The EU Constitution brings bad times for democracy

To believe that anything – with respect to democracy - will change to the better after an implementation of the EU Constitution is wishful thinking. In the opposite: All critics of the EU will have to shut up after 25 countries said “yes”. The Eurocrats will stuff their mouths and ridicule them by repeating loud, clear and unison that this ratifying marathon is a clear prove that the citizens of Europe are craving for the blessings of this EU Constitution.

Why these Eurocrats and governments should make any concessions to more democracy if their undemocratic behaviour of the last 15 years is acknowledged by the ratification of a document that even optimises THEIR way of building up an EU without the citizens of Europe? Worse: Finally they could continue their way without any restriction. And it will be the critics of their way of conduct that will be accused to be undemocratic because these critics would not respect the “overwhelming vote of the European people”.

This statement would be correct, if there were referendums all over Europe including a fair debate on the text. If the Europeans would really understand the “pros and cons” of the Constitution and then would say “yes” to it in 25 national referendums. In this case the result would be democratically legitimised. But if the campaigns of the few up-coming referendums will be (as in Spain) biased, unfair funded and targeted to misinform the people and to avoid a real debate it must be seen as an undemocratic approach to trick the voters into something by avoiding a real opinion-building process.

And the parliaments that will ratify the constitution in the remaining countries...? The same applies to them. Take Lithuania where the document was ratified before the last version of the text was done. Or Slovenia, where – if I believe an insider of Slovenian parliament – was no debate at all among the deputies about the text. And they knew nothing about it when they said “yes”? The Spanish justice minister Juan Fernando López Aguilar gave an idea about the slogan under which the whole topic is conducted when he said: "It is not necessary to read the European Constitution to know that it is good" (libertaddigital - 23 Jan 05).

Or what about Germany or Sweden where a overwhelming majority of the voters want a referendum that is denied to them by their parliaments? In Germany for instance nearly 100% of the MPs will say “yes” to the EU Constitution. Do you really believe that this decision will reflect the will of the voters they pretend to represent? No matter how the ratification adventure will end, we can assume that at least 40% of the overall EU population will be against this EU Constitution. That would be about 180 M people. And I am convinced that it would be many more if they would really be given a change to inform themselves in a balanced way and to make up their minds in free and fair referendums.

And because all the “lies and tricks” are filling the air and are perceived subconsciously by the people that are not that stupid than many politicians like to believe, this EU Constitution – if ratified - will never be the constitution of the European people but a constitution that allows a European elite to continue their creeping undermining of democracy. And for this reason alone this constitution must be rejected.

Thomas Rupp
Frankfurt (Germany)

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