Ireland says YES to a Referendum

Yesterday the news broke that Ireland is to have a referendum on whether  whether to accept the European fiscal treaty which tightens controls on member states' budgetary decisions.


Prime Minister Enda Kenny is confident that the Irish voters will vote yes to ratify the treaty, believing that the treaty is vital for Ireland's economic recovery and for the future job creation in the country.


I only hope that the people of Ireland are listened to, and if they do choose to vote against ratifying such a treaty, that they aren't subjected a second referendum as there were over the Lisbon treaty.


The announcement of this Referendum will ruffle feathers in the EU now, and I will be looking forward to this story developing.

I note from the front page of today's Irish Times that the country's political elite are already planting scare stories about what a terrible thing it will be if Ireland votes NO in the coming referendum.

The Irish leader, the Taoiseach, states that "...when the importance and merit are communicated to the Irish people they will endorse it emphatically by voting yes to continuing economic stability and recovery".

In fact, if they vote yes, the Irish people will be voting for an austerity package designed by the French and Germans. It is, of course, their decision, but let us hope that the debate will be open, honest, and with equal coverage given to both sides of the argument..


Further reading:


Sky News
Daily Express.

The EU ignores the people - say Nikki and Mike!

You can't ignore 686114 people, it says on an exhibit outside the European Parliament.

If only it were so.... the EU ignored 495 million Europeans by refusing them a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. Only the Irish were given their say, and even then, when they voted NO they were made to vote again in order to deliver the correct answer.

EU Budget Increase and UK Public Services Are Cut!

The EU Budget Document

The EU Parliament today congratulated itself after a marathon voting session that put through an increase in its budget at a time that we in the UK are bracing ourselves for major cuts in public services.  

RAW FACTS

Local Government -27%

Defence -8%

Home Office -23%

EU +5.9%

 

This was the first budget vote since the Lisbon Treaty came into force; the power has obviously gone to their heads so its spend, spend, spend! Especially on champagne and subsidised canteens. The faster we get out of the Euro Disneyland the better!

On a side note the Lisbon Treaty was supposed to herald greater dialogue between national governments and the EU but they actually cut that budget by 25%!