Netherlands to vote Nee on the European Constitution

[CapTVK]

Don´t believe the radio, you can vote blank as a protest vote. People just assume that´s it either for or against but you "can" vote blank!

You just have to ask the people at polling station , show your voting card and say that you want to vote blank. They´ll know what to do.

[DanS]

As somebody from a superstate, I think a superstate would be good for Europe. But I think this constitution is, objectively speaking, awful.

It's interesting to hear Dutch views about this.

[Locutus]

The problem with this poll is that in the campaign leading up to it not a single minute was spent on actually discussing the contents of the constitution. Rather than "against the constitution" vs "for the constitution", it was all "against the EU" vs "against against the EU" (or "these are not the issues we should be talking about, but they're all we're talking about anyway").

That almost makes me feel ashamed to vote Nee, because I don't want to be associated with those idiots claiming that this is a good opportunity to keep Turkey out, to get the Guilder back or to do something about the bullfights in Spain But it's a crappy treaty that will only hurt Europe in the long run, so I'm happy to report I voted Nee anyway

Originally posted by CyberShy
I think it's a little surrealistic to expect the biggest nations of europe not act like the biggest nations of europe. That's democracy.

The ironic thing is that the Dutch people want disproportionately more power for countries with smaller populations because they think that that would give our country more power. But in reality the Netherlands is the 6th largest country in the EU in terms of population, we would likely only lose from power from such measures

[Robert]

I wish there was a: "Please take all responsibility from the dutch voters away and give it to the germans" button or something, since we dutch surely aren't good voters.

[dannubis]

ah, democacy at work, i see ...

[Locutus]

You know, that happened once, but it didn't go over very well

[CapTVK]

Originally posted by BlackCat
Won't work. My local radio says that they have to press a yes or no button - didn't mention a blank button. (I know it's not yes/no, but couldn't bother to find the right )

This is how it works, a blanco vote is an illegal vote (you don´t choose either yes or no but directly push the "vote" button):

De enige manier om met de computer
ongeldig te stemmen is door, in plaats van de kandidaat van een partij, op de blanco knop te drukken. Blanco - en dus ongeldige - stemmen tellen wel mee voor het opkomstcijfer.

[Hueij]

Well, not that it matters anymore, but I voted yes.

Voting "No" would be voting for all the wrong reasons. The Constititution has nothing to do with a yes or no to Turkey, nothing with the fact we've been ****ed by the introduction of the Euro, nothing with being happy or not
with our government and nothing with giving up our abortion, cannabis and euthanasia laws.

Anyways, everything that keeps the French and Germans from shooting at each other is a good thing

[Spiffor]

Locutus:

Do you think the issues mentioned in the BBC article, and those I mentioned in my second post, accurately reflect the Dutch debate?

[CapTVK]

Cybershy, Locutus you´re the only Dutch posters at the moment here. Will you help?

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Hueij
Anyways, everything that keeps the French and Germans from shooting at each other is a good thing

Well, this constitution has nothing to do with the peace between the French and the Germans either

[BeBMan]

Let's wait

[Robert]

CapTVK: I think much people have actually voted blank today.
On the radio they were talking all day about how people couldn't find the blank-vote button and complained about that.
It wouldn't be such a big radio issue if not much people were trying to vote blank.

I have voted "yes" (I'm actually apparantly in the same camp as my fellow poly-friends! Usually I'm in opposite to you guys strange days these days )

I think we may be surprised that the end result actually may be a "yes"!

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by CyberShy
I think we may be surprised that the end result actually may be a "yes"!

I was seriously fearing such an outcome during the French referendum day. My town voted exceedingly for the Oui. The Non vote came from social categories that are largely underrepresented in my town, as well as on 'Poly

[CapTVK]

Well, in a way it does. It goes all the way back to 1950´s when France their coal and iron supplies under combined control. This treaty has a link with history.