IRELAND LEADS EUROPE AGAINST THE "EUROPEANS"

.
POPULAR VOTE CONTRADICTS OFFICIALS' LINE

NOBODY SHARES THEIR VISION OF AN UNEQUAL, MILITARISTIC, ANTI-WORKER EU

Eurocrats Scramble To Salvage Lisbon Treaty

Average citizens across Europe have made it plain: They've had quite enough of European union already, thank you. The initial idea of a borderless customs union with only one currency seemed OK. But living in a fullblown right-wing United States of Europe, behaving like Bush's Cowboy Nation, waging wars like EuroRambo, that's not the average Sean, Jean, or Jan's idea of a bright future.

Now the Brussels Mafia are hinting at carrots & sticks: Sweetening the pot, and ordering sovereign, elected governments to go back and force a Yes vote on their constituents. It's this kind of attitude, this sort of behavior, this sort of arrogant impolitic stupidity that has killed further integration and centralization of the European Union.

Countries like the Czech Republic who only just escaped from the Soviet Union, and the Nazi Reich, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire before that, are not so anxious to give it all up to live under the French or the Germans.

The Irish may yet force a scaling back of the whole corporatist vision of a new Europe. The Eurocrats say they want a new vote out of Dublin by October of this year. Irish opposition Party Sinn Fein (which means "Ourselves Alone," by the way) have demanded respect for Ireland's traditional neutrality, support for social progress, protection of workers' rights, Fair Trade over Free Trade, continuation of low local business taxes, no privatization of public services, the retention of their own permanent EU Commissioner and their existing voting strength on the EU Council, plus the right to veto or opt-out of certain policies & programs. How much they get remains to be seen. But even the suddenly Eurocrazy Brits are grudgingly admitting that the Irish will get a better deal now, no matter what. Looks like they were smart to fight the giant. Not the first time, for them.


AN PHOBLACHT
"Vote gives Government a strong mandate"

" Mary Lou McDonald said that, throughout this referendum campaign, a number of specific issues came up over and over again – Ireland’s loss of power in Europe including the loss of a permanent Commissioner, neutrality, the race to the bottom in wages and conditions and the opening of key public services to competition. She explained that many of these same concerns were raised by the people of France and the Netherlands when they rejected an almost identical package in 2005. And they have been raised by many political voices across the EU over the last 12 months. "

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
"Irish revote likely on EU treaty"

" Nevertheless, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who will take over the rotating EU presidency on July 1, is anxious to proceed with ratification in the remaining countries and will visit Ireland next month for talks on how to proceed at the next EU summit in October. 'You could hear very clearly from Sarkozy's press conference [on the first day of the summit] that he wants this treaty to go through,' says O'Connor. 'He won't accept no for an answer.' "

FINANCIAL TIMES
"Czechs refuse to give Lisbon treaty pledge"

" Ireland's rejection of the treaty, which aims to give the EU a platform for projecting its influence more effectively around the globe, has plunged the 27-nation bloc into crisis just when it is eager to brandish its credentials to the US, China, Russia and others on fighting climate change and boosting financial stability. Mr Sarkozy, Ms Merkel and others wanted the Brussels summit to send a clear message that the Irish problem was isolated and it was full steam ahead for the Lisbon treaty in all eight countries yet to ratify it. However, the Czech Republic refused to play ball. 'I am not going to force members of my parliament to support Lisbon, and I would not bet 100 crowns on a Czech Yes,' diplomats quoted Mirek Topolanek, prime minister, as telling his fellow leaders. Vaclav Klaus, the Czech president, antagonised his EU partners by declaring the treaty dead after Ireland's No in its June 12 referendum, a result that put wind in the sails of the antiLisbon forces in Mr Topolanek's ruling party. The treaty is undergoing scrutiny in the Czech constitutional court, where a verdict on its compatibility with Czech law is not expected before October. "

BLOOMBERG NEWS SERVICE
"Europeans Don't Want United States of Europe: Michael R. Sesit "

" The goal of the Lisbon Treaty is to improve the operating efficiency of the EU. It calls for a semi-permanent, unelected presidency to replace the current system in which individual governments head the union on a six-month rotating basis. The treaty also includes an expanded foreign-policy and defense apparatus, and calls for more decisions to be made by weighted- majority vote, instead of the requirement for unanimity that generally prevails. "

.
.

TO POST A COMMENT: CLICK ON "COMMENTS," "Post a Comment" or "# of COMMENTS" just below the SOCIAL BOOKMARKING LINKS (Digg, Delicious, etc), about three inches down from here. Please do comment. Thank you.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM YOUR BLOGGERS:

Suggestion Box & Tip Jar We would like to make over this blog to make it easier to access, to read and to comment on. We would also like to serve our readers better by providing more of what you need and want to see. All serious suggestions will be considered. We hope to move to our own domain in the near future, and we would like to ask for your financial assistance in doing that, and in upgrading our hardware & software. Small one-time donations and larger long-term subscriptions are welcome. Exclusive advertising is also available. If you think we are wasting our time in doing all this, please let us know. If you wish to help us, now is the time. As always, negative bullsh*t from right-wing trolls will be sh*tcanned. Thank you to everyone else. Please send feedback & PayPal contributions to cosanostradamusATexciteDOTcom. Thanks.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS: BRING THEM ALL HOME ALIVE, NOW!