EU Constitution Burned In Protest, By Dutch Voters

Down in flames.

Over at Hit & Run, Matt Welch frets that the EU Constitution actually represented the opportunity for economic liberalization, and that its immolization is therefore a setback.

Nonsense. Economic liberalization is a good thing. But there are more important things-- actual democratic representation, for one.

I'm opposed to Roe v. Wade not because I object to the policy but because that decision reduces democracy by taking important decisions from the people themselves. If all 50 states made abortion legal through the first two trimesters, I'd be happy.

But, while I do think it's important to allow women to end unwanted pregnancies, I think it's more important that normal democratic means be permitted to settle these questions.

So-- Europe rejected the EU Constitution. Economic liberalization will not be forced on resistant populations by unaccountable bureaucrats. (PS, I kind of doubt those bureaucrats really would have liberalized much at all -- they don't seem like a bunch of Adam Smiths to me -- but let's assume for this discussion that they would have.)

It's better to have protectionism and a vestige of democracy than economic liberalism and rule by an unaccountable European Vanguard.

posted by Ace at 06:31 PM

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