Comments on: EU Constitution: What a Babel Treat(y)! http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/10/22/eu-constitution-what-a-babel-treaty/ A fresh look at the thorns between the USA and the EU Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:25:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: John Farren http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/10/22/eu-constitution-what-a-babel-treaty/#comment-104 John Farren Wed, 24 Oct 2007 09:01:28 +0000 http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/10/22/eu-constitution-what-a-babel-treaty/#comment-104 Quibble: Legally speaking, the Council of Europe is NOT part of the EU structure. It was set up in 1949 by the Treaty of London, before the predecessors of the EU (the ECSC and EEC) were founded. The very real differences between them are illustrated by the fact that the UK was a member of the COE from the outset, and both Norway and Switzerland are COE members today, while remaining outside the EU. Quibble:
Legally speaking, the Council of Europe is NOT part of the EU structure.
It was set up in 1949 by the Treaty of London, before the predecessors of the EU (the ECSC and EEC) were founded.

The very real differences between them are illustrated by the fact that the UK was a member of the COE from the outset, and both Norway and Switzerland are COE members today, while remaining outside the EU.

]]> By: Hale Adams http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/10/22/eu-constitution-what-a-babel-treaty/#comment-103 Hale Adams Wed, 24 Oct 2007 01:43:08 +0000 http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/10/22/eu-constitution-what-a-babel-treaty/#comment-103 And the heck of it is, this new "constitution" will be in practice an utter failure. A properly-written constitution (for example, the US Constitution) confines itself to laying out how the government is to be organized, what its duties are, and what powers it has to discharge those duties. Such a statement of organization, duties, and powers is necessarily a bit vague-- too much detail, and the whole process bogs down when reality (remember that, EUnuchs?) presents the government with a situation that requires actions which are forbidden under the constitution. Even more laughable is the language used in the EU "constitution". Reality has a nasty way of making fools of those who are slaves of fashion, and this new "constitution" is so very fashionable, what with its references to a "social market economy" and "social progress". What happens in a generation or so when the much-vaunted "Third Way" of the center-Left is seen in the cold light of day as so much hogwash? How much do you want to bet that this new EU "constitution" is going to be a dead letter by about 2020 or so? And the French aren't going to be the last to shut the lights off. They're so caught up in their dream of "dirigisme" that, when the EU goes dark from a power failure, they'll be sitting around cursing the darkness, without an effing clue why the lights went out. And the heck of it is, this new “constitution” will be in practice an utter failure.

A properly-written constitution (for example, the US Constitution) confines itself to laying out how the government is to be organized, what its duties are, and what powers it has to discharge those duties. Such a statement of organization, duties, and powers is necessarily a bit vague– too much detail, and the whole process bogs down when reality (remember that, EUnuchs?) presents the government with a situation that requires actions which are forbidden under the constitution.

Even more laughable is the language used in the EU “constitution”. Reality has a nasty way of making fools of those who are slaves of fashion, and this new “constitution” is so very fashionable, what with its references to a “social market economy” and “social progress”. What happens in a generation or so when the much-vaunted “Third Way” of the center-Left is seen in the cold light of day as so much hogwash?

How much do you want to bet that this new EU “constitution” is going to be a dead letter by about 2020 or so?

And the French aren’t going to be the last to shut the lights off. They’re so caught up in their dream of “dirigisme” that, when the EU goes dark from a power failure, they’ll be sitting around cursing the darkness, without an effing clue why the lights went out.

]]> By: Papa Ray http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/10/22/eu-constitution-what-a-babel-treaty/#comment-102 Papa Ray Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:30:58 +0000 http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/10/22/eu-constitution-what-a-babel-treaty/#comment-102 Jeez, some documents are hard to understand, this mess is..is ....it's just... Crap, I can't figure out what it it. Papa Ray West Texas USA Jeez, some documents are hard to understand, this mess is..is ….it’s just…

Crap, I can’t figure out what it it.

Papa Ray
West Texas
USA

]]> By: Kirk Parker http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/10/22/eu-constitution-what-a-babel-treaty/#comment-101 Kirk Parker Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:28:21 +0000 http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/10/22/eu-constitution-what-a-babel-treaty/#comment-101 In the very first sentence, don't you mean "specter" rather than "spectrum" (or is it just some play on words I'm not getting)? In the very first sentence, don’t you mean “specter” rather than “spectrum” (or is it just some play on words I’m not getting)?

]]> By: Yafawi http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/10/22/eu-constitution-what-a-babel-treaty/#comment-100 Yafawi Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:56:40 +0000 http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2007/10/22/eu-constitution-what-a-babel-treaty/#comment-100 "And let the French be the last to shut the lights off." It will be the same as in the old USSR. The French will be the first to go. “And let the French be the last to shut the lights off.”

It will be the same as in the old USSR. The French will be the first to go.

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