The French voted today against the European constitution.Ê The proposed European constitution provided for greater integration of Europe, and had the support of all of the major political parties in France.Ê In addition most of the media and other public figures were ardent supporters of the new constitution.Ê The rejection by the French public was a clear statement by the people that while the political elites were interested in one European identity, the average Frenchmen was not ready.Ê There will be many who will blame the decision as a vote against immigrants, or a vote against globalization, or a protest vote against a government that is not popular.Ê ÊNo doubt these factors played a part. ÊI believe however, that the no vote was a reflection of a much deeper opposition to the constitution.Ê Since the Rome Treaty of 1957 which established the Common Market, Western Europe and more recently the rest of Europe have been on a path of greater and greater economic and political integration.Ê As long as the movement was to bring about greater economic cooperation, whose result would be greater prosperity support remained strong.Ê The new constitution however moved the European Union to a new level a tipping point- along a continuum that was blurring the French identity to a European one.Ê The goal of the constitution was to establish a true United States of Europe- a political framework that is the next step after the integration of European currency -the replacement of national currencies with the Euro.Ê The French people however said today wait a minute- It was OK to integrate the currencies- although there have been some problems- but we are not ready to trade in our French identity for a European one.Ê Maybe the world is getting ÒFlatÓ as Thomas Freedman writes in his new book. Maybe the French will one day be willing to shed an identity that was built over six centuries, but they said today not so fast.Ê The world may be changing- but it need not change as quickly as the politicians and pundits wish it to.Ê It took over half a millennium to forge the identity of most the European nation states, that identity cannot be removed in half a century. Greater European integration and for that matter greater world integration are in mankindÕs future, but it will take a great deal longer then its proponents wish.
