Re: <nettime> On the Dutch "No" Vote

["Bas Van Heur" <basvanheur@gmx.net>]

At the danger of delivering subjective or irrational arguments, in the case
of the Dutch "no", one aspect seems to be forgotten:

Of course, to a certain extent the Dutch voted "no", because they feel the
EU is not democratic enough - the point made by Ronda Hauben - but living in
the Netherlands this was not the argument I heard most. Instead, what I
heard most were NO arguments i.e. no rational arguments why people voted no.
"I vote no, because I want to vote no and no one has the right to enforce
their laws on me" in combination with some non-defined slogan on losing
one's Dutch identity.

In the case of the Netherlands, it seems much more useful to reflect on this
voting from a more or less psychological perspective: the Dutch are simply
not used to thinking in a political fashion (the Dutch as the most famously
apolitical nation within the EU?). This is a huge difference from the French
(and the Germans for that matter, where parliament decided, but where I
encountered more political discussions 'on the street' nevertheless)
situation, where politics and thinking in a political fashion is part of
their habitus.

The Dutch, however, live in their own moral, not political, universe and
increasingly so since the Pim Fortuyn murder and and neoconservatist rule
Balkenende-style. In this small little world, there is a general fear of
looking outwards. It seems to me that these aspects are the main reason why
the Dutch voted no. Not so much because of intrinsical aspect related to the
EU or any rational decisions, but because of a general fearful and
conservative habitus. 

best,
Bas

> --- Ursprüngliche Nachricht ---
> Von: Ronda Hauben <ronda@umcc.ais.org>
> An: nettime-l@bbs.thing.net
> Betreff: <nettime> On the Dutch "No" Vote
> Datum: Thu, 2 Jun 2005 14:35:55 -0400 (EDT)
> 
> 
> "What We Want is More Democracy"
> Voters in the Netherlands resoundingly vote "no"
>              by Ronda Hauben
>               ronda@panix.com
 <...>

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