FINAL RESULT: YES: 38.4% – NO: 61.6%
Turnout much higher than expected: 63%
Polls predicted about – 32%, EU Election 2004 – 39.1%
Turnout Statistics per Province
Referendum Result in 40 Largest Cities – Image to printer
Many Dutch voters determined at the very last minute how they would vote. No voters switched over to the YES camp today. The Netherlands has a responsibility to meet in Europe, as one of its supporters and founding members. The Dutch are also a country oriented outward toward Europe, with few borders for an exporting nation, closely tied to Germany’s economy.
The disappointment to the Dutch, has been the lack of trust by larger countries of the European Union: Germany, France and Italy, who did not keep their promise in the Stability pact. Per capita, the Dutch citizen is the highest contributer to the EU, more than twice the amount of the second nation. Therefore, the special arrangement granted Margareth Thatcher and Great Britain, hurts every citizen in the Netherlands on an everyday basis.
JP Balkenende: Press Conference after Dutch NO vote on EU Charter!
The following motivation of the Dutch NO vote will be made known to colleagues within the EU —
● Netherlands fears loss of its sovereignty
● Expansion of EU has gone too fast
● EU Brussel should not cross national policy
● Democracy of EU parliament should be greater
● Financial sacrifice of EU contribution for Dutch too large.
TODAY’s BREAKING NEWS —
Dutch Government Withdraws Proposal for Ratification of EU Charter to Parliament!
Dutch Parliament would have voted YES with 128 votes and 22 NAYs!
For the latest news, I’ll attempt to keep my eye on the ball, read beyond the fold …
BBC News — Dutch Debate on EU Future!
Chirac & PM Jan Peter Balkenende:
Vote “YES” in referendum on EU Charter, not a vote on domestic issues
YES – Hope for Peace and a united Europe with new EU Constitutional Charter
Don’t vote NO for domestic reasons of present woes
Trouw’s inside section has a massive banner headline in the form of a nicely colour-coded list (green for yes, red for no) with four main arguments on each side:
The green ‘Yes’ section tells us:
● Europe will be simpler
● Europe will be more democratic
● Europe will be fairer
● Europe will have more influence
While the red ‘No’ section says:
● Europe will remain unclear
● Europe will stay expensive
● Europe doesn’t care about individuals
● Europe revolves around the big member states
START of DIARY:
I loved the diaries on the French Vote and EU Charter from Jerôme à Paris, first of all because of his sig name, and secondly love at first sight on my visit, I too fell in love with Paris.
In the Netherlands, the coming three days I will follow local politics more closely than usual, to cover the poltical discussion in the Low Countries, also known as Pays Bas to the French.
Please put forth any question and I’ll provide you an answer.
Across Europe
The Dutch will vote on a non-binding referendum on Wednesday June 1st, have clear support for a YES vote from the largest opposition Labor party PvdA and the Labor Unions. The polls still indicate the NO votes are leading with 58%. The result in France adds a new slogan to the Dutch campaign: “Say NO to the French and YES for the EU Constitution Charter”.
Polls in Poland and Denmark indicate a large majority for the YES vote! Especially surprising for Denmark, as the Danish people had many misgivings about the EU and the single currency of the €uro.
French voters have overwhelmingly rejected the European Union’s proposed constitution in a key referendum.
Almost 55% of people voted “Non”, with 45% in favour, according to final interior ministry figures. The vote could deal a fatal blow to the EU constitution, which needs to be ratified by all 25 member states.
President Jacques Chirac accepted the voters’ “sovereign decision”, but said it created “a difficult context for the defence of our interests in Europe”. Mr Chirac said that “Voters had registered their frustrations, and he would take a decision on the future of his centre-right government in the coming days”, hinting at a possible reshuffle.
NON 55%
Late on Sunday jubilant “Non” supporters gathered at the Place de la Bastille in Paris – where the French Revolution began – chanting “we won” and sounding horns.
Those who rejected the treaty came from across the political spectrum, including Communists, dissident socialists and right-wing parties. One of the leading right-wing opponents of the treaty, Philippe de Villiers, said: “Europe has to be rebuilt. The constitution is no more.” He urged Mr Chirac either to stand down or dissolve parliament.
A Flawed Referendum, Not Democracy
It’s not an issue of democracy, the majority of the French are FOR European integration. The choice of a referendum was a poor one. “Oui” or “Non” for the EU Constitutional Charter is not what the French voted, although the new charter is a vast improvement over the present Nice Agreements and tailored for the EU with its 25 member states.
