Telegraph | News | Tiny island that’s ready to stop Europe in its tracks — More and more Europeans are starting to realize that the EU will never work by making everyone lose their traditions and take orders from Brussels for everything!
Thanks to a quirk of early 20th-century history, Aland’s 26,000 people are essentially sovereign co-rulers of their home nation of Finland. As such, they can veto any international treaty that Finland wants to enter, including EU treaties.
And the islanders are threatening to do just that when the European Commission attempts to revive the moribund EU constitution later this year.
But last week the archipelago’s head of EU affairs, Britt Lundberg, travelled to Brussels – a day-long trek – to deliver a warning that dismally low public opinion on Europe could mean Alanders prevent Finland from ratifying the constitution.
The islanders’ revolt has been brewing for some time. First, this community of Swedish-speaking Finns lost the right to fish at sea with traditional nets.
Then Alanders saw their beloved spring duck hunting virtually abolished. To the Alanders’ final outrage, local laws on consuming “snus” or Swedish chewing tobacco, are about to be quashed by the European Court of Justice.
found by Mad Dog Mike
Dang! Let the angry mob ramp Brussels! I want to see some BLOOD DAMN IT!
On a funny mood today 😛
Off-topic but John, when will we see that article of yours about Apple using Windows OS? Been checking out your website and pcmag for it for a week now.
Think the early days of the United states were any different? Take a history class. Very few Early settlers spoke French, but we nearly adopted it as the official language to be taught to all children at school. And there were debates on the status of the native Indians, were they men or animals scientificly speaking.
It always amuses/amazes me how much you, Yanks, want EU to fail. Is it because you are losing to Europe in pretty much everything, but military build-up?
Just exactly what is wrong with each country having its own constitution or charter that fits well with that country, and never mind the EU constitution. The EU doesn’t need one, really–they’ve gotten along without one for a long time. Either that, or cut down the EU Constitution to a very small document (I understand it’s pretty wordy compared to the US Constitutuion which, even with its amendments, is not that long.
Allen,
I want the EU to succed. thay way you’ll have two layers of BS to deal with instead of our 1.9.