Ireland: democracy in action
Friday, June 13, 2008 It seems the Irish have rejected the Treaty of Lisbon. Oh, to be in a Dublin bar tonight! I am tempted to jump in the car, drive to Stansted and catch the first available flight.
But first, a word of warning. Defeat in Ireland should put a stop to the treaty, which needs to be ratified by all 27 member states, but the EU doesn't work like that. The BBC is reporting that European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso is calling for other states to continue their ratification processes and said "a solution should be sought". I bet he is.
Let's remind ourselves how the Lisbon Treaty came about. It was drawn up because voters in France and the Netherlands rejected the draft European constitution in 2005. Even the BBC admits that the treaty is remarkably similar to the original constitution and "contains many of the changes the constitution attempted to introduce". See HERE.
The BBC is also reporting that "The British government is expected to continue ratifying the EU Treaty despite its rejection by Irish voters." Perhaps David Davis should include this issue in his civil rights campaign. We were promised a referendum. We should get a referendum. (For more information see the excellent I Want A Refendum campaign website.)
Which reminds me ... we were promised exemptions to the smoking ban (in the 2005 Labour party manifesto). We should get exemptions to the smoking ban. Never let them forget it.
Reader Comments (14)
You say, Simon, that perhaps David Davis should include this issue in his civil rights campaign?
Don't you think it more pertinent that Gordon Brown and the rest of his Labour luvies, should maybe start thinking about civil rights themselves?
Personally, I cannot think of any way that Brown could now duck this issue, he's in enough deep water as it is. A move towards a referendum might just be the redeeming feature he so desperately needs.
A great victory for the Communist Party of Ireland, the Socialist Party and Sinn Fein! A great defeat for ALL the other Irish parties, conservative, social democrat and otherwise. (and, of course, a wonderful day for democracy everywhere ...)
It's just a great victory for people throughout Europe and never mind their political stripe - period.
Well done Ireland. I applaud all those who voted against the ratification of this treaty.
Hurrah, the irish people got it right this time and gave the fingers to the eu and our europhile irish govt who have been left ashen faced in shock and floundering after their spin did not come off this time and are showing themselves up for being so detached from reality and the common people that they havent a clue what to do next only whinge about what they are going to say to their bosses in the eu next week. They made a big mistake by relying on the fat cat yes voters and didnt listen to the ordinary people. Regardless of all the reasons the govt are giving for the no vote the bottom line with the people of ireland was the plain and simple fact of job losses and immigration. The irish people are fed up seeing their jobs being given to foreign workers for half the price along with eu interference and the erosion of our civil liberties ie smoking bans, drink bans, rubbish bans etc they feel they have been forced to change their lives to such an extent that it is hardly worth living. Ireland have 4 times the amount of immigrants than any other eu country.
I hope David Davis fights for a referendum in his civil rights campaign.
Well done the people of Ireland. Thank you.
It does expose the vast gulf that now exists between what the majority of the people want and the wishes of our political masters.
The Labour party's position is now completely untenable on this and so many other issues.
Thank you Ann for your post. You have clearly told us what is happening in Eire. We are being subjected to the same in England. It is looking as though David Miliband and others in the government will ignore the British people and sign next week. I'm pleased that your government honoured its promise to give its people a referendum - this is clearly far more than ours intends to do.
Thanks Jenny, but our govt didnt do us any favours by giving us a referendum, it is written into our constitution by our excellent parliamentarians of old who were genuine polititons who loved ireland and wanted to safeguard our sovernity, so this govt had no option in the matter, much to their displeasure I'm sure, but to grant it. Our forefathers would be turning in their graves if they could see where this lot of headless chickens and wannabe power masters are leading us into the hands of these unelected and unaccountable eu power brokers without consultation or debate.
The blame game is starting, they're telling us how ungrateful and grasping we are for all they money the eu gave us etc, but the people have spoken and they should realise that the irish people did not like the way the eu was going, it was moving too fast for a start and riding rough shod over other country's rights and demands too. The eu and the other govt gillies should go back to the drawing board now and listen to what every country has to say about the way they want their country to take part in this eu melting pot or it will end up dead in the water and it will be proven, as it has in ireland in the past few days, that they will also loose the trust and credibility of the people of europe.
Wonderful news, Ann, and thank you for bringing the vital importance of this one chance to our attention months ago. Congratulations to all who supported the petition and I thank my local branch of UKIP for telling me of it. I have concentrated all my efforts since then on this project.
What a huge change the Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty has brought about already! The tide is turning at last.
There is a note of thanks to all who signed the petition on the link below and a "Bottom Up" Plan B for those interested.
http://www.irish-friends-vote-no-for-me.org/index.php?set_language=en&cccpage=home
I firmly believe that only freedom from complete domination by Brussels can get this smoking ban repealed and, hopefully, reveal the lies and brainwashing we have been subjected to for so many years by Big Pharma.
Well done, everyone, our small voices DO make a difference.
Readers might also be interested in this dedicated site:
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/
Thank you, Joyce, some very clear comments there.
However, the Lisbon Treaty has not yet finally passed through the House of Lords. David Cameron seems to have jumped on the bandwagon by declaring that he now wants a referendum. If he is sincere and follows this through by stating that without Ireland the Lisbon Treaty is dead and if he encourages Tory and LibDem peers to vote accordingly in the Lords, Britain could halt its ratification. This really is a golden opportunity for Cameron to turn things around.
Tomorrow should be a very interesting day in Parliament!.
A rapidly growing peition on Gordon Brown's website is below:-
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Abandon-Lisbon/
Here is Sarkozy's take on the Irish people.
They are bloody fools, he told his aides, they have been stuffing their faces at Europe's expense for years and now they dump us like sh**. He then ordered his government to play down the 'no' vote and proceed with their plans and find a way to save the treaty.
We have to manage the Irish 'no' with calm, with sang-froid and neither dramistise nor minimise it, he said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4174476.ece
Sarkozy's comment was revealed on irish tv last night by a member of the panel, he's coming to ireland next month and I hope rotten eggs will be thrown at him. Avril Doyle the opposition MEP called the UKIP party fascists for cheering the irish no vote at their rally and shouted them down, and no better one to shout, she has a voice like a fog horn and looks like a man in drag, Her party describe her as an aristocrat and she spends her time brown nosing herself up the eu.
Its now official Ireland is in recession and our govt still cant understand the reason for the no vote, while thanks to their eu cohorts ireland is not allowed to forge its own destiny because we are not allowed to change our own interest rates. The massive number of our civil servants is costing us a fortune and our pension committment to them, not to mention their spin doctors and consultants and of course the 124 agencies looking after our refugees and asysum seekers while at the same time the indigenous irish are preparing themselves for the emigration boats. We have nasty petty regulations dreamed up by the eu and enforced to the letter by our lap dog govt. They have moved us into an era of zero tolerance and the real threat of jail sentences for minor offence. Do they seriously think we want to continue with this carry on. I think people would be happier if they went on a permanent holiday.