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Rep. of Ireland Sends EU Loud Lisbon "Non"
2 pieces of good news greeted me when I arrived home on Friday lunch time. The first was that the voters of the Republic of Ireland had rejected the EU constitution. I'd like to believe the Czech president when he said ratification cannot go ahead following this but the British foreign minister has said we should continue with our process of ratification (when he says 'our' I think he means Labour's, after all today's hiccup shows you can't trust the people to make the right decision) and José Manuel Barroso (EC President) insists the treaty isn't dead. The EU are totally adept at ignoring popular opinion when it suits them, even if it is so bluntly stated.
Brian Cowen, the new leader of the Southern government, blames the no camp for confusing voters and that many people raised objections to issues not covered by the treaty. Then again it was the government's Yes camp who aimed to focus voters attention on the benefits of the EU rather than the Constitution they were actually voting on. And this is the main problem with the EU: the arrogant, 'we know best' attitude to its citizens.
Follow up:
It's an attitude which means that the European people won't get to decide their own future. It's an attitude which means that when the French and the Dutch rejected the Constitution, the Eurocrats just changed the cover, called it a treaty and then told the people they would get it whether they wanted it or not. That's before we even get on to the vast sums of money paid to inefficient farmers to keep European produce artificially expensive while African farmers are priced out of European markets (meanwhile world leaders wonder what to do about soaring food prices? I can't think where to start! )
I like the EU. When I was young I loved it. When I hit around 18-20 I hated it. Now I've seen some of the benefits of free travel, EHIC etc. I can see it has good points beyond just acting as a counterweight to the power of America. Still, none of that changes the fact that it is one of the most powerful, faceless and corrupt and possibly the single most inefficient organisation in the world today and all that must change before we countenance giving them more powers.
So from me to those 53.4% of voters in the Republic: a heartfelt "Thank you".
Update: For what it's worth I've signed a petition calling on Gordon Brown to respect this result and abandon ratification.