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| Europe |
| Ireland votes in knife-edge EU poll |
| 2008-06-13 |
| Ireland voted in a knife-edge referendum on the European Union's new reform treaty Thursday, threatening to plunge the 27-nation bloc into new crisis if it is rejected. Prime Minister Brian Cowen voiced confidence that the country's three million voters would back the Lisbon Treaty, despite recent opinion polls indicating that the result is too close to call. "I'm happy, I've led it the very best way I possibly could, I did it from the front, I've gone all over the country, I've put the issues," he told reporters. Asked if he was nervous, he said: "No, I'm confident." But EU leaders are anxiously watching Ireland's voters after a late surge of opposition, despite an all-out "Yes" campaign led by Cowen and backed by all bar one of the main parties. Ireland is the only EU member holding a public vote on the Lisbon Treaty, which replaced a draft EU constitution after its rejection by French and Dutch voters in 2005. One poll last week put the "no" campaign ahead by 35 percent against 30 percent for those backing the treaty. At the weekend another survey predicted a narrow "yes" victory, by 42 percent to 39 percent. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #10 "plunge the 27-nation bloc into new crisis" The only "crisis" is for the EU bureaucrats -- and they deserve it. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2008-06-13 12:40 |
| #9 The duly elected government of Iraq has something the EU will never have: A Constitution. And the Americans, regardless of SCOUTUS, have one for the same reason - to avoid the plague of the European disease. Our forefathers were either kicked out or left so why in heck would we, other than SCOTUS, want to have anything they model as a social contract? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-06-13 11:11 |
| #8 The duly elected government of Iraq has something the EU will never have: A Constitution. |
| Posted by: Bin thinking again 2008-06-13 10:58 |
| #7 "Voting and democracy are inconveniences for EU advocates." And US liberal Supreme Court Justices apparently. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-06-13 10:47 |
| #6 Looks like the NOs have it. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-06-13 09:39 |
| #5 But the 'NO' advocates have a powerful ally -- Dustin the Turkey: http://tinyurl.com/4kntw8 |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-06-13 09:10 |
| #4 Why do they still let the peasants vote for it anymore? Just run it through the legislative body and be done with it. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-06-13 07:58 |
| #3 What he said. Voting and democracy are inconvenices for EU advocates. They're going ahead with their plan no matter what...who cares what the people think? The people need to be led, not followed. |
| Posted by: gromky 2008-06-13 05:58 |
| #2 If Ireland votes no, the Tranzis will find some devious way to circumvent the popular will. |
| Posted by: Lonzo Crinesing6172 2008-06-13 01:18 |
| #1 go NO! |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-06-13 01:12 |