Ireland rejects the Lisbon Treaty

[Menydh]

No vote declared in first Lisbon results

The Irish Times
June 13, 2008

Ballot boxes are opened in the RDS in Dublin as counting begins in the Lisbon Treaty referendum today. Photograph: Nial Carson/PA

The first official results are starting to emerge in the Lisbon Treaty referendum with tallies indicating the treaty will be rejected by the Irish people.

Waterford has rejected the treaty by 54 per cent to 46 per cent, while Sligo-North Leitrim has also rejected it by 56 to 44 per cent.

The No campaign appears to be winning in most constituencies across the State, with significant majorities emerging from rural and urban working class areas.

A strong Yes vote in Co Dublin seems to have been offset by a strong No vote in city constituencies in the capital, according to tallies taken at count centres.

Counting started at 9am, with a clear indication of the overall picture expected by early afternoon. The first official results are expected to be announced in Dublin Castle at lunchtime.

The combined vote in Dublin city and county appears to leaning towards a No vote. However, according to tallies, Dún Laoghaire is two to one in favour of the treaty, as is Dublin South with Dublin South East 60/40 in favour.

Dublin North East, North West and South Central are being called as two to one against the treaty.

Dublin Central is 57 per cent against and 43 per cent in favour, according to tallies. Dublin West is 55 per cent No and 45 per cent Yes. Dublin South West is thought to be heading towards a similar margin against, while there have been no tallies done in Dublin North.

In Mayo, the vote appears to be 60-40 per cent in favour of the No camp with the majority of boxes counted. There was a 52 per cent turnout. Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and the party’s MEP Jim Higgins are conceding that the No campaign have won in Mayo.

In Galway West, with all boxes counted, tallies indicate 53.95 per cent No to 46.05 per cent Yes. There was a significant No vote in rural areas, including 84 per cent voting No in parts of Connemara, such as Carna and Cliften.

Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív is conceding defeat for the treaty in the constituency.

In Galway East constituency, the trend from tallies also appears to be against the treaty by a narrow margin with most of the 149 boxes opened. In Tuam, the heartland of Libertas founder Declan Ganley, the No votes were two to one ahead.

Finalised tallies in Cork North Central indicate a two to one vote against the treaty. Cork South Central also appears to be leaning towards a No vote but by a smaller margin.

A strong No vote has been reported in Minister for Education Batt O’Keefe’s home town of Ballincollig.

In neighbouring Kerry, tallies are pointing toward a substantial 60 per cent vote against the treaty.

Elsewhere in the country, tallies from Limerick West indicate a 59 per cent No vote and a 41 Yes vote. Tipperary South tallies show 50.3 per cent Yes and 49.7 per cent No vote, while Tipperary North tallies indicate a 50:50 split.

Initial tally figures from Sligo-Leitrim suggest a 66 per cent No vote, Roscommon-South Leitrim indicates a 55 per cent No vote, while Donegal South-West (55 per cent No) and Donegal North-East (63 per cent No) are also showing an anti-Lisbon trend.

In Louth, the tally split was reported to be a 57 per cent - 43 per cent in favour of No. In Meath West and East, the split shows a 60-40 percentage advantage to the No side.

Both Kildare constituencies appear to be bucking the trend, however, with early tallies indicating a 57 per cent - 43 per cent vote in favour of Lisbon.

The tallies indicate there has been a strong No showing in rural areas and in working-class urban areas, while there appears to be less support for the treaty in middle-class urban areas than had been expected.

The tallies are early at the moment, however, and all boxes are not opened yet.

Polling stations closed at 10pm last night after 15 hours of voting in the referendum, the result of which will determine the future development of the European Union and its institutions.

Voting began at 7am, and stations in 43 constituencies were open until 10pm.

Turnout was reported at about 40 per cent by 9pm, up from 20 per cent in some constituencies by mid-afternoon. In general, turnout was reported to be higher in city areas than in rural areas.

By the time polls closed at 10pm last night, around 50 per cent of the three million people registered to vote were understood to have cast their ballots.

There is concern in other EU countries about the impact of the decision by Irish voters, and the French and German governments are expected to make a joint statement later today once the Irish result is known.

Full coverage of the referendum results will be available on The Irish Times website (The Lisbon Treaty - News from ireland.com), with reports and analysis along with audio commentary from the count centre at Dublin Castle. Results from the count centres will be updated live throughout the day.

Ireland was the only country to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.


[source]

[Arthur Gordon Pym]

But better not to exaggerate with jubilation. The Irish have a long tradition of rejecting different kinds of Diktat coming from the euro-rats, but the latter almost always somehow succeeded to thwart the will of the people.

[Arthur Gordon Pym]

"Europe" (meaning Brussels) is shocked...

No vote shocks Europe


The Taoiseach and his wife Mary Cowen cast their ballots at a primary school in Mucklagh.

