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Saturday, June 14, 2008

Lisbon voted down

Splendid. Truly splendid.

Let the political classes take note that the Irish people will not be bullied.

Let the other peoples of the EU, who were so egregiously denied democracy, take note and thank us.

And let us, as a people, be proud.

We have, for now, prevented what effectively would have amounted to a coup d'etats. But when that sleveen creature Barroso murmurs ominously that other countries should continue ratifying what, under the EU's own rules, is now a dead treaty, then there is reason to remain vigilant and concerned.

Why in the hell would any other country waste their time ratifying this trash now, when it has been rejected? If not, that is, for the reason that Barroso hopes to ignore our democratic voice at some stage in the future?

The EU parliament has already appallingly voted to ignore the Irish vote whichever way it went, and refuse to debate it.

Now we're seeing the petulant EU executive's response, which is no different, but significantly more concerning.

If anything ought to convince the waverers that we've done the right thing, then this response is it. These people do not have the interests of Europeans at heart. They have no inclination to respect the voice of democracy. They only want centralised power and will stop at nothing until they get it.

And because of that lust, I am forced to make a sad prediction here and now. This isn't over. They will be back with this treaty a third time to try to force us where they want us to go again.

But for now, we have given them the slap down they badly deserve in their hubris and arrogance.

Well done, Ireland. I'm feckin proud of yiz.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great result for the no camp. However it remains to be seen whether the new brand of Irish government will try the old tactic of rerunning the vote again in the hope of a more favourable outcome.

Anonymous said...

The Mirror today said we could be forced to vote again.

Watching Sky and other British coverage of this has been interesting. As for me, I went out and did my civic duty on Thursday.

Admin said...

Let's hope the Czech president (who says Lisbon is dead) can someone scuppet the treaty. He has a veto but I am unsure if it includes EU issues. The Czech Senate has asked the Constitutional court for its opinion on whether Lisbon violates the constitution and if it rules that it does, a referendum there could be required. Fingers crossed. ;)

Anonymous said...

Hello Ireland ...

... here is Italy

Thanks to the geat irish folk who said NO to this treaty.

We Europeans out of Ireland we haven't the right to vote.

We haven't any chance to say our opinion about this treaty.

THANKS TO THE IRISH PEOPLE FOR THIS NO !

European Union is slowly becoming the Soviet Union with his central KREMLIN (Bruxelles) government.

Irish people gave us a sign of Hope and Freedom.

GREAT THANKS FOR THIS NO TO THE LISBON TREATY FROM FROM THE ITALIAN FOLK.

Anonymous said...

The most demanding and thankless offspring of the EU has' no 'to the Treaty of Lisbon and it paralyses the European mechanism. I cry in my corner while on a Dutch Internet unprecedented jubilation reigns. According to the responses from Europe and Brussels-haters in the Netherlands has the brave Ireland carried out a heroic, democracy a service and the Brussels fascism (real, here and there to read!) Is stopped.

This irrational distaste for an entity that, despite all its imperfections, our prosperity, welfare and peace has brought, remains surprised me. It's the Irish 'no' nothing heroic, just a poor lack of realism. In the course of the nineteenth century ran the (beautiful) island empty. Emigration seemed to many the only way to escape from a country that its own residents could not feed. Everything was better than poverty and hunger suffered by vaderlandse soil. The population slonk of 7 or 8 million to a paltry 3 million. When Ireland was a member of the EEC in 1973 was still the poorest country in Western Europe.

The story is familiar: after 35 years of membership and a sloppy 60 billion euros in European aid and subsidies, Ireland is one of the most prosperous countries in the world. This status was the land of the 'no' on its own strength can never achieve. It happened thanks to the concerted efforts of the European partners and their wonderful momentum of solidarity. Now the Irish rich and volgevreten, they obviously have every right to bite the hand that once fed them. Opportunisten have always been. Yes, but I already hear, you can not criticise European institutions or convention, because you're ever heavily subsidized? Yes, but if I no 'campaign in Ireland overzie, this seems in part from fear, protectionism and sometimes lies to be built.

The most ridiculous arguments during the campaign by the 'no' camp argued. Thus, the Treaty of Lisbon the detention of children over three years, forcing Ireland to Participate in wars and help legalize abortion. The Irish Labour leader Eamon Gilmore called it 'no' campaign 'hysterical', based on unfounded allegations according to which the treaty "our abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage will bring." Step than from the EU but equal, I would say, and no more stop hand. And for all those Dutch people who agitated yesterday feestvierden: ga please cooperate with those 'enlightened' Irish begin a new union and try to get the French (who, like the Dutch voted against the European Constitution) to get. A Europe of different speeds is perhaps the solution. Then it may seek new union of its three cheerful snail's pace.

Anonymous said...

I has'nt gone away ya know! The EU Constitution maybe sleeping now, but believe me when the positive 'ball spin' gets knocked into play years or decades from now the little constitutional issue will arise again as a big snowball going down hill at maximum speed gathering its little helpers on the way and steam rolling out of existance little puppet banana Governments like Stormount and the Dail and flattening it for good, putting it in the past where it belongs, not only unifying Ireland as a European nation but the whole of the petty nations that have butchered each other for centuries into one big tight nit family.

The Irish played the biggest trick ever, one foot in took the dosh and headed for the hills kick them out. Bunch of money grabbing feed the rich and bury the poor scoundrels that ever walked the globalism market.

JC Skinner said...

Cry me a river, Trouw. Europe works without Lisbon. Nothing has changed. The sky hasn't fallen in.
As for why should the votes of 4 million people dictate what happens, well, don't blame the Irish for putting it to our people.
Instead blame your own governments on the continent for not trusting the people to decide what should be done.
The coup d'etats is over for now, FT. But like you I fear they'll be back with it reheated a third time. The Eurocracy seems intent on forcefeeding this crap to us, but every time they ignore the will of the people (including the DUTCH people the first time around if I recall) it gets less palatable and more obvious what they're trying to do.

Peter Slattery said...

The very fact that the people of Europe were denied their democratic right to vote on this treaty was reason enough to reject it. It is not a rejection of Europe as an institution, but rather a rejection of something that was made almost impossible to understand and something those in power were unwilling to let the silly little masses bother their pretty little heads about. Ireland was absolutely right to reject Lisbon. And that the European government is making sounds about ignoring the Irish rejection of Lisbon just proves how right we were. What I'm concerned about is that Biffo and his lackies will not properly voice our reasons for rejecting Lisbon when they meet with the European government. We, as a democracy, have voiced our opinions, and that opinion deserves to be properly represented in Europe. The no vote was a victory for democracy. Instead of whinging about it, those Europeans who are upset about our no vote should be thanking us for what we did.

boro said...

I voted NO for my own reasons, but one of them was certainly because the other European countries were denied a vote on the subject. However, I am concerned that the spin put on the NO vote will be that the Irish people were only voting NO in protest against the Irish government. This would definitely weaken the NO camp and make it look like we truly are a nation of begrudgers.

JC Skinner said...

Peter, Boro: You're both spot on in your respective analyses. This wasn't an Irish rejection of Europe, and the Irish government must represent what the people have said properly if they are to retain credibility as a representative government.