I knew it was too good to be true

Last week, it looked like French voters might reject the European constitution.

The latest poll is going the other way, after intensive campaiging from leaders from across France's political spectrum, from socialists to McDonald's-bulldozing farmers to anti-soap Greens. I should have known the French would never reject such a stupid idea. The driving force behind the opposition was a racist opposition to Turkey joining the E.U., but if French voters have to choose between socialism and racism, they'll take socialism.

The E.U. has been referred to as a "United States of Europe," surprisingly, as the U.S. doesn't sell well in many of the more backward and insular countries such as France. A more appropriate name, though, would be the "Union of European Socialist Republics," or UESR.

Fortunately, the sensible British will probably vote down the EU constitution. They don't want to take orders from Frenchmen and Germans in Brussels.