Posted on 12/07/2006 1:16:56 AM PST by Mrs Ivan
Germany yesterday unveiled a master plan for resurrecting the European Union constitution, setting the stage for a pitched political battle with Britain pushed firmly into the front lines.
Germany takes over the rotating presidency of the EU on Jan 1 and the chancellor, Angela Merkel, has pledged to use it to resurrect the constitution, which has been in the deep freeze since last year's No votes in France and Holland. However, Mrs Merkel has conceded that the treaty will have to lose the name "constitution", to avoid frightening voters.
At a summit next June, Germany plans to hand EU leaders a timetable for reviving the lion's share of the EU constitution, Germany's ambassador to the EU, Wilhelm Schönfelder, disclosed at a briefing yesterday.
Mr Schönfelder said Germany wanted a new draft text for a constitution to be on the table by the end of next year, in order to allow national governments of the EU to spend 2008 ratifying the new treaty.
That tight timetable was necessary to achieve Mrs Merkel's wish to have something close to the constitution in place by the next European parliamentary elections in May 2009, he said.
In its details, and its timing, the German plan presents Gordon Brown, in particular, with a headache. Assuming that Mr Brown becomes prime minister in May or June next year, as is widely predicted, in his first weeks or days in office he will find himself under immediate pressure to revisit a treaty that hands sweeping powers to Europe – creating a single European foreign minister, a single president of the EU, and abolishing national vetoes on vast swathes of policy.
Any attempt to revive the treaty, or even large chunks of it, will offer the Conservatives an instant open goal, as they can demand that Mr Brown pledge to hold a referendum of the British public, before agreeing to any new EU pact.
Germany is already seeking to make Britain look isolated, should Mr Brown resist returning to the treaty and senior German politicians have already threatened the UK with ejection to an outer circle of Europe, if Britain says No to a revised constitution.
Mr Schönfelder echoed such threats, saying: "If certain member states veto [the replacement constitution], then very difficult discussions will start, and will lead us in directions that for the European Union will be very difficult."
The German plan looks likely to dash the first flickering hopes among top Brussels officials that Mr Brown may prove to be a more pro-European prime minister than they first feared.
Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, recently referred to the constitution as a "grandiose" project that "failed to come off," while only this week the Home Secretary, John Reid, said the constitution was a "dead, deceased parrot" that was "no more".
Germany is already seeking to make Britain look isolated, should Mr Brown resist returning to the treaty and senior German politicians have already threatened the UK with ejection to an outer circle of Europe, if Britain says No to a revised constitution.
Is that a threat or a promise? Brown will see this for what it is and burnish his anti-integration credentials mightily in his first months of office, castrating the Tories only passingly effective platform plank. This could vanquish the last hopes of the UK being a multi party political system for a generation.
That's my wild eyed prediction for the morning. The Germans are basing their threats upon a gamble that the US dollar doesn't further fall against the Euro and pound during the next 8 months. That's a bad bet to make.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
If Gordon Brown is looking for a bit of support and backing from the British public (don't hold your breath anyone!!....) then he'll tell Germany where to shove this constitution. That would be a nice populist move and a good start for him.
As for Mrs Merkhel wanting to make us look isolated from Europe, we already are and not just by the English Channel either. We tend to like Europe for holiday's, cheap drink and fine food but we don't have to come over and spend our money there...
If they don't get their muslim problem under control they will be subservient to mecca in a little over a generation.
So very true! :)
We certainly do not! And oddly enough, if I have read it correctly the only countries that this treaty really benefits are France and Germany.
..only benefits France and Germany? Gee, who would have thought that... /sarc off
Would people please stop posting this garbage. Here is the real demographic breakdown:
Religion in Britain - Office of Statistics
Repeat after me - "1.6 million out of 60 million". Furthermore, the greatest influx that we're being swamped by is not Muslim - it's Polish:
Now that the cobwebs of myth are blown apart - hopefully you won't repeat this swamped by Muslims nonsense any further. Thank you.
Ivan
He posted something similar on another thread of mine today and To me that says troll. As such he can sit under his little bridge randomly burbling at anyone who comes trip-trapping across it.
Love, Ivan
Oh, France and Germany "benefit" from the constitution? Who´d ever though? So why have the French rejected the proposal in a referendum?
My guess is, you haven´t read the paper. I did. I don´t like it, but at least I know what I´m talking about.
We all know that this constitution won´t be ratified by all member countries, so what´s the fuss about? Germany is trying to show how much it´s all for the European unification, not more, but also no less. Germany has always been boosting the European unification (and I´m thinking of the years after 1949... just to avoid misunderstandings ;-).
It would be cool for the EU if britain finally would make up it's mind wich they are 51st state of america OR EU member.
Ahh you read it...
let's make a test:
Wich point do you think benefits only france or germany ?
Well - I like it. Would have liked to be asked but.
For the record, I have not read the proposal in any detail. I was using the term read in the context of reading a situation, not a document.
So why have the French rejected the proposal in a referendum?
I concede that France rejected the last attempt in that referendum and that may be the case if a new proposal is made - who knows?
Neither.
Regards, Ivan
Soooo we got you once more....
Mrs Ivan - F - stating opinions without having the faintest idea - it's in the book.
This friggin constitution is about fencing of the job export to china and about a free market in europe. It's about less bureaucracy and more ability to act together.
Wake up - you can't have back the empire - be strong together with your neighbours - tough shirt they are french.
Well I must admit I havent read the paper, so fair criticism, but I have "read" the French. They'll do anything to feather their own interests and to hell with everyone else. Even those things they have signed up for that do seem altruistic dont matter, because in practice they just simply ignore them. Free trade? Oh Oui...great idea...we will import absolutely anything...oh but it all has to go through our import control office (location middle of nowhere, staff:2).
The French government backs unity because they suck up to the germans and tee off everyone else. The French people reject it cos they are all petty nationalists who think they still have a great colonial empire.
Would you care to tell me when you previously "got" me?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.