I guess I am missing something. If a “Yes “ vote would in a sense be seen as “anti Russia” and “anti Putin” and the good Dutch people more or less don’t like or don’t trust Putin or Russia why will this even be an issue? I realize that GeenPeil thinks it is more than just that. Why not pick a referendum that speaks more clearly about the problems with the EU?
And take it a step further. Even if 90% of the vote is a “no” vote this is only one country in the EU. There are still 27 other countries as well. Do they feel the same way? If not, what harm is there in one nation showing their frustration and the measure passing anyway?
Perhaps Rocky can provide the Dutch perspective on this.
Originally Posted by: wpr
Well, I think that "yes" being an anti-Putin vote was one of the big reasons a lot of people did vote yes. I don't think Putin is popular anywhere in Western Europe. I also don't know if it's wise to pull their neighbour and longtime allie into the Western European sphere of power. I reckon it'd be more reason for a civil war between eastern and western Ukraine. Then again, that's just speculation on my part.
My biggest issue is that Ukraine is a rather corrupt country. They haven't managed to get that out of their political system for decades, but millions of Euro's and "supervision by the EU" should magically solve all of those problems. It's like wanting to join the Packers after going to the gym once, promising that you'll be a good football player in 2 years.
Another reason is that, if you read through it carefully, the association agreement contains a lot of paragraphs which very much read like a defensive pact. Also, while it's not in the agreement itsself, these agreements tend to lead to admission to the EU in the long run.
It's doubtful whether all Ukrainians benefit from the agreement, as well. Things like farmers having to follow EU guidelines will destroy quite a few businesses. They just don't have the funds and/or materials to do this.
Of course, the overhanging sentiment is that the EU does whatever it wants, without taking nations who think otherwise into account. I think that was a big part of the setup of this referendum initially. I can promise you, though, that this issue has had a lot of coverage and people seem to have read up on the issue quite a bit, rather than just "voting against Europe".
I feel like the situation is a bit like this. Would you currently vote for an agreement like this with Cuba? I imagine that streamlining trade relations would be a big plus, but putting them under your protection, fully opening borders and having an outlook on them becoming the 51st state might become a bit of a problem.