AS someone living in Ireland but not allowed to vote because it was a vote to amend the Irish Constitution I'll just make 3 points:

1) its difficult to imagine a campaign more designed to lose than the one the YES side ran, given that Fianna Fail (the party which wins 90% of the elections) was supposedly pro-Lisbon it makes me think either they knew it couldn't be won OR they didn't want to win it (which raise questions about their honesty and views towards their electorate). The campaign was half-hearted at best.

2) from talking to various people the reasons given for voting NO range from not wanting to be drafted into a European army to the anti-Mandlesson WTO stance, or anti-immigration, or loss of sovereignty or fear of being forced to accept abortion or distrust of bureaucracy. In other words there is no easy answer to why the Irish people rejected Lisbon the reasons are complex but point up a fear of where the European project is heading and a lack of grassroots ownership of the EU institutions.

3) bookies here are beginning to take bets on the date of the next referendum and the favourite is spring next year. Democracy my A--e.

I used to be pro-Europe and the EU if only because it moderates the excesses of the Home-counties elites that control wealth and politics in the UK and provides a balance to the domination of the US social model. However lately the powers behind the throne as it were in the EU have shown themselves in their true colours. They are profoundly authoritarian, anti-democratic and exploitative.

I do have concerns about the consequences if the EU fragments for the well-being of us all but I can no longer support the project in its current form or with its current rulers.

Bananaman wrote:
I used to be pro-Europe and the EU if only because it moderates the excesses of the Home-counties elites that control wealth and politics in the UK and provides a balance to the domination of the US social model. However lately the powers behind the throne as it were in the EU have shown themselves in their true colours. They are profoundly authoritarian, anti-democratic and exploitative.

I do have concerns about the consequences if the EU fragments for the well-being of us all but I can no longer support the project in its current form or with its current rulers.

Seconded.

The defence calls the Lithgae Jambo....