The political decision of necessity to re-unite Europe after the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, has somehow caught the citizens of Europe by surprise for its ramifications in the economic union. We all like to spend our vacations in those poor countries because of the low cost, including Turkey, but to accept responsibility for a united Europe, everyone suddenly felt the pinch in one’s wallet.
The opposition forces in France, especially the Communists, labor unions and far left socialists, prefer large subsidies by the French government to keep Credit Lyonnais, Renault, Peugeot, Alsthom, Bull from sinking. The agricultural sector have a love for the large EU subsidies to keep the farmers farming the way their dad’s generation were kept a guaranteed income by the state. No thought about the long-term effect for third-world nations who can’t compete with subsidized EU products.
On the opposite political spectrum, the right-wing Le Pen had no problem with his racist views to get 15% of the population to vote “Non”.
ETTORE FERRARI/EPA — Tony Blair believes
the French No vote cannot be revived by a
British Yes in a referendum.
”The constitution is dead”, Blair tells a chastened Chirac. Key points:
Story in full
TONY Blair has started a behind-the-scenes attempt to kill the European Union constitution – defying growing international pressure to carry on with a British referendum.
The Prime Minister is heading for a battle with a series of EU leaders as a result of his insistence that the constitution has perished with France’s No vote on Sunday, and that it cannot be revived by a British Yes.
He is facing angry calls from Greece, Ireland, Spain and Luxembourg to press ahead in the hope that French voters may change their minds in a second vote if the question is phrased differently.
Blair did not want issue of a French NON vote as a distraction for his EU agenda. The Dutch will now surely follow with a “NEE”, both nations are founding members of the EU Six: Germany, France, Italy and the Benelux countries.
Robert Schuman Monument in Brussel
The Dutch Vote June 1 — A Non-binding Referendum
In the Netherlands, the Dutch are voting June 1st for their first referendum ever, the polls have indicated a same large “Nay” vote of nearly 60%. The same poll indicates that 93% of the voters admit they have no idea what the EU Constitutional Charter is about – hail to democracy. It will be a non-binding vote, although an increasing number of parties reluctantly are admitting they cannot ignore the result of the democratic opinion.
Contrary to France, in the Netherlands the parties from Labor (PvdA), Greens (Groen Links), Christian Democrats (CDA) and right-wing Liberals (VVD) all are FOR the new EU Charter and would have an easy two-thirds majority of the deciding vote in parliament. Also a strong voice in support come from all major Dutch Labor unions, as they agree the new charter increases the democratic content of the European Parliament and have more clarity on the social issues of the EU.
The opposition comes from the Socialist Party (SP) of Jan Marijnissen and the far-right Pim Fortuyn Party (LPF). In addition a number of prominent Dutch citizens have voiced their opinion in the media, which spend a lot of time airing criticism on EU affairs, IMHO not in a fair and balanced manner. But in a democracy, that’s all in the game, although I judge the Dutch reporters and journalist being taught from a leftist and socialist view on society.
So have someone please explain the joy of democracy in this vote by referendum, instead of a decision made by our parliamentary representatives hired to do their job!
Dutch Parliament would have voted YES with 128 votes and 22 NAYs!
Fine links for Dutch News …
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Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
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BBC News — Dutch Debate on EU Future!
Vote “YES” in referendum on EU Charter, not a vote on domestic issues
YES – Hope for Peace and a united Europe with new EU Constitutional Charter
Don’t vote NO for domestic reasons of present woes
Parliament would vote YES with 128 votes and 22 NAYs!
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
I have been against referendums all the way through the European Integration process, because NEVER has the referendum been on the treaties, but always, on xenophobia and paranoid nationalism.
Good luck in the Netherlands. Yet I fear those who are opposing this constitution might get their will and I seriously wonder, whether they even grasp what historic chance they lost. They will never get such a good deal from a German government again, especially now that conservatives will take over.
I have been against referendums all the way through the European Integration process, because NEVER has the referendum been on the treaties, but always, on xenophobia and paranoid nationalism.
Yeah well, that´s the position of the German government too. “Europe is too important to let the voters decide”.
And then politicians wonder why people think the EU is undemocratic and not responsible to anyone. 🙂
The problem is that such a position over time creates resentment. People feel that the political “elite”, the politicians don´t take the population and their worries seriously.
I am a German and normally I support the EU. But I resent that our German politicians don´t even try to discuss EU issues at home and convince the population. They know they don´t face a referendum, any criticism is simply labeled as “populism”, not worthy of a real answer.
Just one example.
The EU enlargement from 15 to 25 members. Principally a good idea. But it seems the “old” EU member governments were more interested in photo-ops and glorious speeches than in doing their homework. 🙂
Just watch the EU budget negotiations right now. The new EU members understandably expect the same help (=money) that for example Ireland got since 1973.
