Elections and constitutions
Possibly the most extraordinary and, indeed, the most reprehensible of all the extraordinary and reprehensible reactions to the successful Iraqi election this week-end was the sight of a demonstration in Spain protesting against it. Cannot have an election under American occupation, they said; American money is being used to pay for something or other.
What these people were really saying – and how often have we heard it – was that, somehow, Iraqis and Arabs in general are different from thee and me and do not deserve freedom and democracy. They do not really want it. They want stability even if it means rule by bloodthirsty dictators like Saddam Hussein and his psychopathic family.
Very nice, too, and would be even nicer if the people of Spain (or Britain for that matter) paid a little more attention to what is going on in their own superior political systems: a wholesale surrender of democratic rights and liberties to the great managerial dictatorship of the European Union.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi people confounded the nay-sayers and have turned out in large numbers to vote in the first free election for a couple of generations at least. It seems that the turn-out across the country, despite the terrorist attacks and the threats of more, despite the troubles and the murders (though, let’s face it, only in four regions) was 55 per cent. In some regions it was considerably higher.
How does this compare with the turn-out across Europe for that democratic fig-leaf for the system, the European Parliament? How does this compare with the ever falling turn-out for the British General Election or for any other elections in the superior democracies of Europe?
The Spanish government will soon have to answer that question for the first of the Constitutional referendums is about to take place on February 20, in Spain, and some worry has been expressed.
Oh not about the vote – that is a foregone conclusion. Spain, as Prime Minister Zapatero keeps telling us (having won an election in which the electorate showed itself to be far more afraid than the people or Iraq), is one of the most pro-European countries.
What he means is that Spain gets an extraordinarily good deal and its politicians scream blue murder whenever that deal is threatened, so they are in favour of the Constitution as they assume it will be more of the same.
No, what Zapatero and the others are worried about is the turn-out. Apparently, only the most optimistic commentators predict more than 50 per cent. Something to be proud of, given how important the Constitution is going to be.
Oh and by the way, I hope all our readers know what the Iraqi vote was about: to elect a commission that will debate and write a constitution. Ahem, I do not recall M Giscard d’Estaing’s Convention being elected. You cannot ask the people to decide such matters. Well, not in Europe, anyway. In Iraq, maybe.
What these people were really saying – and how often have we heard it – was that, somehow, Iraqis and Arabs in general are different from thee and me and do not deserve freedom and democracy. They do not really want it. They want stability even if it means rule by bloodthirsty dictators like Saddam Hussein and his psychopathic family.
Very nice, too, and would be even nicer if the people of Spain (or Britain for that matter) paid a little more attention to what is going on in their own superior political systems: a wholesale surrender of democratic rights and liberties to the great managerial dictatorship of the European Union.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi people confounded the nay-sayers and have turned out in large numbers to vote in the first free election for a couple of generations at least. It seems that the turn-out across the country, despite the terrorist attacks and the threats of more, despite the troubles and the murders (though, let’s face it, only in four regions) was 55 per cent. In some regions it was considerably higher.
How does this compare with the turn-out across Europe for that democratic fig-leaf for the system, the European Parliament? How does this compare with the ever falling turn-out for the British General Election or for any other elections in the superior democracies of Europe?
The Spanish government will soon have to answer that question for the first of the Constitutional referendums is about to take place on February 20, in Spain, and some worry has been expressed.
Oh not about the vote – that is a foregone conclusion. Spain, as Prime Minister Zapatero keeps telling us (having won an election in which the electorate showed itself to be far more afraid than the people or Iraq), is one of the most pro-European countries.
What he means is that Spain gets an extraordinarily good deal and its politicians scream blue murder whenever that deal is threatened, so they are in favour of the Constitution as they assume it will be more of the same.
No, what Zapatero and the others are worried about is the turn-out. Apparently, only the most optimistic commentators predict more than 50 per cent. Something to be proud of, given how important the Constitution is going to be.
Oh and by the way, I hope all our readers know what the Iraqi vote was about: to elect a commission that will debate and write a constitution. Ahem, I do not recall M Giscard d’Estaing’s Convention being elected. You cannot ask the people to decide such matters. Well, not in Europe, anyway. In Iraq, maybe.
posted by Helen at 5:03 PM
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