No to the EU Constitution

The Dutch have followed the French lead and voted against the EU Constitution. The fall-out will begin. Some of the analysis from the NYT:

But there is something at stake here far broader than the constitution itself, which the Dutch rejected emphatically on Wednesday, 61.6 percent to 38.4 percent, according to unofficial results.

There is a disaffection, perhaps even a rebellion, against the political elites in France, Germany and Italy.

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.

We Do Not Believe You, they're saying. Whether the reforms and the unification project truly will be a tool toward creating a more powerful economic Europe. Poignant statement indeed.

The Guardian says this about the European Political Elites:

European leaders, who placed their heads in the sand after France's emphatic rejection of the EU constitution, are now likely to become experts in the thoughts of Lady Bracknell.

To lose one referendum may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness, as the fierce aunt in The Importance of Being Earnest might have said.

Leaders in "new" Europe, who believe it is now impossible to hold referendums in their countries, are hoping the double no from France and the Netherlands will act as a wake up call for "old" Europe.