I can't say I am very surprised by today's result, but it still came as a shock to see the European Constitution being rejected by such a strong majority.

Time for a new constitution? I think that might not be such a bad idea. It would be pretty bad to push the current document through, against the will of the French and Dutch people. That is regrettable, but at least now there is a chance to produce a readable document, that might be worth the name Constitution. Or better yet: don't try to be so ambitious -- next time, just call it a "revised treaty" or an "updated partnership" and the whole thing won't be such a big deal. Was there ever a vote on the Treaty of Maastricht? Or Amsterdam? Or Nice?

On a side note, in Utrecht the people rejected a proposal to allow shops to be open on more Sundays throughout the year. This is one of things I truly do not miss: the fact that if you want to do shopping in Holland you always have to plan around the closing times of the shops. That might work well with people who work regular hours, but it just doesn't fit my life style at all.