Difficulties in a re-vote on the Lisbon Treaty

Tuesday June 24, 2008 12:13

by IshtarCelt

This Referendum had a majority turnout of the electorate. The reason the Nice treaty could be put to a re-vote is because there wasn't a majority turnout.

So the Lisbon treaty can't be put to a re-vote.

When the Nice Treaty was rejected the first time, less than a majority of the electorate voted (According to the constitution), This was why it could be put to re-vote. This time, it was a majority victory, with a majority of the electorate voting - so they can't legally run it again.

Which means we have a few years grace to push forward and work on the real issues, while they manufacture another treaty, (repackaging) and they'll probably put more flouride etc in our water.

I think it makes great sense to demand that an EU reform treaty contain nothing about fair trade, militarisation etc, but of course, the EU comes from the EEC, which was set up for economic reasons

One reason I voted NO, was not that I didn't understand the treaty per se, but that I was not given the oppurtunity or information to understand it. YESsirs think again, we Irish are canny enough, and quite a few 'ordinary 'people (as in, not anarchists or coir etc) have said to me that they thought that information given was incomprehensible, because if we actually understood it, we would vote NO. One man I spoke to was in and out of hospital, had great admiration for the nurses, but was very disillusioned by the state of the health services.

You YESsirs have to take into account rising dissatisfaction in Ireland, and the fact that the working classes have spoken. We working classes are not stupid, or uneducated, and are most certainly not unaware politically, socially or economically. Quite the opposite, in fact. The best and clearest political analysis I have ever heard is from working class people. Disillusionment rather than ignorance has led in the past to abstention from voting. We are increasingly more and more p*ssed off. However, we are not the Wrong people, we are entitled to vote, and we have spoken.
The question 'not understanding the treaty' should be rephrased to 'unable to understand due to misinformation and with-holding of information'.
Infrmation about the treaty that was circulated in the rest of the EU, was never distributed here. There is an increasingly growing blanket of censorship on this Island.
I voted NO based on the limited information I did recieve. I see no good reason for denying one third of Europe representation in the comission for five years, and plenty of ways it could be manipulated to serve vested interests. The booklet did not say who would decide which countrys are out, or how this would be decided. I also didn't like the idea of the EU becoming a legal entity in it's own right. Ireland originally joined the European Economic community for reasons of trade etc. not to create a superstate. The system in the US is failing badly, why do we want to create it again? look at the case of the Ballymun flats; when the Irish govt erected them, the whole high rise idea was already considered a failure in England And it failed here too.
I can see possible benefits in uniting europe, but only in terms of a utopian wet dream. The cynical reality is that multinationals and war-mongerers and vested interests are firmly entrenched within the structures and hierarchies of governments and EU institutions. I resist centralisation and increasing organisation for many reasons, but mainly because I think that representation leads to corruption, and that the larger the numbers get, and the more 'organised' something gets, the more that people and local communities lose out.
I also voted NO because I don't see why the EU constitution should supercsede the Irish constitution. i don't see this as necessary to help the EU run more smoothly. This is our constitution, that our ancestors fought and died for. That's one reason, but also, why do we have to stop being a sovereign nation (even if mostly on paper)? No good reason was given to me for this.
I also don't understand why so much had to be removed from the Irish constitution in order to ratify this treaty.

I am also concerned about ominous threats that the EU will be less nice to us now, or that we will be sidelined. That is an issue all of itself that could be dealt with in EU courts if it did occur, and in my opinion, this sort of statement supports the bullies, and is in itself bullying. It would be illegal to treat us any differently because we excercised our rights.. That's part of the guilt-tripping and scare mongering that already failed in the yes campaign, and will fail again. The disenfrachised are awake now, and empowered by this vote. We will vote again. The bullying tactics and threats won't work, because we see through them now.

I am aware of all the other reasons to vote NO, and although the possibility of these things being true did inform my decision, I based my vote on the information available to me (or lack of thereof!)
This is NOT A VOTE AGAINST EUROPE, it is a vote against bullying, hidden agendas, privitisation, etc. and it shows a growing disillusionment and distrust of governments and politicians. sHELL to sea, the destruction of Tara, rising food prices, shannonn airport, corrupt politicians lining their pockets while we have to tighten our belts, the issues of fishermen and farmers, the turf cutters, the state of the health service....I could go on, but I would hazard a guess that this is the bulk of the NO vote, and not the right wing catholics or eurosceptics. Pro Abortion groups and Euthanasia groups, if you want this allowed in Ireland (and I will support you), then take a case to Europe. we don't need to accept all the BS as well in order to acheive these things. It's like offering a starving person food, but only if they also take heroin....

I am now feeling prouder to be Irish

Tara Abu!!!

(BTW I am not a member of any political party or group. I speak as an Irish Citizen,and a mother,. Though I am also a protector of Tara, I left that out of this argument, because I dislike the pushing of agenda's, and how certain political parties jump up and claim the credit. Many thanks to them for helping the campaign, but it's not about you or your party, it's the will of The people)