THE SWISS SAY NO! --
A European Commission spokesman said: "The Swiss
did
not say no to Europe."
Just like bureaucrats...what part of "No!" can't
they
understand?
The Swiss Say No!
By Martin Fletcher
SWITZERLAND overwhelmingly rejected early
membership
of the European Union by a margin of nearly four
to one in
a national referendum yesterday.
Nobody had expected the 4.6 million eligible
voters to back
the "Yes to Europe" initiative that would have
forced the
Government to open immediate negotiations with
Brussels,
but nor had anyone predicted it would be defeated
so
heavily.
An estimated 77 per cent, and all 26 cantons,
voted no.
The turnout was 55 per cent.
The Government opposed the initiative, arguing
that it
favoured EU membership but only when the time was
right.
Those campaigning against joining the EU argued
that
membership would mean higher taxes and interest
rates,
heavy financial contributions and a loss of
sovereignty.
One poster showed a Swiss chicken plucked, gagged
and
shackled by EU handcuffs. Switzerland's economy is
booming and the country has recently negotiated
free trade
agreements with the EU.
Christoph Blocher, leader of the Eurosceptic Swiss
People's
Party, was jubilant. He said that the Government
should
drop EU membership plans for good.
Ruedi Baumann, president of the Green Party, which
was
part of the coalition of left-wing and youth
groups that
collected the 100,000 signatures required to force
the
referendum, said: "It's an absolutely brutal
defeat."
The groups had argued that Switzerland should help
to
shape EU decisions that affect it anyway and
should join
before it has to negotiate entry with an enlarged
EU of
perhaps up to 25 members.
A European Commission spokesman said: "The Swiss
did
not say no to Europe. They chose to answer the
question
later and this is obviously a choice that the
European
Commission respects."
Article found at:
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-93919,00.html
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