« McClellan on Letterman: We’re Screwed | Home | Recent Comments | Categories | Fox News anchor ED HIll taken off air after Barack Obama ‘terrorist fist jab’ gaffe »
Ireland rejects Lisbon Treaty
[Quote:]
Three hours before the count was expected to be completed, Dermot Ahern, the country’s justice minister, predicted: “It looks like this will be a ‘no’ vote.”
Mr Ahern added: “At the end of the day, for a myriad of reasons, the people have spoken.”
The decision places massive doubt over the future of the pact designed to bring more European integration.
All 27 European member states have to ratify the treaty for it to go come into force next year. So far it has been approved by 18 members including Britain, but Ireland is the only country to put it to a public vote.
Most of the parties that make up the current Dutch coalition governemnt promised a referendum her as well, but that was “compromised” away for political capital and an outright fear that the vote would be “No” again. Thank you, Irish, for picking up where our spineless politicians failed us.
|
It’s funny how the politicians manage to avoid getting the people to vote when they know the answer will be the opposite of what they want. Kind of suggests they’re not doing their job: representing the people.
No surprise that my government is on that list though: the Blair and Brown legacy will be a consistent record of bad decisions, abuse of power and corruption.
I just wonder what this Treaty contains. And also wonder if the voters in Ireland knew it.
And I wonder where this whole EU thing is going - from an economic alliance to a second United States? Will be difficult.
The fact that you don’t know what it contains is telling - the politicians should have been able to explain it in simple terms, and they can’t.
My point exactly.
Although, I think they did not even bother about telling the people what’s in it any more than they usually do. A 2 pages glossy brochure 2 weeks before the voting, or something like that more likely.
And I hope they will not bring the referendum here, we frankly don’t have spare money to waste on something like that.
And someone from Ireland explaining how the treaty has been explained to them: http://ocaoimh.ie/2008/06/12/the-lisbon-treaty-too-long-didnt-read/
There are some links for those who are interested in the whole thing.