France's discreet 'yes' to the Lisbon Treaty

"How discreet French politics can be. Usually, this would be an occasion for speechifying and celebrating European perspectives, but on Thursday, pitiful faintheartedness was the order of the day," writes Stefan Brändle about France's ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon. "The debate about this 'simplified' text of the constitution had been rescheduled for the night hours to prevent television and newspapers from reporting on it. The Senate, too, met Thursday night. Its consent was certain, as the ruling UMP party has an even more distinct majority. President Nicolas Sarkozy is behind the voting in the dead of night. He wanted the topic dealt with as quickly as possible. In recent days, people had made the accusation that the will of the people was being violated."

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