OVERSEAS BRIEFING

Author: JASON SIEGEL

PARIS - "A," "the" and "this" may not have any meaning standing alone, but when coupled with the term "European Constitution," they become incredibly significant.

The French referendum to decide whether or not France is going to ratify the/this/a European Constitution is scheduled for May 29, and the battle is fierce. The intense debate over the/this/a Constitution in Portugal has inspired groups on all fronts in France to argue their vision of Europe and France, and has made some strange bedfellows on the political scene.

The far left and the far right both support the "Non," but to call them allies would be a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation. Those on the left support the idea of a united Europe and want people to vote no to "this" Constitution, while Jean-Marie LePen and his anti-immigrant followers support the idea of a sovereign France and thus are voting against the idea of "a" European Constitution.

The "Non" group on the left got on the streets early to spread its message against this Constitution. According to the volumes of literature it has handed out on the streets and submitted to the media, this Constitution puts Europe on track to privatize any and all social services, including university education and medicine - both of which are heavily subsidized in France. Those at the bottom of the economic ladder would get left behind - one need look no further than Chile to see how rapid privatization can wreck an economy and inflict poverty on many. They also uncovered the polemic, 18-month-old Bolkestein directive, which also emphasizes neo-liberalism. This group encourages people to say no to the Constitution so that a new one can be written with less emphasis on free markets.

The far right leads a nationalistic and unabashedly reactionary movement against the "Oui." For these people, a European Constitution is an attack on the sovereignty of France. It is waging a war against the idea of a Europe, especially one that includes the largely Muslim Turkey, which is geographically closer to Asia. LePen and company lament the ethnic diversity spreading all over France, claiming that it betrays the supposedly pure French heritage. It is imperative to remember the influence of LePen, who claimed 17 percent of the votes in the last presidential election.

The most cohesive group is the "Oui" coalition, and they are voting for "the" European Constitution. Accusing the "Non" groups of baseless fear-mongering, misrepresenting the Constitution and its articles and conflating ratification with neo-liberalism and the entry of Turkey into the European Union, it argues that contrary to the assertions of the "this" group, there is no alternative constitution. This group includes men and women on the right and left, who all agree that a united Europe is necessary for the good of France and the world. It supports the Constitution because they believe it actually protects workers, the poor, immigrants, gender equality and many other popular causes. It got a late start in the information race, letting the "Non" spread its material before getting its own literature out on the streets, and is thus currently trailing in the polls by margins that differ both by day and by source, but it is generally in the 40 percent range.

This referendum is of crucial significance. A "Oui" victory will guarantee only the continuation of this debate in other countries, but will also keep the ball rolling for a united Europe. A "Non" will break the geographic continuity of Europe, and might very well deprive the global community of a superpower to counterbalance the United States.