Modeling Journey

European Union technocrats are waiting with bated breath for the Irish to speak on October 2. A second referendum is being held on the status of the Lisbon Treaty.

What is the Lisbon treaty?

"The Lisbon Treaty could finally come into effect in 2009, eight years after European leaders launched a process to make the EU "more democratic, more transparent and more efficient". Like the European constitution before it, the treaty is often described as an attempt to streamline EU institutions to make the enlarged bloc of 27 states function better. But opponents see it as part of a federalist agenda that threatens national sovereignty. The constitution was thrown out by French and Dutch voters in 2005. The Lisbon Treaty, too, was rejected by Irish voters in 2008. However, Ireland is planning a new referendum in 2009. Under EU rules, the treaty cannot enter into force if any of the 27 member states fails to ratify it."

This from Wikipedia:

"The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is an international agreement signed in Lisbon on 13 December 2007 that would change the workings of the European Union (EU). The treaty has not been ratified by all EU member states. The treaty would amend the Treaty on European Union (TEU, Maastricht; 1992) and the Treaty establishing the European Community (TEC, Rome; 1957). In the process, TEC is renamed to Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

Prominent changes include more qualified majority voting in the EU Council, increased involvement of the European Parliament in the legislative process through extended codecision with the EU Council, eliminating the pillar system, preventing the provision in the Treaty of Nice (2001) reducing the number of commissioners, and the creation of a President of the European Council with a term of two and half years and a High Representative for Foreign Affairs to present a united position on EU policies. If ratified, the Treaty of Lisbon would also make the Union's human rights charter, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, legally binding."

The Irish have already rejected the Treaty in an earlier referendum:

"Negotiations to modify EU institutions began in 2001, resulting first in the European Constitution, which failed (2005) due to rejection by French and Dutch voters. The Constitution's replacement, the Lisbon Treaty, was originally intended to have been ratified by all member states by the end of 2008, so it could come into force before the 2009 European elections. However, the rejection of the Treaty on 12 June 2008 by Irish voters means that the treaty cannot currently come into force. As of 30 May 2009, 23 of the total 27 member states have ratified the Treaty."

Unwilling to accept the rejection by the Irish voters, the governments of the various EU nations decided to try an end run around the peoples of the EU, by repackaging the Constitution into the Lisbon Treaty, while at the same time preserving the major elements of the rejected Constitutional changes.

The repackaged changes were then agreed to by the governments:

"The treaty was signed 13 December 2007 by heads of government for Member States in the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown did not take part in the main ceremony, instead signing the treaty separately a number of hours after the other delegates. A requirement to appear before a committee of British MPs was cited as the reason for his absence."

That brought the decision back to the Irish:

"In order for the Irish Government to ratify the Treaty, the Irish government needed to put the matter to a referendum. This requirement arises from a legal precedent that to do otherwise would violate the Irish Constitution. This precedent was established by a 1987 Irish Supreme Court decision that ruled that significant changes to national sovereignty included in the Single European Act require the permission from the Irish voters in the form of a referendum. The Treaty seeks to amend the Single European Act. A part of the the Supreme Court decision is that the State's power to determine its foreign relations is held in trust from the people and may not be alienated by the government without their approval.

The proposed Twenty eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution, that the Republic of Ireland may ratify the Treaty of Lisbon with, was defeated by 53.4% to 46.6%, with a turnout of 53.1%. A Second Referendum on the same Treaty is set to occur on October 2, 2009.

There were unsuccessful calls for governments to hold referendums in some other member states."

The politicians (especially in Britain and Germany) feared rejection by the people and so refused to ask for their views through use of a referendum. The UK government negotiated opt-outs from various clauses before they approved it.

Why do I hope that the Irish voters reject the Lisbon Treaty?

Because the process used by the European elites to foist the Constitution onto the people of the EU under the guise of the re-packaged Lisbon Treaty is undemocratic. These major changes require people's approval through use of a referendum.

This article sums up the need for a referendum on such issues:

"Berlin, 4th June: A poll in Germany has shown that people are uninformed about the Lisbon Treaty and that they harbour concerns about transparency and democracy in European politics.

Pollsters have revealed that 84% of voters in Germany feel that they have little or no knowledge of the content of the Lisbon Treaty and that politicians are to blame for a lack of clear communication.

A third of respondents believe that the treaty was mainly concerned with foreign and defence issues, two-thirds believe it is mainly to do with issues of economic efficiency, and many are unaware that it is simply the EU constitution under a different name.

By rebranding the European Constitution as the Lisbon Treaty, the European elites attempted to push through the same document without the need for a referendum across Europe, and have only succeeded in confusing voters in order to carry out their own agendas.

Valerie Giscard-D'Estaing clearly stated: "The Lisbon Treaty is almost identical to the once rejected European Constitution".

Previous polls show that 74% of the German population wanted a referendum on the European Constitution, however the will of the people has been ignored by politicians as they have misled the public into thinking that the Lisbon Treaty is a completely different document."

So, citizens of Ireland: Vote No on October 2, and protect democracy.