You are in:
- Archives » 2007 » December 2007
A Nation Once Again
Remember how the European Constitution was stripped of its constitutional symbolism to take into account British objections? Trappings of nationhood such as the EU flag, national anthem, motto and so on were dropped and federalists admitted they would happily make do with a modest "Reform Treaty?"
Well, the blighters have managed to sneaked them in again. The EU Referendum Blog has spotted the "52nd Declaration" on the Final Act (pdf) which says that 16 EU nations "declare that the flag with a circle of twelve golden stars on a blue background, the anthem based on the "Ode to Joy" from the Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, the motto "United in diversity", the euro as the currency of the European Union and Europe Day on 9 May will for them continue as symbols to express the sense of community of the people in the European Union and their allegiance to it."
Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Hungary, Malta, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and the Slovak Republic have signed up for the Eurostate declaration, which is tucked away among the various exceptions and appendices other nations have slipped into the treaty after the "Final Act" was published.
It's difficult to miss, so Gordon Brown can have no excuses: The declaration is about the only paragraph of plain English in a treaty which is largely gibberish.
Their timing is impeccable. As is that of the Daily Telegraph, which has launched a crusade aimed at celebrating Britishness. Unfortunately a crucial element in this strategy seems to be filling its pages with whinging Scotsmen. A further strand is the paper's demand that the government should create a "Museum of British History."
The EU Referendum team have a modest proposal on that one, too:
"Well, we have the perfect candidate – a largely redundant building on the banks of the Thames – an ideal position, well served by public transport and already equipped with facilities to handle large numbers of visitors."
Can you guess what it is yet, as Rolf Harris might say.