But the current “net payers” don´t want to pay one Euro more for the new 25 member EU than for the old 15 member EU. Great Britain wants to retain its rebate. And the “old net receivers” of money like Spain want to protect their EU funds.
The result is a huge political fight with the new EU members probably feeling cheated.
Is it wrong to think that the EU governments should have discussed and solved such problems before enlargement? Especially knowing that most EU countries have domestic budget problems of their own?
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~ Cross-posted from Jerôme a Paris’s Diary ~
It’s not an issue of democracy, the majority of the French are FOR European integration. The choice of a referendum was a poor one. “Oui” or “Non” for the EU Constitutional Charter is not what the French voted, although the new charter is a vast improvement over the present Nice Agreements and tailored for the EU with its 25 member states.
The political decision of necessity to re-unite Europe after the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, has somehow caught the citizens of Europe by surprise for its ramifications in the economic union. We all like to spend our vacations in those poor countries because of the low cost, including Turkey, but to accept responsibility for a united Europe, everyone suddenly felt the pinch in one’s wallet.
The opposition forces in France, especially the Communists, labor unions and far left socialists, prefer large subsidies by the French government to keep Bold Credit Lyonnais, Renault, Peugeot, Alsthom, Bull from sinking. The agricultural sector have a love for the large EU subsidies to keep the farmers farming the way their dad’s generation were kept a guaranteed income by the state. No thought about the long-term effect for third-world nations who can’t compete with subsidized EU products.
On the opposite political spectrum, the right-wing Le Pen had no problem with his racists views to get a 15% of the population to vote “Non”.
In the Netherlands, the Dutch are voting June 1st for their first referendum ever, the polls have indicated a same large “Nay” vote of nearly 60%. The same poll indicates that 93% of the voters admit they have no idea what the EU Constitutional Charter is about – hail to democracy. It will be a non-binding vote, although an increasing number of parties reluctantly are admitting they cannot ignore the result of the democratic opinion.
Contrary to France, in the Netherlands the parties from Labor (PvdA), Greens (D’66), Christian Democrats (CDA) and right-wing Liberals (VVD) all are FOR the new EU Charter and would have an easy two-thirds majority of the deciding vote in parliament. Also a strong voice in support come from all major Dutch Labor unions, as they agree the new charter increases the democratic content of the European Parliament and have more clarity on the social issues of the EU.
Dutch Parliament would vote YES with 128 votes and 22 NAYs!
So have someone please explain the joy of democracy in this vote by referendum, instead of a decision made by our parliamentary representatives hired to do their job!
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
I disagree. Now, I’m a (dreaded) immigrant here, so have no right to vote…but in talking with people here, many people are now stopping and considering what the whole process about becoming a political EU, beyond an economic EU, means. And many are appreciating that the French…and now the Dutch…are saying, “stop, this is moving too fast…what are we rushing into”? I see that many people feel this whole process of expansion is too fast. Yes, people can react through the initiative process, but it also denies the fact that people could also have thought about this and don’t feel comfortable. Such is democracy. Your post just seems so alarmed…I’m not sure a no vote is all that bad…
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Pim Fortuyn illustrated in 2002 by the local election in Rotterdam and the national election in May 2002, that the politics in The Hague is too distant for many citizens, especially in the large metropoles of Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague. These people are confronted with the failures of policies of many years. A large group of people voting for Pim Fortuyn, are those who would otherwise have stayed home. That was a gain for democracy.
The European Union has been taken for granted by the mainstream of people in the Netherlands, press and media, and the political parties in Dutch parliament. The knowledge of the EU, its parliament in Brussel and the Council of Ministers is very finite, as was seen in the low turnout of 39.1% in Election 2004 for the EU parliament. The EU campaign is never on EU issues, but always reverses to local and national issues. The polls established that 93% of the Dutch citizens have no or very little knowledge of the EU Constitutional Charter.
The EU Charter was signed one year ago by the enlarged union of 25 nations. I didn’t see any protest manifestations a year ago, so I am indeed puzzled by the non-binding referendum, and has absolutely nothing to do with democracy as I know it. A single question referendum on a difficult, complicated issue of the EU Charter does not fulfill any useful goal. An extended referendum with more questions would do better to indicate the emotions and arguments, what the citizens’ aims are with the EU membership and enlargement or social issues. Once again, the voter fears the unknown and rejects an important improvement of a charter, that should have been ratified before the enlargement to 25 nations.
A Dutch saying: “Wat een boer niet kent, vreet die niet”. I am sure the geographical chart of the division will explain a lot how the Dutch voted. The same was also illustrated in the French vote.
