France Votes Non ... Pour quoi?

So, France has voted against the proposed EU constitution.

Since I haven't been following the debate in the french media all that closely, I'm not entirely clear as to the arguments on both sides of the debate. Like most political debates, the situation in France is filled with innuendo and supposition.

The sketchy coverage on the various news sites around the world aren't terribly informative as to the nature of the arguments. The Oui side seemed to be speaking mostly in terms of advancing the EU, and playing off France's central role in that body. The Non side seems to be playing off different arguments depending on whether the roots are on the left or right wings of the political spectrum. A combination of factors ranging from xenophobia, to a belief that the proposed constitution is "too pro-business" seem to have been raised.

Given France's unique history of governmental philosophy, I'm not entirely surprised by this. France has never bought into the notion of unbridled capitalism. If the EU constitution left the "average" voter with the impression of Thatcher-era England, then I can see quite easily why it was rejected.

I can also see the French Nationalist argument coming to the surface. The French have always been jealously protective of their particular form and structure of government. If there was even the slightest whiff of that being "eroded" by the legal structures of the EU, voters would no doubt run the other way.

Complexity is no doubt another factor. The EU is a complex beast - even in its former incarnation as the EEC, it was complex and confusing. As a political entity, it has become even more more so, with no sign of simplification.

Add to that, a cranky electorate in France that is spoiling for an opportunity to give President Chirac a "spanking", and it's perhaps not such a big leap to understand what drove the french voters to vote Non.

This will doubtless have enormous repercussions on both the European stage, as well as on the world stage. Economically, Europe constitutes one of the world's largest economies, second only to the USA, and rivalled by a China growing by leaps and bounds. A politically unified Europe could easily have become a positive counter-weight to the American dominance in the world. As it stands now, it is quite likely that China will become that counter weight in the next decade, likely plunging the world into another Cold War like state, as political forces in America manipulate the irrational fears of their people.