Danger, democrats at work

AFP, 22 April 2004
Austria opposes nation-by-nation referendums on EU constitution

Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel expressed opposition Thursday to the holding of individual national referendums on a new EU constitution, as British Prime Minister Tony Blair has proposed. "When we consider holding such a referendum, it should be a European vote, a Europe-wide referendum and not eight or 10 or 15 or 25 single nation ballots," Schuessel said.

What is this man taking in his coffee? Apart from the logistic and legal problems of holding a Europe-wide referendum - which have been fully aired previously - the very nature of a Europe-wide vote is anti-democratic. There is no European demos, so the only valid vote can be nation by nation.