By Independent Digital staff and wires

Friday June 13 2008

Ireland has voted ‘No’ to the Lisbon Treaty with Taoiseach Brian Cowen likely to have some explaining to do when he meets his European counterparts in Brussels next week.

With almost 12% of results declared, the 'no' side is ahead by around 54% to 46%, despite all the main political parties campaigning for a 'yes'.

The 'no' vote is in the majority in eight of the 10 constituencies to have so far reported their results.Tallies from the rest of the country also indicate that the 'no' side is ahead in most areas.

The swing towards the ‘No’ vote has taken many pundits by surprise with the euro falling to its lowest price against the dollar in over a month.

The failure of the treaty to pass a popular vote will throw the EU into doubt as the document needs to be ratified by all 27 member states in order to become law.

The people of Waterford are the latest to officially declare that they had rejected the treaty with 54 percent voting ‘No’ and 46 percent voting ‘Yes’.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern has already officially conceded that the treaty has failed to impress Irish people. “It looks like this will be a 'no' vote,” he said. “At the end of the day, for a myriad of reasons, the people have spoken.”

The official result is expected later this afternoon though the current strength of the ‘No’ vote is unlikely to change the final outcome.

The unofficial result is bad news for the EU as politicians across the continent admitted there was no ‘plan B’.

“If the Irish people decide to reject the treaty of Lisbon, naturally, there will be no treaty of Lisbon,” French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said yesterday.

Ireland is the only country to put the treaty to a popular vote. The document includes many of the reforms rejected by Dutch and French voters in 2005.

Despite the many economic benefits which Ireland has enjoyed as a result of its membership to the EU, some politicians say the recent economic downturn is to blame.

“We believe people are upset are rising costs of food, mortgages and clothing. That we believe is as much a reason for today’s result as any public apathy towards Europe,” said one government minister.

The treaty, intended to make the EU stronger and more effective, according to its supporters which included all the main political parties in Ireland.

But while Ireland ranks in surveys as one of the EU's most pro-European states, opponents have argued strongly that the treaty reduces small countries' clout and gives Brussels new foreign and defence policy powers that undermine Ireland's historic neutrality.

The treaty envisages a long-term president of the European Council of EU leaders, a stronger foreign policy chief and a mutual defence pact, and changes the rules for decision making.

- Independent Digital staff and wires

[source]

[Crvena zvezda]

The French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, said before the referendum the following (Franse minister Kouchner waarschuwt Ieren voor consequenties van \'nee\' tegen verdrag (en) - Europa NU)

French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner has warned Ireland about the consequences of voting "no" in Thursday's referendum, saying the Irish would be the "first victim" if they reject the EU treaty.
Speaking on France's RTL radio, Mr Kouchner said that a "no" vote would be met by "gigantic incomprehension" in the rest of Europe.
Mr Kouchner alluded to the Irish being ungrateful about what the country has received from the EU since its membership in 1973.
Ireland has strongly benefitted from EU farm aid and structural aid over the years and has managed to turn itself into one of the most prosperous member states in the EU.
With the latest poll showing only a narrow gap between the "yes" and the "no" side, politicians in larger member states particularly cannot understand why the treaty may be defeated.
"I believe the first victim of an eventual no would be the Irish. They have benefitted more than others," said Mr Kouchner.
"Yes, they're not happy because maybe nobody told them that Europe is confronting the rest of the world and that to have advantages for themselves, for the Irish...well, Europe has to develop, has to go in the direction of the Treaty of Lisbon," he said.
"It would be very, very, very troubling...that we could not count on the Irish, who themselves have counted a lot on Europe's money,"
The comments are the most outspoken from such a high-ranking politician on the issue, with member states so far careful not to be seen as interfering in Ireland's vote.
Referring to a rejection of the treaty - which needs to be ratified by all member states to come into force - Mr Kouchner said this was "beginning to be envisaged" almost everywhere.
But he said that France, which holds the EU's six-month rotating presidency from July, would continue with implementation of the treaty anyway while trying to persuade Ireland, which already voted twice on the bloc's Nice Treaty, to "put this treaty back on the drawing board."
His comments mirror those of French Green MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit who told Le Monde on Monday "Why say yes to something that forces them to share what they get with the new EU members from Eastern Europe? The basic reaction is to protect one's own interests."
"A referendum must have consequences: if we say 'no', we leave Europe," he added.
Ireland is the only country to vote on the EU treaty and is feeling the strong pressure from the rest of Europe to secure a "yes" vote. All the main political parties support the charter but the outcome is likely to hinge on turnout, with a low voter show at the ballot box aiding the anti-treaty camp.
Voting has already started in some part of the country on Monday. Five islands – with a total electorate of 745 people – off the coast of County Donegal traditionally vote early to avoid bad weather delay. The defence forces voted by post last week.
The main polls close at 10 pm on Thursday (12 June), but ballot counting will take place the next day.

