The EU Constitution has been

The EU Constitution has been saved...for the time being.

The constitution will give the bloc stronger leadership
with a long-term president of the European Council and a foreign
minister to represent it on the world stage, more powers for the
European Parliament and more decisions taken by majority vote.
Britain fought a successful rearguard battle to preserve national
vetoes on key policy areas such as taxation, social security, foreign
and defence policy and criminal law.
France, Germany and the Netherlands found a last-minute compromise on
how much-flouted EU budget deficit rules should be policed.
But Poland and other Roman Catholic countries failed to secure a
reference to Europe's Christian heritage.
Simmering acrimony among the key players flared earlier when Prime
Minister Tony Blair fired a broadside at the leaders of France and
Germany, telling them they did not run Europe alone or with some inner
circle.
"We are operating in a Europe of 25...not six or two or one," Blair's
official spokesman told reporters.

So, basically Blaque Jacques got what he wanted as far as the
Constitution is concerned. The primary concern of both France and
Germany---whose economies are in the toilet right now---is for them to
be able have their cake and eat it too. Heavy social spending means
they're in hock. The single currency better known as the Euro could be
dragged down by their borrowing. This relaxation of the policing rules
means that France and Germany can allow their deficits to exceed 3% of
their GDP and they won't have to pay any fines that the EU is supposed
to levy in such a circumstance. But Blacque Jacques is having issues
getting his way with the EU Presidency, which is still up for grabs:

Several delegations voiced anger at Chirac's insistence
the successful contender should come from a country with long EU
experience that was in all the main European policy initiatives,
notably the euro single currency and Schengen open-border area.
That would rule out anyone from Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and
the 10 mainly East European states which joined on May 1, reuniting
Europe after its Cold War division.

Let's see all of the countries that does include. Germany, Spain,
Italy, Lichtenstein, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, and of course FRANCE!
Jacques' and Gerhard's boy is Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt.
He fits. Blair's boy is Chris Patten, who, if memory serves is a
current EU Commissioner, and was previously the Governor of Hong Kong
(and a rather brave one at that)back when it still belonged to the UK.
But reportedly he doesn't speak French well enough for Blacque Jacques'
taste. (And no, I'm not kidding.) Gah!
I do believe if the monarchy was still around, Jacques would throw a
coup, usurp the King and take over for himself. Then he wouldn't have
to deal with any charges of corruption, there wouldn't be a parliament
to give him grief and he could wage war whenever he damn well pleased.
He could then rub his hands together, chuckle evilly, while staring at
a map of Europe and saying,"Yes, Gerhard, you will be mine. I shall have you! And you will no longer swill Budweiser!"
Yep. Blacque Jacques would have been a guy who would have thought it
was good to be King. How much you wanna bet he'll bitch about democracy
when a single country's referendum strikes this bloated mass of
paperwork down?

Posted by: Kathy at 10:13 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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