Re: CHAT: national identity

Dans un courrier dat=E9 du 17/05/99 18:39:11  , BP Johnsson a =E9crit :

> ABSOLUTELY NOT.  IMNSHO the Union is undemocratic, and the way "European
>  Union adaptation" was used as an excuse for all manner of unpopular
>  measures that were in the end not relevant to Sweden's entry into the uni=
on
>  made me vote against the entry.  Now that we are there the best we can do=
,
>  however, is to do our best to make it more democratic.
The French say goes that the only way to forge a nation from different=20
peoples is warfare, either against those unwilling to join or against anothe=
r=20
country to unite common will, fear and glory.
To make it short, I doubt you can make up a country with French and Swedes=20
unless the Swedes EDUCATE the French first.
The current European Union is already too much of a democratic one from a=20
French viewpoint. Just forget about Europe or get the French out.
In France, the Parliament is NOTHING. We elect an allmighty president for 7=20
years who is said to BE the French People and who (or the Prime Minister)=20
makes the laws instead of the Parliament (he Constitution doesn't read long=20
and complicated and this sums it up very accurately - esp. sections 34 and=20
37). And when the constitution doesn't fit anymore, a strong man drafts one=20
up and the people vote a yes-no referendum (we had a dozen constitutions=20
drafted). I still remember that German fellow student telling our tutor he=20
was horrified reading the French constitution and couldn't understand why th=
e=20
judiciary and all courts are ruled by the Minister of the Interior (was=20
Minister of Police), why firemen and half of the policemen are soldiers and=20
why litigations vs. the State are handled by special courts made of... State=20
civil servants (from ENA) and so on. For sure there aren't many political=20
scandals over here ;-). France is just a very democratic country with very=20
undemocratic structures.
French would not rely on any kind of European Parliament. What would be=20
normal to them is a strong European President (a French or Corsican one),=20
elected for 7 years by the people.



Mathias