The Fourth Defenestration of Prague
In a less than reported development in these parts, the Germans are still trying to bring the EU constitution back to life, despite the Dutch and French no votes which for a government of laws, and not one of men, would have killed it stone dead - at the crossroads, with garlic around its neck and a stake through its heart.
Perhaps unwisely Frau Merkel has had a go at coaxing the Czechs into a measure of support for it, but the famously straight-talking Vaclav Klaus ('The Third Way leads to the Third World') and his equally pugnacious Prime Minister are having none of it: "Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek insisted to reporters that "the document must be more understandable for people," and said the Czech Republic would not stand for a quick-fix solution at the cost of quality. Czech President Vaclav Klaus advocated "smaller steps" in the direction of a constitution, and said the current draft was still "kilometers" away from what the Czech Republic would accept".
Previously Topolanek has dismissed the constitution as 'a pile of crap'. In one of life's delightful outbreaks of symmetry, it was a pile of just that which broke the fall of the Imperial Governors defenestrated in 1618.
(PT - Sorry if I'm infringing your demarcation)
Perhaps unwisely Frau Merkel has had a go at coaxing the Czechs into a measure of support for it, but the famously straight-talking Vaclav Klaus ('The Third Way leads to the Third World') and his equally pugnacious Prime Minister are having none of it: "Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek insisted to reporters that "the document must be more understandable for people," and said the Czech Republic would not stand for a quick-fix solution at the cost of quality. Czech President Vaclav Klaus advocated "smaller steps" in the direction of a constitution, and said the current draft was still "kilometers" away from what the Czech Republic would accept".
Previously Topolanek has dismissed the constitution as 'a pile of crap'. In one of life's delightful outbreaks of symmetry, it was a pile of just that which broke the fall of the Imperial Governors defenestrated in 1618.
(PT - Sorry if I'm infringing your demarcation)
Labels: Eastern Europe, EU fun and games, Germany
This entry was posted
on Saturday, January 27, 2007 at 6:41 pm.
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Croydonian,
Thanks for this encouraging news. I am always wondering how you are able to find so many interesting stories.
We all should be grateful to the Vaclav Klaus for his opposition to the EU plans for centralisation.
Ind addition, it seems to be very unlikely that an ameliorated version of the EU constitution will be accepted by the French voters. An interesting graph clearly shows that the majority of the French people are so fed up with their political class that more French now vote for the extremes than for the middle. Here.
Colin - Good stuff.
The figures at Wiki have almost a fifth of the voters opting for the extreme left - Greens, Trotskyites and Communists.
A sound ally. Merkel only made the news in Davos becuase she is the only leading on-lame duck European leader.
That and she can't ski, rendering her more time to speak to journalists.
Er.. Sorry about being so late to this party. I was a away for the weekend. Wtf was Merkel doing in Prague? If you want to know more I'll forward you some press on the visit.
It was German EU presidency charm offensive, I believe.
Lead balloon. Topolanek's special envoy MEP Jan Zahradil criticised some Czechs for trying to be "good Europeans" during her visit. If Merkel believes that the Constitution can be resurrected under her watch she is delusional.
And that is a happy thing.
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