Britannist

No reaction at the time of writing this from europhiles in the UK to the news that the Irish Republic has (hopefully) rejected the EU Constitution (Lisbon Treaty) in the referendum held there yesterday.

Silence from 10 Downing Street. The Governments of all EU member nations - including ours - back the EU Constitution Lisbon Treaty.

The Irish Justice Minister Dermot Aherne has told Irish Television (according to Sky News) that he believes that the result of the referendum held in Ireland on the EU Constitution Lisbon 'Treaty' yesterday will be a vote against it. He said "for a myriad of reasons the people have spoken".

The EU Constitution Lisbon Treaty was described by Sky Television News in a news bulletin at 2 pm today as "Controversial".

Sky News just said that there is a 55% No vote so far in officially declared results.

Political correspondent Glen Glaza (in Brussels) told Sky News at 2.03 pm today "Supporters of the 'Treaty' will be tearing their hair out - they will be looking for plan B but opponents of the Treaty will say hang on...this is plan B: plan A was the EU Constitution rejected by the voters of France and Holland in referendums."

The final result may depend on turnout says this report:

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

Britannist

A first reaction from the UK Government (to the news that the people of the Irish Republic have (hopefully) rejected the EU Constitution Lisbon 'Treaty'):

Harriet Harman, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, said on Sky Television News at 2.14 pm today (in reply to a question about a possible No vote in the Irish Republic referendum on the EU Constitution Lisbon 'Treaty'): "We support the 'Treaty' - the EU is terribly important for our economy." When asked if she thought that now the Irish people have had a referendum we should have one too here in the UK, Harman avoided answering the question - "We have protected UK interests (in our negotiations on the 'Treaty')." She added "What they do in Ireland is a matter for the Irish people."

A reporter on Sky Television News said just after 2 pm today of the Irish referendum on the EU Constitution Lisbon 'Treaty': "Ireland gets huge EU subsidies but still appears to have voted No."

kernow

Three Cheers for the Irish no vote! It will be interesting to see how the pro EU BBC and pro EU British newspapers report this!

Britannist

I'll second that when it is officially confirmed as a No vote.

You are also right, Kernow, to mention the biased europhile BBC - I will, like you, watch and listen carefully for signs of pro-EU bias in how the Brussels Broadcasting Corporation report on this in the coming hours and days.

The Bear

It's both good and bad news.

On the positive side it should result with a marked improvement of the level of knowledge and understanding about just where Britain stands WRT Europe, especially with the state of the British economy, and once that cat is out of the bag there is little doubt that far more people will see our real options are but one and that is 100% commitment to the EU and all that goes with it.

On the negative side it’s going to mean yet more delay with the increasing difficulty that we will face when we do merge.

If ONLY we could have been in this position twelve years ago, how different our options were then.

It also shows up Brown for the craven dithering coward he is, leaving it to the Irish to get him off the hook of his broken promise, a promise he should never have made.

__________________
I am an old man. I have eaten much salt.

blueblood1920

Looks like most constituencies in Ireland are voting no with only about 5 voting yes so far.

Britannist

RTE (the Irish radio and television service) said at 3 pm: "30 constituencies have declared and 23 of them have said No to the 'Treaty'. The results in the remaining 13 constituencies are due so and the final declaration is due in the next couple of hours. Clare, Dunleavy and the Dublin North and Dublin South constituencies voted for the 'Treaty'. 53.5% have voted No on results declared so far - with 46.5% voted for the 'Treaty."

"The scale of the No vote has come as quite a surprise to many" an RTE reporter said. He added "The No vote and Yes vote is at the same level as in the Irish referendum when people voted No to the EU Nice Treaty (EU Nice 1 referendum) - the commuter belt vote (Dublin area) which has international connections voted Yes."

Another said "The political elite here and elsewhere in the EU will have to think long and hard as to why the only nation to vote on the EU Lisbon 'Treaty' said No to it."

The Irish Labour Party leader has just told RTE "The EU Lisbon 'Treaty' is dead - it requires agreement in all 27 EU member states."

An Irish eurosceptic campaigner told RTE at 3.12 pm today "Blue collar working class Ireland, women, rural Ireland and the Celtic cubs - who may think we are now too sophisticated for europe - have voted No: this is a crushing defeat for the Yes side."

In one constituency the Yes and No vote is just four votes apart - a recount is taking place.

Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowan - a europhile who bacsk the EU Constitution Lisbon 'Treaty' - will talk to EU leaders at a meeting in Brussels of the EU Council next week (he has attended EU meetings before as Irish Finance Minister).

An RTE reporter said at 3.19 pm today "There is very little change between the two 'Treaties' (the EU Constitution and the EU Lisbon 'Treaty) - France's President Sarkozy cannot criticise Ireland in view of the fact that France voted against the EU Constitution in a referendum in 2005."

He forecast that the EU may abandon its plans to cut down the size of the EU Commission (one of the clauses of the EU Constitution Lisbon Treaty) - Germany has also allegedly expressed concern at not having an EU Commissioner for half the time the EU Commission sits. The Irish reporter also said that the EU may have to look again at plans to reduce the voting weight of the Irish Republic if there is a No vote in the Irish Republic in yesterday's referendum on the Lisbon 'Treaty'.

Dublin Central (the former constituency of europhile Irish Prime Minister Aherne) has voted No. Limerick West constituency has voted No by 55% it has just been announced (defying the trend in parts of Dublin to vote for the 'Treaty').

Britannist

It's good news. Full stop.

Gramboy2

Lets just wait now for the 'Mugabe' style tactics, and for the wriggling to start, from the EU.

Ireland will now be slapped on the wrist and told to stand in the corner (ie no more money) until it gets it right.

The EU is no more than a dictatorship.

Britannist

Declan Ganley, the leading figure in the Irish Libertas campaign against the EU Constitution Lisbon 'Treaty' told RTE (the Irish radio and television service) at 3.30 pm today "People rejected this formula in France and Holland. We need to get the message that the democratic voice of the Irish people must be heard - the same message as from tens of millions of our fellow citizens (who voted against this 'Treaty' in France and Holland). People are sick of being patronised and talked down to by the EU. Irish people have just said they don't like the (EU Constitution) Lisbon 'Treaty'. A divide has opened up between EU citizens and the elite. This exclusive EU process of speaking down to people must end. Tens of millions of people - in France and Holland and now in Ireland - have said No to this."

When a europhile in the RTE radio studio told Mr. Ganley that 18 nations have ratified the EU Lisbon 'Treaty' Mr. Ganley said "but not by referendum."

Mr. Ganley (in response to a question from a journalist in the RTE studio) said it was not true that 1.3 million - 1.8 million had been spent by Libertas in their No campaign. He said the figure was well below 1.3 million euros.

The journalist said "Declan Ganley and Libertas have run a most efficient campaign in such a short time."

Mr. Ganley said "I am an Irishman; proud to be an Irishman and proud that the Irish people have voted No."

The turnout in yesterday's referendum in the Irish Republic (on the EU Constitution Lisbon 'Treaty') was higher than the EU Nice 2 referendum in the Irish Republic - there were claims (after the EU Nice 2 Treaty referendum in the Irish Republic) that higher voter turnouts (in the Irish Republic) help the europhile Yes side. This claim has not proved to be correct as regards the referendum held in the Irish Republic yesterday.