Vote “No”, Vote Often
An excellent editorial from the Daily Telegraph today, but mixed with the All Seeing Eye Music Pick’o’The Day.
All togathar now….an’ it’s No, Nay, Never…No, nay, never, no more….
When Ireland voted to reject the Treaty of Lisbon in June last year, David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, said the decision “must be respected”. The rules, after all, were clear: a treaty falls if it does not command the unanimous support of all 27 member states. But of course the views of the Irish people (or of any other people, for that matter) were not respected – the vote of a small nation on the periphery of the EU was not about to derail the grand design created by the political elites. When the Commission maintained there was “no Plan B” if Ireland rejected the treaty, it meant just that: it always planned to carry on regardless. So today, the Irish – bludgeoned, blackmailed and bribed – return to the polls to vote again; and this time they are expected to come up with the “right” answer (or at least the only one that is acceptable) which is, of course, “Yes”.
It would be gratifying to discover that the Irish are bloody-minded enough and sufficiently fed up with being pushed around to spring another surprise; and the polls have been wrong before. However, the last time the nation was ordered to think again, after rejecting the Treaty of Nice in 2001, it fell into line.
It will probably do so once more. If, as a consequence, the Irish people pave the way for the ratification of the treaty, they will at least have had a direct say in the matter – unlike the British electorate, which was denied the vote promised by Labour at the last general election. This has been such a tawdry and undemocratic affair that no one can be surprised by the low esteem in which the institutions of the EU are held by the people they purport to represent.
All democrats should hope for a “No” vote in Ireland today. Not only would it slow the EU juggernaut, but it might even allow the British people a chance, at long last, to have their own say.
I totally agree with you.We are being denied any say in practically everything these days,and it’s only going to get worse.I feel there is such a build-up of tension from the people,that there is surely going to be some sort of revolution.We are sick to the back teeth of being told what and what not to do.Sick of CCTV and being banned.Sick of the wankers who are supposed to be running our countries,denying us a right to vote.Sick of lies,theft of our civil liberties…I could go on and on and on.But in a nutshell,we’re sick of THEM.