Lisbon Treaty Rejected
Posted on Friday, June 13, 2008
So there you have it. It used to be just Ulster, but now Ireland says NO, and I’m not surprised. I gave too many hours of my life going through the treaty, trying to make sense of it, and it was insanity to presume that everyone who didn’t would just accept the assurances of politicians. I wouldn’t do that, which is why I read the thing from end to end.
After all, there is no more despised group of people in this country than politicians. Instead of putting up posters with politicians’ faces on them, they’d have had more luck using posters of criminals, lawyers and sex offenders.
Vote YES, say Concerned Drug-dealers for a Better Europe
Did they really think they could wait until the last minute, and then try to stampede people into voting Yes? Is that arrogance or is it stupidity? I don’t know. Maybe it’s a bit of both.
What now, I wonder? Will there be a renegotiation or will the other 26 member-countries simply decide they can live without Ireland, and reach an agreement among themselves?
I wouldn’t like to be Biffo, heading for the European summit with a size nine footprint on the arse of his trousers. I wouldn’t like to have the job of explaining how his government completely failed to put the issues before the people in a clear and persuasive way.
Hang on a minute. If I had his job, I’d have told the people in plain language what it was all about, and I wouldn’t have treated them like sheep.
Whatever way you voted, I think we all agree on one thing: this government really are a bunch of incompetent fools.
______________
Pics (c) Achilles
Stumble it!
June 13th, 2008
I was reading tonight that in the event of a no vote, Brussels are already repackaging the treaty for re-presentation. I’m wondering how long it’ll be before you’re all doing this again.
June 13th, 2008
I live in an area with around 700 houses in a mile radius and I asked 10 acquaintances from here if they had voted - only three had bothered to come out. But what they all mentioned is that NO-ONE from the YES camp had bothered to canvass them on their doorstep, nor did anyone see anyone from the YES camp canvassing in the area. There was only one piece Referendum paraphernalia in our area - it was from the NO camp and I only saw it this morning.
Am I only imagining this but was this Referendum a foregone conclusion in that the YES camp were really in the NO camp all along? Were all those panicky reports in the Irish Times (after the opinion poll) all so much smoke and mirrors?
June 13th, 2008
Pity there wasn’t a Vicki Pollard option…………….
June 13th, 2008
A great day .. Lisbon treaty wouldn’t have been good …
Bully boy Cowen and his FF henchmen turned off everybody with their attempt to force it through ..
A great day for Ireland and the Irish who showed there is hope yet …
Ooh what a beautiful day ….
June 13th, 2008
Congratulations to Ireland - AND to (the rest of) Europe
- from Denmark! :)
June 13th, 2008
Hello Schutzjugend…Goodbye Europe!
We’re going back to the ‘fifties. Time to drop your trousers and bend over, the cathofascists rule again with good old Cóir values - how long before the coalition of the insane demand a re-run of the Divorce Referendum, a ban on this durty, fillty homosexuality and re-introduction of Family Values now that they’ve got the “wimmin” of Ireland running scared again with a few more well placed “Sky is falling” shouts
Very lacklustre campaigning by the “Yes” lobby, completely failed to refute the blatant lies of Coir and Schutzjugend re “wholesale abortion/prostitution/drugs for all” and other ludicrous claims - not least the “conscription/ your kids will be taken off you” one being flouted about.
I suppose the absence of a sweetener for the farmers and others this time around just goes to prove we were in it for the money all along.
Anyway, it’s done and dusted, salute our new masters, Dana, Justin et Dustin, MaryLou, Gerry and the faceless Libertas backers.
One bright note though. Good to see that the Shinners have finally embraced neutrality, this should see the disbandment of their private army. Unless they raise an army of conscripts to march on the border at some future date.
June 13th, 2008
There is no victory here and anyone who claims it as such is bogus in the extreme.
This is an indictment on a supposed democratic construct which wa deeply flawed and without foundation from the very outset. Democracy can never succeed when the people are force fed dense and turgid text masquerading as a “treaty”. Treaties are between warring parties. There were none.
It’s statement back to the mainstream parties, from the people, to recalibrate or refresh their thinking.
And it’s not a dumbing down thing either. Generally speaking the Irish voter is a complex democrat. This time out, even he was flummoxed.
The operation was a success but the patient died
June 13th, 2008
I seem to remember the last time we voted No on something to do with Europe, the beloved Bertie just held another referendum until we got bored and voted yes just so they’d stop whining about it.
June 13th, 2008
I’ve been saying they were morons for ages. Friedmanite morons
June 13th, 2008
I did a very odd thing (for me). I didn’t vote. And it wasn’t laziness either. I read all I could, I listened, I talked to others, both in favour and against. And when it came to the crunch, with my shoes on and my car keys in my hand, I stood in the hall and realised I had no idea whether I wanted to vote yes or no. I simply wasn’t well enough informed.