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
City turnout yes no
Abcoude 73,2 52,0 48,0
Bennebroek 72,6 55,3 44,7
Bloemendaal 75,3 60,6 39,4
Bunnik 73,7 52,8 47,2
Bussum 70,5 49,8 50,2
Doorn 68,6 51,2 48,8
Eersel 60,0 50,5 49,5
Haren 74,7 52,1 47,9
Heemstede 71,7 57,0 43,0
Maarn 78,4 50,7 49,3
Margraten 66,9 50,2 49,8
Midden-Delfland 72,3 50,3 49,7
Mook en Middelaar 68,3 51,1 48,9
Naarden 73,7 55,0 45,0
Nuenen c.a. 67,6 51,8 48,2
Oegstgeest 74,6 55,9 44,1
Sevenum 59,8 50,9 49,1
Son en Breugel 63,9 50,6 49,4
UTRECHT 63,9 51,1 48,9
Voorschoten 71,8 51,3 48,7
Waalre 69,3 51,0 49,0
Wageningen 68,3 52,2 47,8
Warmond 69,0 52,1 47,9
Wassenaar 70,2 52,6 47,4
The well educated and more affluent part of The Netherlands voted YES to the EU Charter! Turnout above average.
Not surprising to my earlier analysis, and the polls indicated that 93% of voters did not have sufficient knowledge of EU Comstitutional Charter.
The city of UTRECHT is one of the four largest cities in the Netherlands, with averaged best educated citizens.
City turnout yes no
AMSTERDAM 55,9 42,3 57,7
THE HAGUE 53,1 41,5 58,5
ROTTERDAM 53,4 32,4 67,6
UTRECHT 63,9 51,1 48,9
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
City turnout yes no
Alblasserdam 66.8 25.0 75.0
Bellingwedde 64.1 22.6 77.4
Dirksland 69.6 20.4 79.6
Elburg 70.8 24.0 76.0
Goedereede 75.5 21.3 78.7
Hardinxveld-G'dam 72.0 22.7 77.3
Menterwolde 65.3 21.9 78.1
Neder-Betuwe 68.2 20.2 79.8
Nieuw-Lekkerland 77.3 20.2 79.8
Nunspeet 73.2 23.1 76.9
Oldebroek 67.2 19.7 80.3
Pekela 60.3 18.5 81.5
Reiderland 61.2 15.4 84.6
Reimerswaal 70.8 20.3 79.7
Rijssen-Holten 70.0 24.7 75.3
Scheemda 65.4 24.8 75.2
Sliedrecht 67.2 22.5 77.5
SPIJKENISSE 61.6 23.2 76.8
Staphorst 77.4 16.4 83.6
Tholen 67.2 20.9 79.1
Urk 74.8 8.4 91.6
Zwartewaterland 72.3 24.0 76.0
The northern part of the Netherlands: province of Friesland and Groningen, are poor and lack investments and job opportunities. Except the city of Groningen with its University and affluent suburb of Haaren (Yes 48.4%). The outer parts of North-east are old pro-communist stronghold and voted against the EU Charter.
Very surprising for me, the Protestant communities voted overwhelmingly against the EU Charter! These religious groups have a very high turnout – way above average. The Protestant city of Urk is a small fishing village, which has suffered greatly from the stringent EU rules to protect the fishing grounds of the North Sea. Urk – NO vote 91,6% with turnout of 75%!
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
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Voted NO! Why?
They fear God as much as an European Union, analogous to the Holy Roman Empire and the Church of Rome.
Except nowadays, the Dutch Reformed fear a secular state, with no church affiliation whatsoever.
A single line Election slogan: “God – Church – House of Orange”
Staphorst – Drenthe
No traffic on Sunday – no photos allowed – no inoculation for poliomyelitis.
Internet Site is Shut down today:
Vandaag is het zondag. We wijden deze dag in het bijzonder aan de dienst van God.
“Today it’s Sunday. We offer this day especially in the service of God.”
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
And how many pages is the EU Constitutional Charter? Maybe people are smart enough not to vote for something that no one person can read and understand fully. Get it down to the size of the US Constitution or the Magna Carta and then vote.
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This is a news flash from the:
by whataboutbob ◊ Wed Jun 1st, 2005
It appears the Dutch have rejected the EU Constitution in their just completed referendum, 62% (no) to 38% (yes)…it seems people are feeling the process is moving too fast, or are concerned that it just isn’t that good a deal for the Dutch people…
Let’s see what happens next, and what it all means.
by whataboutbob ◊ Thu Jun 2nd, 2005
EU nations to continue ratification process of EU constitution
A constitution for the European Union was agreed in Brussels on June 18, 2004.
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité