This won't be of any interest to most board members (except as an excuse to heap scorn upon the EU) but I thought I would post this for those interested (alternatively I could have just PMed Colonel Olrik )
Denmark is set to hold a "super referendum" on the two contentious issues of the European Constitution and the euro, according to a Danish government official interviewed by Reuters.
Officially, the Danish position is that it is undecided on whether to hold seperate referendums on the euro and the Constitution or whether to bundle them together.
But the government official - who spoke on condition of anonymity - said that Danes would be asked to vote simultaneously on the Constitution and the Danish opt-outs negotiated at Maastricht. One of these opt-out concerns the euro and if Danes voted to abolish the opt-out on the euro, the country would automatically join the single currency.
The other opt-outs are defence, police and legal cooperation and EU citizenship, and the official told Reuters, "a ballot with four seperate issues is probably the most likely as things look now".
Denmark held a referendum three years ago in which voters narrowly decided not to join the euro by 53 - 47 per cent.
However, there is now greater support for joining the single currency, with polls putting support for the euro as high as 60 percent.
This support has fallen away slightly after Sweden voted overwhelmingly to reject the euro on 14 September this year. The latest polls indicate a margin of 52-39 in favour of a 'yes' vote on the euro.
If Denmark were to vote to join the single currency, notes and coins could be in Danish pockets by as early as 2006.
Demark, along with Sweden and the UK, are currently the only EU member states not in the 12-country euro zone.
Momentum towards a referendum in the UK was lost after Sweden's 'nej', but a Danish referendum could kick start the pro-euro camp in Britain, led by Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has ruled out a referendum on the EU Constitution.
But Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said that the Sweden vote will not affect Denmark's decision. He said in the aftermath of the 'no' vote in Sweden, "when some day we are to take a decision on the question, I think the Danes will make their own decision regardless of what has happened in Sweden".
Could pose a good opportunity for the EU to gain some prestige, if they get votes in their favour on all the issues and it may even get Blair to commit to a spin doctoring campaign in preparation for a Euro referendum in the UK.
SecondStorm wrote:Im sorry m8 but theres 2 things more important in Denmark atm:
1. The Crown-Prince engagement to Mary Elizabeth Donaldson
and
2. The major black-out yesterday(2 million ppl were affected)
But yes Im quite sure that if there was a vote on the Euro right now we would vote yes (I know I would just like last time).
Argh, stop the 1337 sp33k!
I just want to warn you that if you talk like that around here, you aren't going to last very long. No reason to use m8 instead of mate or ppl instead of people. Takes something like an eighth of a second longer to write.
SecondStorm wrote:Im sorry m8 but theres 2 things more important in Denmark atm:
1. The Crown-Prince engagement to Mary Elizabeth Donaldson
and
2. The major black-out yesterday(2 million ppl were affected)
But yes Im quite sure that if there was a vote on the Euro right now we would vote yes (I know I would just like last time).
Argh, stop the 1337 sp33k!
I just want to warn you that if you talk like that around here, you aren't going to last very long. No reason to use m8 instead of mate or ppl instead of people. Takes something like an eighth of a second longer to write.
Are you honestly accusing me of using too much "1337" speak?
If not then sorry. I suck at sarcasm
Because I think those(ppl,m8 and a few others like tbh)are the only ones I use regurlarly. I blame IRC.
SecondStorm wrote:Im sorry m8 but theres 2 things more important in Denmark atm:
1. The Crown-Prince engagement to Mary Elizabeth Donaldson
and
2. The major black-out yesterday(2 million ppl were affected)
But yes Im quite sure that if there was a vote on the Euro right now we would vote yes (I know I would just like last time).
Argh, stop the 1337 sp33k!
I just want to warn you that if you talk like that around here, you aren't going to last very long. No reason to use m8 instead of mate or ppl instead of people. Takes something like an eighth of a second longer to write.
Are you honestly accusing me of using too much "1337" speak?
If not then sorry. I suck at sarcasm
Because I think those(ppl,m8 and a few others like tbh)are the only ones I use regurlarly. I blame IRC.
If Religion and Politics were characters on a soap opera, Religion would be the one that goes insane with jealousy over Politics' intimate relationship with Reality, and secretly murder Politics in the night, skin the corpse, and run around its apartment wearing the skin like a cape shouting "My votes now! All votes for me! Wheeee!" -- Lagmonster
TheDarkling wrote:This won't be of any interest to most board members (except as an excuse to heap scorn upon the EU) but I thought I would post this for those interested (alternatively I could have just PMed Colonel Olrik )
Eh
There are a few other guys here very pro-European too, this certainly deserves a thread of its own.
Could pose a good opportunity for the EU to gain some prestige, if they get votes in their favour on all the issues and it may even get Blair to commit to a spin doctoring campaign in preparation for a Euro referendum in the UK.
Yes, this seems like a sure win, and its about time too. We need a strong positive signal to force the next stage of the E.U integration to happen. After the Constitution and a more efficient form of government, it will be only a matter of time before the UK joins the Euro. Ack, if only someone replaced those cretins actually in charge by men with Vision..
Colonel Olrik wrote:
Yes, this seems like a sure win, and its about time too. We need a strong positive signal to force the next stage of the E.U integration to happen. After the Constitution and a more efficient form of government, it will be only a matter of time before the UK joins the Euro. Ack, if only someone replaced those cretins actually in charge by men with Vision..
My only fear is that a permanent presidency won't be apart of the constitution due to the minor nations league contesting it, while I understand their concerns I think the best thing for the EU would be a single guiding policy for a few years at a time and a public figure to boost the EU's profile in the member nations.
) 
