Scepticism growing in the Netherlands

A leader in the Times argues that the Dutch are increasingly likely to vote 'no' to the EU Constitution due to growing discontent with the EU.

"Several factors contribute to this unease. The first is disgust at the way the French and German governments conspired to destroy the Stability Pact, revealing that in the EU some animals are far more equal than others. Dutch enthusiasm for the single market has also been tempered by the feeling that other Europeans have taken advantage of, or abused, Dutch liberalism, which was the cultural cornerstone of the country.

"However, the Dutch have come to realise that its generosity has been abused in Brussels, where true liberalism is seen by many as weakness... What they dislike is not the idea of a constitution, but the accretion of more power to an unaccountable Brussels."

Source: The Times