Will This Muslim Save Europe?
From the desk of The Brussels Journal on Tue, 2007-09-04 19:15
A quote from the BBC’s Mark Mardell at his blog, 3 September 2007
Denmark's conservative leader, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, has promised Angela Merkel that he will do his very best to avoid a referendum [on the revised European constitution]. They are both painfully aware that it could trigger a domino effect that might knock over Mr Brown by heating up the already pretty hot demands for such a vote in the UK. [...]
[T]he really critical point is the call for a referendum by Naser Khader, a charismatic and very popular politician who has just formed his own new centre party, New Alliance. This Muslim politician became hugely popular during the cartoon crisis by calling on fellow members of the faith to support Danish democracy.
I am told the Danish prime minister wants to help Gordon Brown, but he wants to remain prime minister even more. He would also like to win an election, then hold a referendum on getting rid of the Danish Maastricht opt-outs, so they could join the euro. And we all know you can have too much of a good thing.
Bye Bye Brown
Submitted by Amsterdamsky on Wed, 2007-09-05 12:37.
Brown is gone anyway. Ironically, this neo-Stalist will be toppled by the left of his own party. If the Dutch government tries to sneak this through there will be riots.
Danish referendum
Submitted by kepiblanc on Tue, 2007-09-04 19:29.
If Danish PM Mr. Rasmussen so much as tries to avoid a referendum I'm quite sure he will be former PM an hour later. Not only is he in need of on Mr. Khader's party but much more so on the "Danish People's Party" - vigorously anti-EU and anti-immigration. Danes voted thundering "NO's" to the Maastrict treaty and the Euro, remember?