothing do to with bodily fluids. For a moment by hard won space was going on a tangent off the sub-headline.

Today is the 6º anniversary of RTS! London when the LIFFE future exchange building was the site of clashes between brokers and protesters. And a Metropolitan Police van lent to the City of London Police ran over a protester almost killing her, but escaping other protesters who were jumping up and down on the roof.

British Hooligans are now back in their box, which is International Sporting Occasions.
They bring shame to all english speakers every year, and cause lots of Eirinns to wear guinness T-shirts so as not to be confused.
The Left is globally on its long road back to the centre of decision making.

And people still reclaim.
aint that a long love?

Bertie pulls it off !!!!

by M People

Sat Jun 19, 2004 18:32

The agreement of a historic European constitution is a major coup for the Irish Presiency of the EU and for Bertie Ahern in particular. My heart swelled with pride when I read that he received a standing ovation from the assembled crown heads of Europe.

Bertie is a genius negotiator and with an able Minister like Brian Cowen they bring great credit to Ireland.

Well done Bertie and Co, I never doubted ye!!

Now wash your hands.

by iosaf

Sat Jun 19, 2004 21:04

:-)

all the glitters is not Gold.

rinse your mouth and never forget to care for your toes.

by iosaf - European Citizens with a Constitution

Sat Jun 19, 2004 22:13

The general impression from Europe's print media today, is one of great achievement for three politicians.
The merovignññññins who put the whole thingy together are forgotten and Bartholomew Patrick Ahern, an Taoiseach, President of the European Union, Leader of Fianna Fail, Knight Honorary of the Order of Constantine and Saint George was certainly one of them.
Beir Bua Bertie!
José Rodriquez Zapatero, President of the Government of the Kingdom of Spain, Secretary General of the Partido Socialista y Obrero de España, pressieZP el bambi, did appear to be another, for so kindly being able to untie some of the knots.
olé José!
Jacques René Chirac, "the boss", President of the French Republic, he of the only four photographed expressions, did appear to be aonther one.
Rien pour vous Jacques!

Now Sleep you children of Europe,
things change, we change,
we learn every time
and do it better next.

its confusing

by chris bond

Sun Jun 20, 2004 23:45

im pro europe in the sense that i want it to remain a community of nations working for each others benefit and the welfare of european people. But i dont want it to become a military superpower thats subservient to big business that endorses neo liberal policies to help individuals become rich and powerful.

None of us know yet the implications the new constitution will have on our autonomy,Neutrality or social policies. Therefore i will wait until i get some more information before i indulge in €uroskepticism.

I went against the Labour party who i support so proudly in the last nice treaty referendrum by voting no. I thought there was something fishy going on when the likes of IBEC and their subservient henchmen the PDs were so keen on it. I will examine their stance clearly on the consititution before i make up my mind.

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Comments (7 of 7)