Ireland votes on Lisbon Treaty;
Ireland has voted No to the Lisbon Treaty, plunging the European Union into a new crisis.
With results coming in from across the country, a final result of 52 per cent against and 48 per cent in favour of the treaty was rapidly hardening. A final declaration is not expected until after 4 pm.
The Lisbon Treaty, the reworked successor to the formal constitutional pact dumped by voters in France and the Netherlands in 2005, officially needs the approval of all 27 EU member states. But only in Ireland has it been put to a popular vote, meaning today’s result may have far-reaching consequences for the entire bloc.
Barely two hours after the count began today, the No camp had already started celebrating, while senior Fianna Fail strategists privately and glumly conceded their defeat.
A prediction: “What will the evil Eurocrats do now? I predict they will try to pass a law saying that EU treaties cannot be subjected to popular referenda.”
Related: the UN Human Rights Council directs Britain to abolish the monarchy.
The treat has been ratified by Parliament.
That is incorrect. It has NOT been ratified by the parliament in the UK as yet.
Celtic Thunder – this brings joy to my heart and tears to my eyes :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlnLk4Y_kKM
The last time Irish voted the wrong way, they simply voted again, until the right resulat was in. So the fight is not over yet.
(I suppose the other EU countries have realized that it is much more efficient to avoid a vote altogether.)
Btw, why does anybody care what the UNHRC says or does? It has about the same credibility as IPCC, i.e. nil.
The Eurosnots are most unhappy about the Irish vote.
Axel Schafer, German Social Democrat leader in the Bundestag committee on EU affairs –
“With all respect for the Irish vote, we cannot allow the huge majority of Europe to be duped by a minority of a minority of a minority. We are incredibly disappointed. We think it is a real cheek that the country that has benefited most from the EU should do this. There is no other Europe than this treaty.”
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano – “Now is the time for a courageous choice by those who want coherent progress in building Europe, leaving out those who despite solemn, signed pledges threaten to block it”
Jema54:
Thanks for that great Celtic Thunder. The Irish seem to have kept something the rest of us in the West have lost. God bless Ireland. And give some of the same pride.
Ireland is an Island on it’s own and it is the most westerly point in Europe.
If the Eurocrats want to punish them or disallow them from participating in the EU. It would be great to see them join NAFTA or even become a province or state provided that the Gaelic language and the native culture was respected as equal.
It would be nice if this was the end of “the European Project” but the socialist fanatics will not be denied their dream of a USS of E. They will find some way to isolate Ireland and get around this by hook or by crook. Britain has yet to ratify the treaty as was pointed out above. If Brown gets his way they will ratify it and so will the rest of the EUrowankers without anyone getting a vote on it. The fanatics will not be put off by one no vote rest assured, they have too much to lose.
Kudos to the irish they are wrecking the ideas of the euroweenie union
“CGH:
Europe would have been crushed even deeper by regulatory overburden from Brussels, increasing the speed by which Europe eliminates itself as a competitor to other OECD nations like us.
You seem to think that trade is like a hockey game, where there is always one winner and one loser.
It isn’t. Trade is primarily win-win. It’s to our benefit not to beggar our neighbours, but to enrich them.
In other words, a Europe shackled by the burden of over-regulation and over-taxation harms Canada.
Posted by: rabbit at June 13, 2008 2:00 PM ”
Not quite, Rabbit. We compete with Europe as part of a North American trading bloc more than we trade with them. In competition, there are winners and losers. If the Euros are so silly as to overburden their competitive position, they do so with my blessing. It means more market share for us.