Some interesting pieces in the press this week!

The FT thinks that the new EU constitution would be “a damning indictment” of how far apart politicians and people have grown, if it fails to be ratified because one or two countries vote against. (The article is no longer available on the web.)

But there is overwhelming support for the European project across the EU. It's highly likely that the treaty will be endorsed by an overwhelming majority of member countries, whether by parliamentary scrutiny or by national referendum.

The catch is that an overwhelming majority is not good enough. We need the grand slam of 25 yes votes from 25 countries. But if nearly every country votes yes, and just one or two reject it, that would hardly be a sign of widespread hostility!

Elsewhere, I’m somewhat amused to read Nigel Farage, a UKIP MEP, complaining in the Telegraph: “The bias towards big money in politics is getting considerably worse. This is building up to being a big money election”. Now, who was it that spent more money than all three mainstream parties put together in the 2004 European elections? Wasn’t it UKIP?!