Netherlands faces first national referendum in history.

This BBC article deals with the Dutch referendum to approve the EU constitution. Whereas most routine decisions are made by the legislature, which is comprised of rationally motivated vote-sharers; referendums are difficult to entirely predict, as you are evaluating the opinion of all of the citizens of the country. To add to this quagmire, this will also be the first time that the Netherlands has ever had a national referendum. All the major parties are urging voters to vote “yes” on the constitution, but as we all know, this does not necessarily translate into the views of the populace. As the Dutch European Affairs Minister, Atzo Niarticle, notes, "Sometimes referendums are not about the issue itself but about the government or something else." Many Dutch political analysts are worried that people will transcend the “single-issue space” of the EU constitution ratification and instead vote based on worries of other issues. The Netherlands is one of the founding six nations of the EU and contributes the most per capita to the EU. It is unthinkable if the Netherlands rejects the EU constitution. I found the article interesting and pertinent to our class regarding voters and their motivations.