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Denmark shows the way

DANISH VOTERS have given a well-deserved bloody nose to the Eurocrats who dominate the media, big business, the trade union barons and the five major political parties in Denmark. Despite a strident and at times hysterical ‘Yes’ referendum campaign, the Danish people voted on September 28^th – Ulster Day - by a margin of 53% to 47% not to abandon the Danish crown in favour of the European single currency. Ulster Nation congratulates the heroic campaigners who refused to bow to the myth that European economic and monetary union is ‘inevitable’.

Danes were quite emphatic about their reasons for rejecting the euro. They rejected the whole notion of further European integration and standing up for their distinctive Danish national identity. Fair play to them! Their decision has probably delayed the expected referenda on eurozone membership in neighbouring Sweden as well as in the United Kingdom. This will strengthen the hand of British Eurosceptics who had to face up to the argument that the UK could be ‘isolated’ and friendless as the only EU member state outside the eurozone. Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson, who want us to abandon the pound and British political, economic and fiscal sovereignty ‘when the time is right’ will have to do a rethink. It won’t be so easy for them to get away with it now. Our guess is that, if Labour wins the next general election, they will do an ‘Albert Reynolds’ and try to press ahead without a referendum.

The next matter of concern for opponents of a European superstate is the forthcoming Treaty of Nice in December. EU heads of government want to bring in an Orwellian document misleadingly called the ‘Charter of Fundamental Rights’. This could be described as an embryonic constitution for such a superstate. The Nice treaty proposes to curb the use of national vetoes and replace them with decisions based on majority voting. It is this prospect which swung the NO vote in the Danish referendum. Third Way, the Democracy Movement and the Campaign for an Independent Britain are currently lobbying massive opposition against the Treaty of Nice.

David Kerr, October 2000.

Hope from Denmark

ULSTER DAY, September 28th will have a wider significance throughout Europe this coming autumn. On that day the people of Denmark will vote whether or not to join the single European currency. The outcome of this vote may have enormous repercussions. If the Danes do vote Yes, it is likely to influence opinion in both Sweden and Norway. The new leftist government in Norway is keen to join the EU, so a Danish Yes vote would be all the encouragement it would need to press ahead and seek, for the third time, to change Norwegian voters’ minds. Swedes would probably follow suit and approve euro membership. Britain would be left isolated if Denmark and Sweden were to join the eurozone.

On the other hand, a No vote would probably lead to the cancellation or postponement of the promised Swedish referendum. Swedish Euro-sceptics would be encouraged and Norwegian Euro-maniacs would be silenced (at least for a while). It would also encourage greater scepticism about the euro throughout the rest of the EU, not least in Britain.

Much though, depends on the phrasing of the question. Opinion polls indicated that Danes are just about evenly divided. Will they be asked if they want to be part of the eurozone or if they want to abolish their national currency, the Danish crown? Tony Blair, who is hell-bent on getting Britain into the eurozone ‘when the time is right’, that is, when he thinks he can get away with it, will be watching with great interest.

Eurozone membership means that member states hand over control of their economies, interest rates, credit and the exchange rates to a bunch of unaccountable, unelected and irresponsible bankers in Frankfurt. Look at the situation in Éire where inflation has now reached 5.5% but the government there is powerless to do anything on its own to counter it. The labour and social democratic parties behind the Euro-centralist drive have betrayed the workers whom they profess to support. Only a resurgence of genuine nationalist sentiment throughout Europe can cut Euro-centralist ambitions down to size.

The hysterical reaction from EU apparatchiks to the success of the national-populist Freedom Party in Austria indicates that they fear nationalist sentiment most of all. A vicious campaign of hatred and vilification was launched against Austrians, the Freedom Party and its former leader Joerg Haider.

The spotlight now turns to Denmark. All lovers of freedom, national independence and genuine democracy wish for a decisive victory to the Danish Eurocritics on September 28th.

David Kerr, July 2000.

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A THIRD WAY FOR ULSTER