Let me make clear first of all that I remain, on the whole, pro-European, (although that really depends on the actions now taken by the other EU governments to force this treaty through in the wake of a No vote to the Lisbon Treaty by Ireland) but the people of Ireland have spoken and rejected this Treaty. I must say that I agree completely with the decision. If the EU is to truly have a purpose it must be close to the people of Europe. Sadly, it is not. From the corruption that forced the resignation of the entire Commission in 1999 to the sheer arrogance of re-packaging the Constitution and forcing it through 26 of the 27 EU countries without a referendum, the EU simply needs to understand the concept of ACCOUNTABILITY. For this we have the Irish people to thank. They really looked at this issue, said "Hold on, we don't understand it at all" and voted No. How right they were, especially when the Irish Commissioner in the EU admitted that he hadn't even read the document himself. How right they were, even when the new Premier Brian Cowen hadn't read it either.
Take a look at this brilliant summaryFirst point: It is more than sickening to think that the whole "Yes" campaign stated the dire consequences if the Treaty was rejected, but without having read the document it wasn't able to state what these were.
Second point: The arrogance of the Yes campaign is breathtaking. Betting shops (Paddy Power) paying out early, the whole Irish elite political machine against the No vote, biased media coverage (I'm not so sure of this claim in Ireland itself, but the British press has HARDLY covered the issue over the past few days) and to top it all off, the erosion of more civil liberties in the UK itself yesterday with the extension of the time that someone can spend in detention to 42 days. Why do I connect the two issues? Because this seems to have been the week that the elites were going for it - to swipe away a lot of fundamental freedoms all at the same time - to get it over and done with. I would even like to go as far as to say that the detention vote in the Commons was probably planned to coincide with this referendum in Ireland to take away attention. How cynical some of you might say I have become - however, with the ever-increasing intrusion of the state in our lives; of political correctness and local Councils using terror laws against innocent people, I believe that cynical is not the word - lifting the wool would be the term.
Third point: Corruption. I would be the first to defend the UK in terms of corruption. Regardless of a deep subconscious awareness of the corruption of any government, I have always defended rigorously to my students the general anti-corruption stance in the UK. The way in which we are a "fair" people, and the way in which the police serve the people, being two examples. I feel I seriously have to keep my mouth shut now because I cannot transparently justify such assertions. We are becoming a police state; these "terror" laws prove that - ID cards prove it - the political correctness of the police proves it - and linked to all of this, the Lisbon Treaty enshrines the transfer of an unacceptable amount of British sovereignty to Brussels. I really feel that we have learned, at a government level, some of the tricks of the trade of corruption, and that some of those tricks come directly from the EU.
The EU is becoming less accountable, more corrupt by the day, and ARROGANT.
a) Holding off on a raft of proposals such as tax harmonisation until after the Irish vote.
b) The EU insisting the continuation of ratification procedures despite the Irish rejection.
c) Rumours that the EU will get the Lisbon changes into EU law anyway by playing with their own rules.
This is all incredibly sad for me to see. Sad for somebody who was so passionately pro-European. Sad to see so much corruption and lack of democracy. Sad to see decisions taken by people that I don't even know. The EU could have been so much greater if it hadn't taken this path.
A welcome sad day for the EU, a disaster for British democracy, and a great day to say thank you Ireland for your courage and common sense. The Irish people looked at the reality and made the right decision. Like the British, they wanted to be part of the EU for its economic benefits. If there were to be political integration, it had to be something that came more naturally, instead of forced upon the populations of 26 out of 27 countries without a vote - Ireland wasn't going to forget why it joined the EU, and for a long time to come, the Irish two finger-salute to the EU will be remembered, as will the shame that now arrives as I believe the elites will try to push the treaty through anyway. The good thing is that this time, they can't attempt to push it through privately. All is out in the open.
I would like to finish by saying that I think it's time to take a holiday - to Ireland. Thank you.
I will attach some links below, if you feel like me you will see the huge biased-ness for the Yes campaign and the current opinions of the British and Irish press.1)
This is probably the article that sums it all up - the arrogance and the wrong attitude, and the exact reasons why the Irish have rejected this. EU leaders plotting to get around the rejection in defiance of their own rules. The arrogance and lack of trust that this makes me feel is enough to make me vote out this Labour government, for it is the only democratic protest that I have. I hope many choose to follow, for what UK would there be left if we integrate so deeply into a club that operates in these ways?
5) Well done, Stuart Wheeler
6) This article makes me sick, especially when it talks about "Bridging mechanism" to isolate Ireland to still get the Treaty through - the rules are the damn rules guys, you can't change them now.