I didn’t do what Bock did and plough through the whole treaty. Maybe I should have. But I have no regrets. None. I won’t vote on something I don’t feel I know enough about. And like others here, I had not one person on the doorstep to canvass me or debate the issue.
June 13th, 2008
being called a lou la for voting no,by a man telling barefaced lies to a tribunal he set up did nothing for the yes camp.Cowen doing a deal with the farmers to get them to vote yes,just proved to me he wont stand up to anyone who will fight back.A loud school yard bully with no back bone. fuck him
by the way do you fancy or chances on saturday down under?
June 13th, 2008
Ahern is a twat. He’s the same arsehole who accused us of being Luddites for doubting the dodgy e-voting system they tried to introduce.
To answer your question, I suppose if we don’t have another Marcus moment, we might possibly beat them, but that’s for another discussion.
June 13th, 2008
Like Nora said
June 13th, 2008
de fan. Sneaky feeling of a win for the anthem&flagless team..going a 1-5 point margin @ 9/1
June 13th, 2008
Lads. Lads. Please. Will you stick to the referendum for now?
June 13th, 2008
most of Europe would have voted the same if given the chance for all sorts of reasons.trade is ok but most people want to keep everything else separate. The EU is just a club for power hungry politicians who cant invade anyone anymore (rugby on Tuesday after the Heineken cup draw for next year if thats ok)
June 13th, 2008
Oh, we’ll have to do a post on the Heineken Cup draw anyway.
June 13th, 2008
i couldn’t decide either. i wanted to vote no but just wasn’t sure. if you haven’t read the whole thing it’s impossible to know really. i also think impartial advice is non-existent in the media. the only way i’d trust a debate is to debate amongst people i know have no major vested interests and my friends and i just can’t understand something of this volume and language.
wallabies will win easily enough in the end i reckon. the guys must be wrecked at this stage of the season and the others are peaking now.
at least i’m finished work for the week
June 13th, 2008
I think I’ll go for a pint.
June 13th, 2008
people will always vote to suit themselves most low paid workers and building workers are worse off since inlargement.400,000 workers from outside this country came in over 10% of the workforce ,but they are not spread across all types of employment and the government allowed them to be exploited.what do you expect when we have more dog wardens than labor inspectors.
June 13th, 2008
I dunno, Nora - you can always show up and spoil your ballot. That’s a legitimate method of political expression and at least it improves the turnout numbers. I know you weren’t just staying away out of apathy because I’ve read your smart, informed opinions here before, but a spoiled ballot at least differentiates those that were apathetic from those that just couldn’t decide which way to vote on this - and you have my sympathies there: it was far too much and far too complicated to put to a yes or no vote.
A spoiled ballot is still a political statement.
June 13th, 2008
One thing hasn’t changed since the referendum, Libertas Chairman Declan Ganley and Cowen are still wankers.
June 13th, 2008
problemchildbride:
You’re quite right. I should have drawn question marks and cartoons all over the ballot paper.
June 13th, 2008
de fan: the workforce of this country isn’t 4 million. Could you revisit your estimates?
June 14th, 2008
I got up a little earlier than usual so I could vote. I wouldn’t have been able to vote any other time on Thursday because it was a busy day for me. I voted YES. I know what I was voting for and I could argue about all the nonsense around neutrality, sovereignty and faceless bureaucrats in Brussels. I wouldn’t have said anything here until I saw Andrew’s comment. That was exactly my experience in Dublin South Central: Very few YES campaign posters and loads of NO campaign posters. It’s as if my TDs had given up on my constituency.
June 14th, 2008
Just in response to Nora’s abstention from voting: I understand what you’re saying. BUT my wise uncle told me, around the time of the Divorce referendum, that “if in doubt, vote NO” He explained that if you were in doubt about “any change to the Constitution” then you should vote NO. Nora, if you were in doubt about this particular change to the Constitution then I would’ve recommended voting NO.
June 14th, 2008
Only one politician canvassed my area in relation to the Lisbon treaty………. GUESS WHO……… I have lived here for thirteen years and the only representative I have ever met is John Ryan, I saw no vote against the Lisbon treaty posters in my locality.
June 14th, 2008
Just watched a re-broadcast of the main evening news on French television tonight (sorry, that would be yesterday I’m talking about - France2 main bulletin of Friday 13). Much interesting commentary on the Irish “Non”, but the most eloquent comment was the lingering shot of Jean-Marie Le Pen’s FN headquarters building, with the Irish flag billowing in solitary splendour on its flagpole. And we thought some of the domestic “No” bedfellows were unsavoury…
June 14th, 2008
Nora - or faceless bureaucrats.
June 15th, 2008
Agreed, they are a bunch of gobshites - made a lot more work for themselves too, through their incompetence.
Size 9 footprint? We have very small feet don’t we?
June 16th, 2008
[…] Lisbon Treaty Rejected–Bock the Robber […]
June 26th, 2008
Hi Bock
Not sure if you have this video. Just sent to me from a mutual friend: Cowen’s Downfall
http://tinyurl.com/5lprxe