[BigV]

1 -- french said no to eu constitution in an effort to tell their gov't to "le fuck off". less about the eu than about nat'l govt.

2 -- not just yet. one more round left in him.

3 -- yes.

4 -- the eu will continue to exist. This is a refinement process of the constitution. I thought about this question as the news rolled on yesterday... think how much easier it was when our consitution was created by a smaller universe of stakeholders, with much less (not zero) propoganda, more aligned stakeholders... and ours wasn't a slam dunk. The effort to get 25 sovereign nations to all put in at the same time, the same amount... I shudder to think of how difficult that will be.

I wonder if in the compromise the result will be stretched so thinly that it will be useless. It makes me appreciate the genius of our bicameral system, that offers proportional reprsentational support for populations (house) and for states (senate). One factor in the prev question is that the Netherlands have expressed concern at the prospect of having their influence diluted.

5 -- Like all realistic responses to such large questions, the answer is "it depends". reasons it would be bad: everything more expensive and complicated. multiple trade agreements and borders. and for defense too. and still, that same heterogenity preserves spaces for creativity to spring up.

I don't think the dbacks have any talent in their european farm system, so this is a wash for them. Look east. Far east.