Irish reject new EU Treaty

The Irish were the only people allowed to vote on the new EU treaty (their constitution mandates it), and they have apparently rejected it. Personally, I think that this is good for the EU because the treaty was centralizing power even more than it otherwise is and that allowing competition between the different governments over policy is good. The BBC has an article here:

Under Irish law, any amendment to an EU treaty requires an amendment to the Irish constitution and all constitutional amendments require approval by referendum.

The official result is not yet in, but Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern says substantial vote tallies around the country show the Lisbon Treaty has been rejected.

"It looks like this will be a 'no' vote," Mr Ahern said. "At the end of the day, for a myriad of reasons, the people have spoken." . . .

UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, who campaigns for Britain's exit from the EU, said: "The only people to have a say on the treaty have kicked it into the long grass." . . .

This vote was supposed to finish the treaty, but you get this response from the EU president.

Despite pronouncements that the treaty would be shelved if the Irish voted against it, European Union President Jose Manuel Barosso said it is still up for discussion.

"Our position is this one; 18 member states have already approved the treaty. One, Ireland, voted no. We should go on now with the process. At the same time, the leaders should meet should meet and see what possibilities are there for a collective response to this issue, because there is a collective responsibility," he said. . . .

The final votes was 53 percent "NO" and 47 percent "YES."