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How Dare They?
French newspaper Courrier International picks up a quote from Estonian columnist Martin Kala on how "populism poses a threat to the EU reform treaty."
"Populist politicians convey the impression that Europe is an elite club. Nationalist slogans, protectionist measures and widespread distrust are gaining ground. In some member states, the message is increasingly that the focus should be more on the nation's own interests and the 'true concerns of the people'. What kind of message have the Polish leaders sent to Brussels in recent times? Only that its people are primarily concerned about the future of Poland rather than that of Europe."
Err, so Europeans are expected to put the future of their country to one side for the "greater good" of the European Union? That's hardly going to wash with the French (to name one example), whose President is demanding that the European Central Bank change its constitution in order to boost French business. Or the Dutch, who rejected the last treaty in 2005 over fears that the EU was taking their contribution for granted and trampling on their democratic traditions.
Or indeed the British, where a cross-party group of MPs have declared that the reform treaty is more or less the rejected Constitution, throwing PM Gordon Brown into yet another tight corner.
What has the EU done to inspire the sort of sacrifice Mr Kala is evidently calling for?
