French hostility to European Union treaty deepens in polls

[rayofreason]

http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=25&story_id=18728&name=French+hostility+to+European+Union+treaty+deepens+in+polls

"PARIS, April 5 (AFP) - France's National Assembly began a debate on the European Union's new constitution Tuesday, as three more opinion polls showed opponents winning the country's referendum on May 29.

Over the last two weeks a total of nine surveys have put the "no" camp in front, at between 51 and 55 percent of voters. None has given the lead to supporters of the constitution."

The government is pretty nervous

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4414295.stm

Also (for French speakers) see

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-631760,36-635696@51-627516,0.html

If the EU constitution goes down in flames, will the Euro be around in a decade?

[Maple]

1. It's only a draft

and the other countries get to vote on it too.

[Igel]

5. But it requires unanimity. n/t

[saltpoint]

2. Good question on the Euro...

... and a timely post.

I'm not ready to go to the mat on the fine points, but my gut tells me the French are right to insist on independence.

The anti-France tide in the U.S. is unreasonable. It was no surprise that unreasonable men in the Bush administration fanned those flames last November.

Tonight we might be putting on a little Debussy and some Chopin and maybe later we'll watch a Louis Malle film. I know it won't change U.S. foreign policy, but it will still be a good evening with a great culture.

[xchrom]

4. it's what the neo-cons want as well as u.s. corporations

so the french people may give the conservative power elite in this country what they want -- ironic that.

me i'm pulling for the eu -- a completely reasonable hedge against u.s. and chinese hegemony.

[Dancing_Dave]

3. The Euro is based on seperate agreements.

But a rejection of the proposed EU constitution won't help it's value. It can't drop against the dollar much, because nobody who really has a choice wants money printed by Bush and Company. Some other currency will rise.

The chances of this Constitution going through in enough European countries to really work was always pretty low, but it's ironical that it would go down in France, considering how much of it was written by French politicians!

Back to the old drawing board...