Well, the Irish voted NO in their referendum on the Lisbon treaty. That will prove to be a pain for the EU Commission and has already initiated some unsavoury feudal voices from those that promoted the treaty.
Ireland is the only country that had a democratic vote on the treaty. It was required by its constitution. But the result reflects the uncertain nature of that treaty. Many people in other countries wanted a democratic process for its ratification, but were not given the opportunity by their governments.
It is very difficult to take an educated perspective on this treaty because it is so opaque. Certainly here in Ireland neither the “yes” nor the “no” promoters were able to present a cogent argument for their position. Except perhaps the 2 arguments that relate to political process:
- “this is nearly the same as the revised constitution that was declined by France, Holland et al, so it shouldn’t pass” and
- “it is opaque, complex, difficult to understand, yet binding, so it should not be passed in its present form” or “we don’t understand it so we can’t approve it”
Perhaps the vote points more to a problem in the political process of the EU. This is an opportunity for the bloated bureaucracy to rationalise its operation. It is also a natural process of development of a federal democracy and should lead to creative solutions.
It is very worrying to hear some national leaders say that the Treaty will be implemented irrespective – that is tantamount to dictatorship and reflects an inappropriate feudal mentality that people despise. The EU has a chance for creative development, it should not regress its political process.
(EU grapples with Irish ‘No’ vote – BBC)
Comments