Te he he. Under a new Dutch law any issue that garners at least 300,000 signatures must be put to a consultative plebiscite. Yesterday, the Dutch had the first of such votes. The matter concerned the EU-Ukraine Russia-baiting treaty. Turnout was, to be fair, relatively low — just over 32pc. The results, however, remain telling. By a margin of nearly 2-1 the Dutch, unwilling hostages of their governments’ Eurodelusions rejected the deal.
Their faltering PM, Mark Rutte, has admitted defeat and accepted that the Dutch will have to rescind their support. To be fair, I have a grudging respect for Rutte. On balance he’s been an excellent prime minister who has done much with difficult situations. Like many reasonably sensible European leaders in recent years, he’s been undermined by the foam-in-the-mouth lunacy of Merkel-Juncker-Hollande.
What does this mean, though? The Treaty of Maastricht was only “passed” through multiple votes in Denmark and a sham plebiscite in France. The Great British public were once again denied a vote by the Whelks of Westminster. The Dutch voted “no” to the EU Constitution — as did the French. The Huns were just told to shut up and do what they’re told. Huns are, by-and-large, not unreasonable as individuals and Europe would have been much better off if the concerns of German voters would have at least been considered rather than ignored by the lunacy of Kohl.
I suppose it is a sign that public opinion on the EU is firming up — both for it and against it. In the Nordic states there is a growing resistance to the EU, though not at the point of an increasingly likely withdrawal as is the case in the United Kingdom. The Dutch are not much more in favour of it than the British.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Mornin’, Christopher. A huge, headline grabbing ruck has broken out in Blighty because Dave has broken yet another promise and permitted the government to spend at least 9.3 million of taxpayers’ Sterlings on a mailshot to every household in the UK extolling the alleged virtues of remaining in the EU and warning of the unexplained dangers of Brexit. Extensive advertising on social media is also included for the hard of understanding. On top of this underhand profligacy with somebody else’s money, the ‘remain’ campaign gets the maximum allowed seven million to push their case and the government gets another seven million for a supposed objective (yeah, right!) appraisal by Whitehall. The naysayers, meanwhile, also get seven million.
So, Cameron and Co (registered in Panama, presumably) get nine-and-a-bit million plus seven more overtly to push their cause and possibly another seven depending what they can get away with in the ‘independent’ review. That’s sixteen million for certain and maybe up to at least twenty three million. The other side, I repeat, only get seven million. Hardly playing by the rules, is it?.
I am beginning to become more than a little mistrusting and very, very frizzy.
OZ
Dave will say it’s fair game for an elected gubmint to promote its aims. All the rest have to do is get elected. Not nice, but simples! 😎
C, the low Dutch turnout signifies apathy. I’m afraid that will be repeated in the UK. It’s the politicians fault, esp. Alex Salmond.
I’m glad the Dutch electorate administered a kick in the teeth to the EU. What on earth are the europrats thinking of? Look what happened last time they tried to embrace Ukraine.
What annoys me, OZ, is the Irish government telling all its citizens who have the right to vote in the UK which way to vote. I hope this backfires, with some Irish voters remembering the EU’s treatment of Ireland to save the euro and the humiliating “vote again till you get it right” on the Nice treaty.
Sheona, I missed that. Definitely not fair game – and rather pathetic.
What annoys me, Sheona, is that the Irish get a vote, as do all thel ”naturalised’ Britons of whatever origin. Even the Maltese and Cypriots get their say for some reason, but neither the NSW no I can vote because we have been outside the UK for fifteen years plus – this despite having had (and still holding) British passports since childhood, living in the UK all our lives apart from the last couple of decades and having both paid UK National Insurance for more than thirty years each.
Annanuvver thing. Ministers are now saying there is a precedent for the government putting out
propagandainformation because the Wilson regime did so in ’75. The only precedent to be had from that referendum is that the barstewards lied through their teeth to deceive the electorate, myself and the NSW included, into voting ‘yes’. This does not give the current batch of barstewards the right to do it again.OZ
OZ: Since when has Shameron ever had any scruples? I’ve never liked the man, slipperier than a decomposing eel. He can keep throwing money at it as much as he wants. The less he plays by the rules, the more he antagonises voters. If there is anything worthwhile to consider from the USA, it is that voters can no longer be bought like they could in the past. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio had vast sums of money to spend on their campaigns but neither made it very far. The EU side also had vastly more sums of money to play with in the first Irish “no” vote on the Treaty of Lisbon and the recent Danish vote on ending some of the Kingdom’s opt-outs. All I can see is mirth and bemusement as Dave says “the EU makes us more secure” when all it has done is facilitate terror and made among the most massive movements in history possible.
Janus: voter apathy favours the “no” side as the “remain” campaign has a major problem stirring up much enthusiasm among its voters. Even many of its campaigners can barely be arsed to argue their case since they don’t really care too much about it. What’s more telling is that those who generally support the EU have little enthusiasm left for it, only those who can’t stand it have the desire to vote.
Sheona: who knows with the Irish. They can vote “no” and their politicians are no more credible than Spain’s, but they’re generally bought and sold for Brussels’ gold.
OZ II: Cypriots and Maltese are allowed a vote as they are citizens of Commonwealth countries. It’s the same reason that some “leave” campaigners have been actively targeting Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Saffas, etc. residing in the UK as more often than not, they’re eurosceptic.
Sheona: This “treaty” is actually the cause of difficulties with Russia. The Dutch have simply scuttled it, at least partially.