Fáilte,
Welcome to my voteno2lisbon blog. There are just three weeks to go to referendum day, when the people of the 26 Counties get to set the agenda for the rest of Europe for the coming years as we are the only EU member state to have a referendum on this treaty.
It is a strange feeling when you think about it. Europe’s first colony becomes the last democracy…… (and Ireland is not a great advertisement for democracy, Exhibit A – The health service; Exhibit B – traffic gridlock; Exhibit C – political corruption… I could go but this isn’t supposed to be a depressing blog.
If we vote Yes, it will be business as usual, the EU will be more powerful and less accountable than ever. If we vote No, nothing will change.
A No vote will not change any existing EU law, directive or policy. It will though give us time to take a breath and think about what is the best Europe for everyone.
What type of Europe do you want to grow old in? What type of Europe would you like your children to grow up in?
So I have started this blog to profile some reasons for voting No and highlight the good bits of the No campaign and the Sinn Fein campaign in particular.
And with Ireland not in the European Cup this summer and Dustin destined only for the Martha Stewart Christmas special this is the only European show on the go right now.
Then there is the Yes campaign group who as the days go by are wheeling out a seemingly inexhaustible supply of important people and groups who want you and me to vote Yes. I want to give some time to asking what are the Yes campaigners up to and maybe highlight some of their inconsistencies, inaccuracies and so on ( I really don’t like to use the word lies..)
Please add comments, criticism etc when appropriate and if you are thinking about voting No and on the campaign trail tell us your stories from the front.
A Better Deal 
Dear Madam/Sir,
I have posted an article on Indymedia:
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/87847
Summary of the article:
In August 2003, I sent evidence of blackmail and fraud to the detriment of the EU invalidity scheme to the Secretary General of the EU Court of Auditors.
He answered he had “ no intention whatsoever to go into analysing, or commenting on, the assumptions and constructs in ( my )letters, as this would be totally irrelevant for composing (his) answer.”
Seven months later, on 30 June 2004, he explicitly confirmed this as follows: “I confirm that these elements, e.g. the blackmail you accuse certain colleagues of, are not relevant in the context of this file.”
According to the Staff Regulations in force, he should have reported the case to the Anti-Fraud Office instead, but five years later, Hervé still regards the victims´ affidavits he received as my own “constructs and assumptions”. In August 2007, I informed the President of the Court of this failure to act.
A disciplinary procedure was launched last November… against me.
Kind regards,
BN
By: Bart Nijs on June 7, 2008
at 5:08 pm
Thank so much you for all your efforts during the campaign against the Lisbon treaty being an antidemocratic EU constitution through the backdoor! Our polititical class in Germany would never dare to let us vote on that constitution!
Kind regards, Stefan.
By: Stefan on June 15, 2008
at 2:47 pm
not stuffed (i prefer to specify)
I voted NO and it isn’t a vote for depressive people .
it’s not a question either is necessary to sometimes know to put a little water in its wine
to advance but to sign something which one does not understand would amount travelling on an aircraft without seats, to make turn an motor without oil it would be like trying to make push corn on stones.
I think it is normal not to sign for all these things which we does not understand.
A masked turkey
By: a masked turkey on June 22, 2008
at 4:23 am
I agree with you.
By: Norbert on June 22, 2008
at 5:15 am
Where do I begin against your arguments. First of all everything you had is because of the European Union your economy would be like Eastern Europe’s if it wasn’t for if it wasn’t for the EU. I cannot believe you voted it down.
Your argument about immigration, that immigration is coming from the EU a lot of immigration is coming from outside the EU.
You talk about how you want an independent foreign policy, no one in the world will listen to just Ireland on foreign policy. But the European Union everyone will listen to and the only way for Ireland to have a voice in the world is through the EU. The goal of the European Union is for Europe to once again be the dominant people in the world you will have much more of a say in the world if you are part of it. how can you not want that for your people, to be part of the Union that sets foreign policy second only to the US and which may be the first in a couple years
finally I would like to know what will it take for you to be for the lisbon treaty
By: dennis on June 30, 2008
at 9:29 pm
Well first off, immigration was never raised as an issue by Sinn Fein in the referendum campaign and the party has consistently supported the free movement of people across Europe as well as having the most progressive policy of any Irish political party on immigration, asylum seekers and refugees.
Second if you want to know what would be a starting point for a better Europe click on the button ‘A better Deal’ at the top of this page.
By: voteno2lisbon on July 1, 2008
at 9:27 am
Immigration was raised as an issue watch the two VIDEOS!!!!! It seems like that was the biggest issue that they were driving down the wages of working Irish people
By: dennis on July 1, 2008
at 7:03 pm