[Arthur Gordon Pym]

Originally Posted by Crvena zvezda

The French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, said before the referendum the following (Franse minister Kouchner waarschuwt Ieren voor consequenties van \'nee\' tegen verdrag (en) - Europa NU)

His arrogance might have been one of the reasons for the undecided ones to choose no. In that case we could argue that he did a favour to his politico-ideological opponents.

[Errigal]

The final numbers appear to be:

With results in from all 43 constituencies, the Lisbon Treaty has been defeated by a margin of 53.4% to 46.6%.
A total of 752,451 people voted in favour of the treaty and 862,415 voted against.

RTÉ News: Ireland rejects Lisbon Treaty

[Arthur Gordon Pym]

Originally Posted by Marulus

But better not to exaggerate with jubilation. The Irish have a long tradition of rejecting different kinds of Diktat coming from the euro-rats, but the latter almost always somehow succeeded to thwart the will of the people.

What did I say. The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso says "Lisbon treaty is not dead and countries should press ahead with ratifying it despite a "No" vote in Ireland".

"The 'No' vote in Ireland has not solved the problems which the Lisbon Treaty is designed to solve.... The European Commission believes that the remaining ratifications should continue to take their course." - added this euro(c)rat during the news conference.

I remember once seeing Barroso on TV, while one member of the European so-called Parliament was, in his presence, reading a report indicating conflicts of interest and imbroilment in various affairs of corruption of Barroso. It was well documented. You know what was Barroso's reaction to such scathing accusations? He just started to laugh. That says enough.

[Menydh]

A good slap to those eurocrat trash. Well done.

But I fear that the next will be the Brussels Vaseline Express.

[orieleye]

Originally Posted by Marulus

What did I say. The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso says "Lisbon treaty is not dead and countries should press ahead with ratifying it despite a "No" vote in Ireland".

"The 'No' vote in Ireland has not solved the problems which the Lisbon Treaty is designed to solve.... The European Commission believes that the remaining ratifications should continue to take their course." - added this euro(c)rat during the news conference.

I remember once seeing Barroso on TV, while one member of the European so-called Parliament was, in his presence, reading a report indicating conflicts of interest and imbroilment in various affairs of corruption of Barroso. It was well documented. You know what was Barroso's reaction to such scathing accusations? He just started to laugh. That says enough.

They're in a world of their own. Big fat heads mouthing clichés, lining their pockets and pretending there's some moral raison d'être involved. They'll try to circumvent this vote. What else have they to do?

[Monolith]

Originally Posted by Marulus

The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso says "Lisbon treaty is not dead and countries should press ahead with ratifying it despite a "No" vote in Ireland".

Why ratifying the agreement that's already dead? Something smells fishy here.. Eurocrats will eventually try to force the Ireland to repeat the referendum, or to ratify the agreement under a different name in their national parliament.

[Arthur Gordon Pym]

Abandon treaty, Eurosceptics tell Brown in wake of Irish EU vote

Virulent attacks from the European Liberal press have started already, thus the journalist Alain Duhamel from the French daily Liberation calls it "the Irish despotism".

Le despotisme irlandais (in French)

[Kernunnos]

Originally Posted by Menydh

A good slap to those eurocrat trash. Well done.

But I fear that the next will be the Brussels Vaseline Express.

The rats are already at work.

let's hope the Lega Nord will suceed at asking for a referendum in Italy

[Arthur Gordon Pym]

Le Pen's statement:

'This evening we are all Irish,' the founder of the anti-immigration National Front said in a statement as the results of the Irish referendum on the treaty became evident.

'Once again, the valorous Irish have demonstrated that when the people express themselves directly, they... will defend their national interests,' said Le Pen, a fierce opponent of the European Union, which he has consistently accused of reducing France's sovereignty.

His party 'salutes the magnificent victory of the Irish people, who have rejected the Lisbin Treaty despite pressure, threats and blackmail of all kinds,' Le Pen said.

[source]

[Errigal]

Originally Posted by Marulus

Abandon treaty, Eurosceptics tell Brown in wake of Irish EU vote

Virulent attacks from the European Liberal press have started already, thus the journalist Alain Duhamel from the French daily calls it "the Irish despotism".

Le despotisme irlandais (in French)

That article is so clearly written in anger that it's funny to read. There are quite a few lies and half lies mixed into it too. He talks about the Lisbon Treaty being an attempt to make an organization designed for 6 member states work for one with 27. Did the Maastricht Treaty never exist? Have we had the Treaty of Rome and then nothing new until Lisbon?

I enjoy how Duhamel writes that the Irish culture is so covered in superstition that the voters easily fell victim to any rumour floating about. He even blames the Irish for corrupting Jacques Chirac by showing him a way to block Turkey's entry into the EU!

Originally Posted by Kernunnos

The rats are already at work.

let's hope the Lega Nord will suceed at asking for a referendum in Italy

That would make a great difference. If Italy, one of the original six members and one of the large states, said "No" in a referendum too.