NYT: 'No' Votes in Europe Reflect Anger at National Leaders

[NewHampshireDem]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/02/international/europe/02europe.html?hp&ex=1117771200&en=e135cf83092c603e&ei=5094&partner=homepage

BERLIN, June 1 - Some are calling it a divorce; others, a disenchantment. Whatever you call it, the French "non" on Sunday and the Dutch "nee" on Wednesday have clearly left the European Union's proposed constitution a dead letter for now, frustrating the efforts of Europe's leaders to move to the next stage of integration.

<snip>

The governing parties of the left and the right are saying the same things to their people: that painful, free-market economic reforms are the only path toward rejuvenation, more jobs, better futures. And the people, who have come to equate the idea of an expanded Europe with a challenge to cradle-to-grave social protections, are giving the same answer: We don't believe you.

<snip>

But in France, Germany and Italy, already beset by high unemployment, the worry that free-market reforms will only make matters worse predominates. A week before the French rejected the constitution, Germany's chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, called early elections, after local defeats had left him essentially without the authority to govern. Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has promised reforms but failed to deliver them, out of concern for mass discontent.

The paradox here is that if the political elites and most economists are right in saying that free-market reforms and more competition are essential for these nations to match their economic competition, then the "democratic intifada" could rob the faltering core of Europe of the very means it needs to rejuvenate itself.



While I don't agree that free-market 'liberalism' is the means of getting Europe out of its--very real--economic woes, the author presents an interesting take on the votes. It is good to see Europeans standing up for what makes their countries special in an economic sense. We could take a lesson from those who want to preserve the safety net rather than sacrifice it to the gods of unfettered economic growth. They seem to be making a stand for quality of life as the key metric rather than growth in GDP. Good for them!

[hedda_foil]

1. Wouldn't it be nice if ...

Wouldn't it be nice if Americans had the chance to vote on whether we want the no job, no health care, no retirement free market "solution"? Just a nice single-issue plebescite.

[aneerkoinos]

2. Unemployment

"If work was fun, the bosses would do it."

Unemployment certainly is no problem. Less work, more time to family, hobbies, politics and philosophy. There are whole branches that do meaningless and degrading jobs, think of advertising, how much talent and creativity is wasted in manipulating people. There is no copywriter with a healthy self-esteem. At the same time there are not enough nurses, who are underpayed and overstretched. The current social model does not have it's priorities in place.

The whole purpose of high productivity is that the society can work less as a whole and to enjoy better quality of life. The unemployed with decent income are better of than the working poor, but certainly not well enough. There must be way that all members of society can contribute to the common good, that social responsibilities are shared equally and necessary work taken care of, and all people are guaranteed life free of degrading poverty.

The problem is wage-slavery, unequality and social exclusion. The problem is capitalism.

[Dirk39]

3. Neoliberal nonsense....

"that painful, free-market economic reforms are the only path toward rejuvenation, more jobs, better futures"

" if the political elites and most economists are right in saying that free-market reforms..."
(from the article)

The European think-tanks, politicians, corporations, corporate media and all of their whores are trying desperate to brainwash Europeans for many years now day by day with that Bullsh*t. The logic is really convincing and deserves nobel-propaganda-prizes: we crash social security, health-care, we introduce lower-wages, prolonge working hours (their masterweapon against Unemployment, smash the unions, smash the pensions and after all of this did happen, "we" will be happily ever after!

You cannot turn your T.V. or Radio on without hearing some idiots talking of "necessary reforms" - while reforms ones did stand for a peacefull instead of a revolutionary transition from capitalism to a more democratic and social just society, it now means exact the opposite. Like the conservatives in the US have become "Revolutionaries", the same is true for the european neoliberals.
It's funny that in Germany 19 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, we have a one-party-system again: the United Neoliberal Party with green, black and red shirts.

Dirk