Swedes threatened with second euro-poll
Wednesday 10 September 2003
A British Lib-Dem MEP told Swedish voters in Stockholm yesterday that if they got the "Wrong" answer in their euro-referendum on Sunday, by voting NO, they would just have to vote again until they got the "right" answer.
Unlike Britain, the Swedes have no opt-out on the euro, but they have simply never joined. The No side has maintained a significant lead throughout the campaign, despite a slight narrowing of the gap in recent days. Virtually the whole Swedish establishment, government, political parties, trade unions and media are officially in favour of euro membership, and Stockholm is awash with Yes Campaign propaganda.
Yet the Swedes remain deeply sceptical of the project. They fear that euro membership would threaten their generous social security benefits. They are suspicious of the huge budget of the Yes Campaign, the scale of which may have been counter-productive, creating a sense that the euro is good for the establishment but bad for ordinary people.
Yet British Lib-Dem MEP, Graham Watson, leader of the Liberal group in the European Parliament, has told the Swedish people that if they vote No this weekend, they will just have to vote again later. This is the assumption that some commentators have called "biased finality" - the idea that in European referendums there is only one "Right" answer - a Yes - and that the people have to keep voting until they finally get there. Of course once they vote Yes, no further referendums are allowed.
Both Denmark (on Maastricht) and Ireland (on the Nice Treaty) have had to vote twice - they voted No the first time, and had to vote again.
Commenting on Watson's remarks, East Midlands Conservative MEP Roger Helmer said:
"The arrogance of this Lib-Dem MEP is breath-taking. He is telling the Swedes, an ancient and proud nation that their vote counts for nothing, and that they will have to join the euro whether they like it or not!
With the current disastrous performance of euro-zone economies, joining the euro now would be like climbing out of the lifeboat and back on board the Titanic"
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