Unbezähmbare Öffentlichkeit — Europa zwischen transnationaler Klassenherrschaft und egalitärer Konstitutionalisierung

„Die Menschen ertragen das Theater der Politik nicht mehr, so wie die Protestanten das Theater der Religion nicht mehr ertrugen. Man sehnt sich nach wahrer Politik — so wie damals nach wahrer Religion.“ (Pierre Bourdieu)

Abstract

The author analyses and defends the French referendum against Europe’s new constitutional treaty. Even if the referendum was a disaster for the democratic legitimization of the EU, it had a significant democratic meaning, and hence came close to a first ’constitutional moment’ of Europe. The referendum has made manifest the up to then latent crisis of legitimation. The crisis seems to be caused by new transnational relations of domination. A postnational soft Bonapartism is emerging. This new Bonapartism of the united executive bodies of Europe relies on a tremendous growth of informal power beyond state borders and beyond the law. The very political problem of Europe therefore is the re-legalization of informal power structures.