in response to “This could be the makings of Brian Cowen”
I notice that the Irish Times did not ask in the survey
Why did you vote no?
1. Privatisation of public services; 188.c as clarified by referendum commission was a real danger within Lisbon treaty.
2. Workers rights; the SIPTU move seemed to wrong foot them self, playing to the arguments of two parties below.
3. Nuclear; Support for EURATOM was written into the “OLD” Lisbon Treaty
So they didn’t ask these 3 important questions. These [1-2] were the cornerstone of the Socialist Party campaign and 1-2-3 were in the Campaign Against the EU Treaty material of which the SP & SF are aligned. SF latched on to these as slogans mid way and were still clinging on at the end, the SF posters are evidence of this shift as were anti nuke leaflets they handed out in Drogheda (welcome this is).
These were big issues in the campaign. I notice in yesterdays Irish Times they do not reflect on their own misguided conduct during their 6 month pro Lisbon Treaty campaign. Others may have been slow to start campaigning and the Irish Times is correct to point this out but the Irish Times was on top form trying to promote what the classes rejected.
Next begins a full on attempt to move on from this and prevent a Lisbon2 or EU Constitution version 3. @ Wynn’s Hotel Dublin, Tuesday 8pm Socialist Party will begin to address this.
In surveys I think you get the results you seek. So if the top answer was “I don’t know what its all about” WHY WAS SPOILED VOTES DOWN!!! only 6,171 spoils on Lisbon with ~70% better turnout than Nice 1. Nice 1 had 14,887 spoils, we all knew Thursday what we were voting on & the spoils show it. While your kids may not be conscripted next month, If it had succeeded we were going to have to spend 6% of GDP on military while we close public hospitals and let private hospitals in the front door to employ the same staff on worse pay & conditions with no legislated right to collective bargaining. We discussed this over the course of the campaign, the message about Lisbon seeped out like the radiated sludge at Sellafield, people learned in time what Lisbon meant for the european project. And the people rejected it.
If Cowen is to suggest a “new” europe, then he must take stock of the peoples vote against further integration into a bosses europe. I do not hold your confidence that this may happen. I expect delay fiddle & fudge and a less than half baked cake of a new treaty within 14 months. An INSULT will result. A real campain for a new europe will be from the ground up, not top (Cowen) down.