That's democracy for you! Irish to vote on Lisbon Treaty AGAIN.

[sullivan]

Displaying an unabashed utter contempt for the democratic wish of the Irish nation not to be bullied into an EU fascist superstate, the Brussels 'elite' are to offer the Irish a second chance to vote and return the right  result.

As befits a vote on a spaghetti-like treaty that is laden with profoundly undemocratic and proto-fascistic provisions, the faceless eurocrats see no problem whatsoever in ignoring and usurping the expressed wish of the Irish people and demanding that they vote again.

As a sweetener to encourage the ticking of the correct boxes on the ballot paper the next time around, the EU politburo have apparently agreed on certain 'assurances', including allowing Ireland to keep it's own unelected EU bureaucrat - otherwise known to the rest of the world as an EU Commissioner.

These bribes were described as worthless by those opposed to ratification of the EU's very own version of the Nazi Germany's  Ermächtigungsgesetz.  Certainly, if callers to talk-shows are any indication of the public mood, hostility to the treaty has increased since the Irish public rejected it in June.

Irish Independent

December 12th, 2008

More than 100 anti-Lisbon Treaty protestors last night carried a coffin to the Dail's gates and declared it the treaty dead.

The "Lisbon Treaty funeral", organised by the Peace and Neutrality Alliance and the Campaign Against the EU Constitution, took place yesterday evening as negotiations continued in Brussels on the possibility of re-running the treaty referendum.

Independent senator David Norris read a eulogy to the Lisbon Treaty, and declared it dead.

Members of 13 groups walked behind the coffin, which contained a copy of the treaty, from the offices of the EU Commission on Molesworth Street to the Dail's gates at Kildare Street.

     

Irish Independent
December 13th, 2008

THE major groups which opposed "Lisbon Mark One" have vowed to do the same again in next year's referendum.

Despite the decision to allow the State to retain its EU commissioner, Sinn Fein, Libertas, the Socialist Party and others maintain that the content of the Lisbon Treaty remains unchanged. They have also accused the Government of ignoring the verdict of the people, who voted 'No' last June by 53.4pc to 46.6pc.

Sinn Fein MEP Mary Lou McDonald said the Lisbon re-run was "an exercise in smoke and mirrors". The new declarations on taxation, abortion, neutrality and workers' rights were empty promises, she said.

"Unless 'protocols' are secured and ratified by all members states, 'guarantees' as described by the Government are worthless," she said.

Ms McDonald said the Government had failed to address issues such as the democratic deficit, workers rights, neutrality and Ireland's influence in the EU institutions in its negotiations with other EU states.

Former Green Party MEP Patricia McKenna also said that she was planning to lead the campaign to get her party on the 'No' side in the forthcoming referendum.

     

Irish Times

December 13th, 2008

The Government expects to get formal guarantees from the EU over voter concerns with the Lisbon Treaty by June ahead of an expected second referendum on the treaty, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has said.

Mr Martin did not say when a possible second referendum would be held but said "there is significant work still to be done in terms of working out the detail of the texts and so forth."

"In terms of guarantees, we would want to have conclusions and the situation sorted out by about June," Mr Martin said on RTE Radio today.

A draft EU document on the assurances had suggested a second referendum would be held by the end of October 2009.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen said yesterday he was prepared to hold a second referendum on the treaty on the basis of concessions secured from EU counterparts at a summit in Brussels this week, adding he was confident those pledges would sway opinion towards a "Yes" vote next time round.

The concessions included the retention of a permanent commissioner as well as in sensitive areas of military neutrality, taxation policy and workers' rights to try to have the treaty ratified by all 27 member states by January 1st, 2010.

Mr Cowen said he was very pleased at the outcome. "The change in the commission arrangements so that Ireland keeps its commissioner is hugely significant," he said.

Undertakings given by Ireland's EU partners to address the concerns of the Irish people meant they were well on the way to a new package.

"On the basis of the agreement today, and on condition of our being able to satisfactorily put guarantees in place, I have said I would be prepared to return to the public to put a new package and to seek their approval of it."

Mr Cowen stressed there was a lot of detailed work to be carried out in the preparation of the legal guarantees on neutrality, tax, family and ethical issues.

[MikeWB]

They'll keep on putting it on a ballot until they win