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European constitution

European Christian Constitution

European Union

Europe started as the EEC, so having an ECC as next step wouldn't be too bad: Angela Merkel wants a Christian constitution for Europe:

Mrs Merkel will take charge of efforts to revive the constitution when Germany assumes the EU's rotating presidency next January. Any attempt to mention Christianity - or simply God - in the text will be met by stiff resistance from secular France, from Britain, which treads carefully in this area, and from northern Protestant countries such as Sweden and Denmark. During the tortuous negotiations on the constitution in 2004 there were concerns that any religious reference could upset Europe's Muslims and Jews.

But Mrs Merkel, the daughter of a Protestant pastor, is determined to reopen the debate when she tries to revive the constitution, a controversial move in itself because many EU leaders want a slimmed down document after last year's no votes.

Neil says she wants a new constitution, but this doesn't sound like it at all. Words like "revive" make me uncomfortable. Either way, any new or revived constitution would need to address the many problems I had with the previous constitutional attempt. Furthermore, as much as I prefer Christian traditions over Muslim ones, the constitution should make very clear that freedom of religion only works when said religions acknowledge being merely one viewpoint and not the absolute truth. Otherwise, leave God out of the constitution.

And a small note to potentially offended Jews and Muslims: if our Christian, pagan and enlightened traditions are a problem, stay in Israel or Arabia. Or move there. Europe is European, okay?

God in the constitution?

European Union

In Dutch newspaper Metro, random interviewee Arjen Prinsen mentioned Jan-Peter Balkenende's desire to see a reference to God in the European constitution as one reason not to like our PM. I tend to agree: the proposed constitution is already bad enough without such a reference and let's not make it even worse.

Don't get me wrong, I very much like the lyrical "we hold these truths to be self-evident" preamble to the US constitution even though it does mention a creator. But to my knowledge there is no mention of any creator or divinity in particular (aka "God" in these parts of the woods), let alone the genocidal freak mentioned in the Bible that Balkenende seems to be so fond of despite numerous documented instances of approved or even delegated murder, torture, rape and terror.

Perhaps killing that constitution is nearly impossible, but I fills me with joy to read comments like Arjen's in the newspaper. They bring hope that perhaps one day we can prove Nietzsche right.

Seriously, die already!

European Union

The situation is getting annoying. Maybe it's because of the recent Europe Day, but apparently the EU is on a renewed mission to push matters forward (read: down our throats). Barely having been able to fully enjoy new Frankenstein-style live support from Barosso, the EU undemocracy gets another boost because Angela Merkel wants the constitution back from the dead as well:

"We need to think about how we make the constitution a success. I want the constitution, the German government wants the constitution."

The EU is divided between countries which regard the existing text of the constitutional treaty as the best possible compromise and others, which would prefer to declare it dead.

We need to think about making democracy work in Europe. We do not want the constitution. And it can not be ratified without us, those were the rules. So seriously, give up on it already. It's so dead, it was never really alive in the first place.

Die already. Please?!

European Union

Barosso is in a mission to wake the European constitution from death.

"We have to take decisions for the future," he said. "I think it's best to have a new institutional settlement for the union before the end of this Commission and parliament."

Best for whom? For us, citizens, or for the Commission and parliament?

The prevailing view in Brussels is that no serious decisions on the constitution can be taken until after Dutch and French elections next spring.

Hey, Brussels! We said no. And not just parliament, but the entire chamber agreed to respect that. So our elections matter not: no is no.

Other initiatives seemed designed to do the bare minimum to assuage concerns in countries such as France that the EU is not doing enough to promote the concept of "social Europe".

Citizens could be offered a new entitlement card setting out their existing rights as members of the EU. There would also be an ill-defined "comprehensive stocktaking of today's European society and an agenda for universal access and solidarity".

Okay, I'm willing to give that initiative a try. If the EU manages to summarise citizen rights to make them fit on a creditcard-sized document, then maybe they can do the same for the constitution and remove enough crud to make it worth a second look.

Otherwise. Die already, constitution. Please?!

Eek! WTF?

European Union

My web site is all blue with yellow stars.. have I been hacked by the skilled workers of the European Union? No, it turns out it is May 9 again and that means: Happy Europe Day. Oh joy. Stupid automated style engine. On the other hand, the constitution has been dead for almost a year now, so there might be reason for happiness after all.

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