February 15, 2006

YOU HOLD THE STAKE, ALF-ERIK, & I'LL POUND IT IN:

Tiny island that's ready to stop Europe in its tracks (David Rennie, 15/02/2006, Daily Telegraph)

In the decade since they voted to join the European Union the islanders of the Aland archipelago in the Baltic Sea have been outvoted and overruled by Brussels, time and again.

Now Aland, a unique, autonomous region of Finland, is about to teach Brussels a lesson in democracy it may never forget.

Thanks to a quirk of early 20th-century history, Aland's 26,000 people are essentially sovereign co-rulers of their home nation of Finland. As such, they can veto any international treaty that Finland wants to enter, including EU treaties.

And the islanders are threatening to do just that when the European Commission attempts to revive the moribund EU constitution later this year.


It would be worth a Time Zone Rule violation to vacation at Club Aland.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 15, 2006 6:21 PM
Comments

Hey, you skipped the part where the issue sending them over the edge is an EU ban on chewing tobacco.

Posted by: David Cohen at February 15, 2006 7:19 PM

Chew is American.

Posted by: oj at February 15, 2006 7:23 PM

Sounds a lot like the way the Meech Lake Accord collapsed, thanks to another Harper. Wasn't his objection something about "First Nations" rights?

Posted by: Raoul Ortega at February 15, 2006 7:55 PM

I love Alanders! Do they also give out leis at the airport?

Posted by: obc at February 15, 2006 8:47 PM

Let's have our next convention there.

Posted by: Dave W at February 15, 2006 9:20 PM

That place sounds like the District of Columbia (politically speaking).

We need a volunteer to procure the snus!

Posted by: Dave W at February 15, 2006 9:29 PM

The chewing tobacco in question isn't American style chew, but Swedish snus, which is made of tobacco in water and salt and then essentially pasturized.

Posted by: Carter at February 15, 2006 10:45 PM

our scandinavian friends seem to specialize in disgusting victuals.

Posted by: toe at February 15, 2006 10:51 PM

Uh, toe? Ya don't eat snus.

Posted by: Kirk Parker at February 16, 2006 2:37 AM

The Scandanavians have to atone for lutefisk. This would be a good start.

Posted by: Mike Morley at February 16, 2006 6:52 AM

i wouldn't eat it, and you wouldn't eat it, but your average scandinavian will gobble it down like pop corn.

Posted by: toe at February 16, 2006 10:24 AM
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