Yet another reason to say 'no' against the constitution

According to De Nederlandsche Bank, the Dutch equivalent of the Federal Reserve Bank, the guilder (our former currency) was five to ten percent undervalued when it was absorbed into the Economical and Monetary Union (EMU), the entity that has produced the euro. This article (in Dutch) states that lots of people knew, but because of political pressure from Germany (the article speaks about 'sensitivities') nobody did a thing about it. All for the greater (= European German) good.

As a result of this magnificent example of Dutch policy makers and civil servants acting for the best interests of our nation, Dutch prices have increased more than would have been necessary, and our competitive position has deteriorated. Thank you, European Union, on behalf of all those who are currently unemployed because our economy is in a slump, or are having trouble to make their salaries meet their material needs.

The other day, I paid 2,75 euros for a Diet Coke in a pub. That's 2,2 times the price it used to be, and still policy makers maintain that the euro has not made life more expensive. All of us already knew, through our daily experiences, that life had become more dear. Now, the policy makers finally start to admit the truth. At first, hesitantly, when it turned out Greece shouldn't have been admitted, but was nevertheless, diluting the value of our currency. Now it has become obvious that we didn't need the Greeks to water down the guilder. Our own monetary officials could handle the job just fine.

Worse may be to come. The EMU was 'just' about our money. The constitution is about our voting rights, our collective defense, our welfare state. Indeed, our very sovereignty is at stake here. Is there anyone out there who can seriously believe that Dutch interests won't be trumped time and time again if the European constitution were to be adopted, God forbid, and the bigger member states would get even more power in even more areas?

They have been lying to us, they have been deceiving us. They need to be stopped. Throw a spanner in the works of the EU machinery. Vote no.

6:56

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