Non

French reject EU constitution. One of the more interesting analyses is at PowerLine - I'm particularly interested in the red/blue state France map. It looks like a coalition of the extreme right and left defeated it, each with its own reasons - the right wanting to protect national sovereignty and the left wanting to protect "worker's rights". I don't really know if the urban/rural dichotomy exists in France like it does here, but it certainly looks that way.

I don't really know what to make of it - I despise the French, both the right and left wingers. It seems in continental Europe the right wingers ARE actually racists and bigots, and tend to be statist anyway. Going on principles, though, I'd say the best thing that could possibly emerge would be a European free trade zone, but one in which each state maintains its national identity. Chirac wanted a united Europe to counter U.S. might, however, so I'd say he wasn't shooting for that as his primary goal. Besides, there are too many loony left-wingers in France (read the PowerLine post - they name an elementary school for Karl Marx!) to allow a true free trade zone to reign. About the only real conclusion I can come up with is that Europe is in disarray. So what else is new?