Britain Suspends Referendum on European Constitution

A few days after the rejection of the proposed EU constitution by voters in France and the Netherlands, foreign secretary Jack Straw announced that Britain would suspend plans for a similar referendum. He was careful not to declare the constitution dead, as many British politicians would have preferred, to avoid offending French and German allies who insist that the process should continue. The decision also helped Prime Minister Tony Blair, for whom the referendum was a political risk that could have shortened his term. As Straw observed, "these referendum results raise profound questions about the future direction of Europe." Those questions are now in the hands of EU leaders, who will discuss how to proceed when they meet in the European Council next week. – YaleGlobal