United States of Europe, Take Two

What do you do when the voters dump your constitution? Change the title and don't make the mistake of taking it to the voters again:

The new EU Reform Treaty is effectively the same as the constitution it was designed to replace, according to a leading architect of the constitution.

The treaty differs from the abandoned constitution in "approach rather than content", says former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing.

Mr Giscard d'Estaing led a committee drafting the constitution, rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2004.

Several European governments hope to avoid a referendum on the new treaty.

I wonder how this will work, however:

Mr Giscard d'Estaing points out that the UK will not be bound by the treaty's
rules on human rights and judicial harmonisation, and would retain the right to
"duck in and out of the system as it pleases".

Duck in and out as it pleases? Constitution lite - why didn't South Carolina think of that? Still, there are some sceptics:

British Euro-sceptics want the government to hold a referendum on the treaty,
arguing it is no different to the constitution.

Euro-sceptics. I thought those were conservative Americans.

Independent's article here.

h/t Astuteblogger

Originally posted in UNCoRRELATED Oct 30, 2007