FOLLOWING THE EUROPEAN UNION

I may not have seen the results of the poll to which you refer, Francis. What were the figures in pro and con? Is the growth of indicated support occurring more or less as you suggested earlier?

The "Oui" is coming in France!

Walter wrote:

The "Oui" is coming in France!

I certainly hope you're wrong.

I've no source in English

EU constitution 'no' vote at 52 pct in France - poll
PARIS (AFX) - Some 52 pct of French voters will reject the European constitution in a referendum on May 29, according to a new opinion poll released yesterday that raised hopes for those in favor of the landmark text.
The Ipsos poll conducted for Le Figaro newspaper and Europe 1 radio showed a three-point drop in opposition compared with the last survey, marking the second time in a week that the 'no' camp seemed to be on the wane.
But a poll carried out by the BVA institute last week put opposition at 58 pct -- the highest score yet.
More than 20 polls taken since mid-March have shown that French voters will reject the constitution on May 29. Not a single survey has suggested that the 'yes' camp would win.
Some 27 pct of those opposed to the constitution said they believed the text would be renegotiated if France were to reject it, despite the fact that French President Jacques Chirac has said renegotiation was not an option.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright AFX News Limited 2005. All rights reserved.

'Oui' vote stages revival in constitution battle

The Independent
02 May 2005

Precisely a month before the only poll that counts, opinion surveys are tracking an abrupt revival of support for the proposed European Union constitution in France.

For the first time in six weeks, an opinion poll suggests the "oui" camp - composed of the government and main opposition parties and most mainstream media - has regained the lead in the run-up to the referendum on 29 May.

Another poll places the "non" argument still narrowly ahead - by 52 per cent to 48 per cent - but losing ground rapidly.

Perhaps most significantly, both polls suggest there is a sharp increase in support for the proposed EU treaty from the centre-left and among members and sympathisers of the principal opposition party, the Parti Socialiste.

Support for the constitution has always been solid among supporters of President Jacques Chirac and the two centre-right parties. Until this weekend, there had been a rapid erosion of support among Socialist voters, angry with the centre-right government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin and tempted by hard-left arguments that the treaty is an "ultra-liberal" (ie hard capitalist) plot.

A significant moment in the campaign may have been the pugnacious TV appearance on Thursday of the former Socialist prime minister, Lionel Jospin, who icily - and wittily - dismissed the "no" arguments of the left.

It was perfectly reasonable, M. Jospin said, to want to change the government but that should not be confused with support for an EU treaty, needed to make a 25-nation union function properly. When you want to end a marriage, M. Jospin, said, you divorce your spouse, not the priest who married you. (...)

However, both the opinion polls published at the weekend were based on interviews conducted in the days before M. Jospin's appearance. There has been, in any case, a revival of the spirits of the pro-treaty left in the past fortnight.

An effective poster, widely distributed and available for download on the internet, shows sinister-looking pictures of five "non" supporters on the far right and far left and proclaims "Quand je vois ça je vote 'oui'" ("When I see this lot I vote 'yes'"). (...)

More generally, the "no" camp appears to have run out of steam.

Opponents of the treaty seem to be paying the penalty for grossly inflating their case, claiming the proposed treaty would place at risk everything from abortion to wine-producers co-ops.

Can someone help me out here? The second to the left is far-right Front National leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. The middle one I suppose is the Communists' leader, forgot-his-first-name Hue. Who's the other three? And why isn't Trotskyite frontwoman Arlette Laguiller on there?
:wink:

If I could, I would Vote for Philippe de Villiers, much better looking than the rest.

Not everyone knows, how your other site looks like*, Francis - than, of course, you would have been CG's one but only choice! :wink:

*until I'll post those pics

ConstitutionalGirl wrote:

If I could, I would Vote for Philippe de Villiers, much better looking than the rest.

Not everyone knows, how your other site looks like*, Francis - than, of course, you would have been CG's one but only choice! :wink:

*until I'll post those pics

Left to right :

Jean-Pierre Chévènement, Jean-Marie Le Pen, Robert Hue, Philippe de Villiers, Henri Emmanuelli.