Promising signs from the Irish Republic
Our Hibernian neighbours have a government with sufficient decency to offer the populace a referendum on the EU treaty, and the latest poll from thereabouts looks promising:
"Just 25 per cent of people say they will vote Yes to the EU Reform Treaty, agreed in Lisbon last month, while 13 per cent intend to vote No and a massive 62 per cent say they don't know or have no opinion. In a comparable poll on the EU Constitutional Treaty in March 2005, 46 per cent said they would vote Yes as against 12 per cent who would vote No and 42 per cent who had no opinion".
I think the 62% of DKs probably deserve some credit for their honesty. Meanwhile, "Already anti-EU groups across Europe have indicated that they intend to come to Ireland to campaign for a No vote. The French far-right leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, is just one of a number of prominent figures who have expressed a desire to get involved in the campaign". However, I would think that eurosceptics would best serve the cause by avoiding direct interference in the referendum.
"Just 25 per cent of people say they will vote Yes to the EU Reform Treaty, agreed in Lisbon last month, while 13 per cent intend to vote No and a massive 62 per cent say they don't know or have no opinion. In a comparable poll on the EU Constitutional Treaty in March 2005, 46 per cent said they would vote Yes as against 12 per cent who would vote No and 42 per cent who had no opinion".
I think the 62% of DKs probably deserve some credit for their honesty. Meanwhile, "Already anti-EU groups across Europe have indicated that they intend to come to Ireland to campaign for a No vote. The French far-right leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, is just one of a number of prominent figures who have expressed a desire to get involved in the campaign". However, I would think that eurosceptics would best serve the cause by avoiding direct interference in the referendum.
Labels: EU fun and games, Republic of Ireland
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on Monday, November 05, 2007 at 6:34 am.
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Hmm. John-Mary wouldn't go down to well in Erin. They don't seem to have a nationalist party like the FN. Well, Sinn Fein prob don't have any relations with le FN.
Once read an interseting comparison betwixt J-M and Big Ian. Except Dr Ian prob isn't against immigration slong as it's non RC.
I moved to France two years before they voted against the constitution. The French were offered as a bribe a reduced vat on restaurant bills to 4.5% if they voted for the constitution. They never got the reduction and they now have the constitution thrust upon them. There is surprisingly little outcry about this situation. To my outsiders point of view the rejection of the constitution in France was against the entrance of Turkey to the EU, which seems to be put on hold, tres bizare.
SF hangs out with extreme left in Strasbourg / Brussels.
I have family living in France, and am very fond of the place / people, but they can be a very odd lot sometimes.
From what I've seen of the French papers, Sarko is pro-'treaty', as officially are the Socialists, but there is substantial division in the latter.
I agree that non-Irish campaigners should keep well out. A gaggle of foreign far-righters would do substantial damage to the No campaign in any country.
The Irish are generally quite a well informed electorate which is why they end up with good governments and have referendums on important issues. The comparison with the UK is quite astonishing.
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