| EFL because I can't take take this much drivel. |
The French president, Jacques Chirac, warned last night that France would no longer be taken seriously on the international stage if it rejected the European constitution on May 29. In an attempt to sway voters in the debate about French sovereignty and cultural identity, Mr Chirac said the constitution was the "daughter" of the 1789 French revolution and enshrined the country's values of human rights and democracy. "It is essentially French-inspired," Mr Chirac said. "One cannot say, 'I am European and I vote no to the constitution'. It is not honest."
| I'll bet a Pole or a Czech or a Romanian could be a European and vote 'no'. And I bet they will after they hear this. |
But it was in his negative arguments that the president struck home in a live interview last night on France 2 television. "If France were to say no to the treaty, what do you think the very next day would be the power of the French voice in the council of ministers, in the G8 meetings?
| How much power do you have right now? Think carefully ... |
"How do you think France would be treated by the United Nations in September?" Recalling months of negotiation and compromise that went into the drafting of the constitution, the French leader asked his audience: "How can we renegotiate? We're going to say to all these people with whom we agreed at the end of a fantastic effort and in-depth reflection, 'Well no, we are no longer in agreement on such and such point. We have to do things differently?"' Mr Chirac asked. "Do you really believe it is serious to say that? There's not the shadow of a chance," he added. "It cannot be envisaged. Renegotiation does not exist. There is no plan B."
French rejection would almost certainly halt the treaty in its tracks. Last month Britain said it would be unlikely to hold a referendum if France rejected the treaty. A French rejection would halt the process of ratification altogether, because it would have been rejected by one of the founding member states.
Mr Chirac stressed last night that membership of Europe allowed France to punch above its weight in the international arena. Referring to the EU trade dispute with China, which has led France to complain it is being flooded with cheap Chinese textiles, Mr Chirac said: "If France had stood alone with this problem, do you think anyone in China would have attached the slightest importance to us, let alone appoint a minister to act as a negotiator?"
| And how well has that worked so far? Ships leaving China every day with more textiles, right? |
Yesterday a poll published by Le Figaro put support for the constitution at 53%, a rise of 1% on Le Monde's poll published on Saturday, which broke a run of 23 consecutive polls in favour of rejection. The key intervention was the appearance last week of the former Socialist prime minister Lionel Jospin, who retains huge moral authority in the Socialist party.
| They had to use the English 'moral' because I don't think the French have such a word. |
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