We the people hold these truths to be self evident vs Concious that Europe is a continent tha has brought forth civilisation

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The Preamble to the new european constitution is dull beyond belief and fails to stir in the slightest. Fair enough God has been left out of it but we could have had a bit more humanism and enlightenment and far less torrid language.

Anyway here it is.

Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people - Thucydides

Conscious that Europe is a continent that has brought forth civilisation; that its inhabitants, arriving in successive waves since the first ages of mankind, have gradually developed the values underlying humanism: equality of persons, freedom, respect for reason.

Drawing inspiration from the cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe, which, nourished first by the civilisations of Greece and Rome, characterised by spiritual impulse always present in its heritage and later by the philosophical currents of the Enlightenment, has embedded within the life of society its perception of the central role of the human person and his inviolable and inalienable rights, and of respect for law.

Believing that reunited Europe intends to continue along this path of civilisation, progress and prosperity, for the good of all its inhabitants, including the weakest and most deprived; that it wishes to remain a continent open to culture, learning and social progress; and that it wishes to deepen the democratic nature of its public life and to strive for peace, justice and solidarity throughout the world

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

How cool would it have been if it had also started "We hold these truths to be self evident: that all ~~men~~people are created equal"?

I mean, it may have been rank hypocrisy yadda yadda, but still, the idea of setting up a new country with this as rule number one is still classic beyond classic.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:20 (twenty-two years ago)

It's more or less a corporate mission statement, then?

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 29 May 2003 18:24 (twenty-two years ago)

ding ding ding!

― James Blount (James Blount), Thursday, 29 May 2003 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm kind of excited by the constitution because We've never had one in the UK, (well, its never been written down at least). It ought to be a bit more inspiring.

― Ed (dali), Friday, 30 May 2003 06:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I think they should have got Jake and Dinos Chapman to write it.

'Insofar as every European has the right to have his limbs strewn from a tree in some nameless and meaningless atrocity, the contents of a McDonald's Happy Meal strewn on the bloody ground beneath him, and insofar as small children with multiple penis noses shall wander across the European continent in Converse trainers looking for anus-shaped foxglove things with which to copulate, while the merciless sun of anti-humanist European heroes Sade and Bataille bathes them in the blue of noon, and flies buzz around the shitty limousine of the mafiosi henchmen of the Italian prime minister, preparing to sacrifice another judge to the great god Arxicor...'

― Momus (Momus), Friday, 30 May 2003 06:41 (twenty-two years ago)

That is not going to sound good with stirring music in the backgroup whilst a camera pans over the sepia toned document, and photos of Valerie Giscard d'Estaing, in a Ken Burns style documentary in 100 years time.

― Ed (dali), Friday, 30 May 2003 06:45 (twenty-two years ago)

I would judge the whole European project to have failed if, in 100 years time, we're making Ken Burns-style documentaries rather than stuff that looks like Marker, Straub and Syberberg.

― Momus (Momus), Friday, 30 May 2003 07:55 (twenty-two years ago)

ed: torrid != turgid

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 30 May 2003 08:29 (twenty-two years ago)

whoops

― Ed (dali), Friday, 30 May 2003 08:34 (twenty-two years ago)

we DEMAND a torrid constitution!

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 30 May 2003 08:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Serge Gainsbourg, please possess Mr Giscard d'Estaing.

― Ed (dali), Friday, 30 May 2003 08:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I think he's already possessed by ET:

― Momus (Momus), Friday, 30 May 2003 12:21 (twenty-two years ago)

EC -- the mothership of all motherlands is landing.

― Momus (Momus), Friday, 30 May 2003 12:24 (twenty-two years ago)

what have you got against Sade? (sorry)

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 30 May 2003 12:28 (twenty-two years ago)

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