European political elite is trying to overtake the legitimate results from Ireland. Observers of political life can see “young and restless” politicians like the Finnish Foreign Minister Mr. Stubb who have to exercise the same repetitious subliminal messages in line with “Lisbon is not dead”and similar.

“The treaty is not dead. The EU is in constant crisis management - we go from one crisis to another and finally we find a solution,” Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb told reporters, noting the bloc had dealt with past voter setbacks.

However Europeans defending democracy already respond to such attempts or provocations. In Facebook there are notable shifts to the groups like “Respect the Irish NO: stop ratification of the Lisbon Treaty” with already over 1.200 members.

In such Facebook groups one can find many useful hints on what to do and where to click - for example if you are British citizen your most efficient action for beginning would be to sign the petition…

“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Respect the result of the Irish referendum and abandon the attempt to ratify the Lisbon Treaty.”

Europe in action!

…and Margot in turmoil:

Also do check other related videos e.g. “Reaction”.

Statement from TEAM, The European Alliance of EU-critical Movements

14.06.2008

The result of the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty is a triumph for democracy. The Irish voters have rejected a treaty that is undemocratic and militaristic. They have thereby rendered all Europeans an enormous service, opening new possibilities for a cooperation among the European peoples that is democratic, equal and peaceful and respects the sovereignty of each member state.

TEAM, The European Alliance of EU-critical Movements, a cross-political network of more than 50 organisations from over 20 countries, notes that the Lisbon Treaty has fallen and that the ratification process in other EU-member states should be called off immediately.

The German chancellor and the French president claim in their first reaction to the result of the Irish referendum that the Lisbon Treaty is necessary “in order to make the European Union more democratic and efficient”. In other words - in order to make the EU more democratic it is necessary to ignore the result of a truly democratic referendum. This statement reveals the degree of hypocricy in the EU-elite!

The EU-constitutional project has thrice failed to pass its democratic test: in France and The Netherlands in 2005 and, in a slightly made-up version, in Ireland in 2008. The EU-elite should realize by now that the peoples of Europe want a different form of community, based on other values. Its unwillingness to do so, however, makes it the more important that all committed citizens and organisations initiate discussions, create visions and forward-looking proposals pointing out the many possibilities for a truly democratic and peaceful European cooperation.

TEAM shall gladly contribute to this process, and expresses its warmest gratitude to the Irish people for giving all Europeans the possibility of doing so.

Thank you Ireland!
Congratulations Europe!

TEAM is a cross-political network of more than 50 organisations from over 20 countries in and outside the EU.

For further information please contact: coordinator Jesper Morville, jespermorville@mail.dk, or secretaries Blaž Babič, blaz.babic@amis.net or Argo Loo, looargo@yahoo.com.

Dublin

Friday morning, 13 June 2008 - 10.40 a.m. Irish time

It now looks as if the NOs may be heading for a referendum win in Ireland!
This is based on estimates of the early “tallies”,which are rough impressions of the size of Yes and No votes, but before the count proper begins.
This is great news and looks like being a victory for democracy in Ireland and for Europe.
The counting proper is only now beginning and the final result should be available this afternoon.

All good wishes,

Anthony Coughlan
The National Platform EU Research and Information Centre
24 Crawford Avenue
Dublin 9

Tel.: 01-8305792 ;

FEW MEDIA INDICATORS:
Early Lisbon tallies lean toward No vote
‘No’ camp appears to have edge in Lisbon count
No vote gaining ground in Galway
No camp has edge in Lisbon count
‘Strong show’ for Irish No vote
Ireland Rejects Euro Treaty
Dublin Set to Reject EU Treaty-Senior Politician
French PM Says ´No Lisbon Treaty´ if Irish Vote No
Europe holds its breath for result of Ireland’s vote

The National Platform EU Research and Information Centre
24 Crawford Avenue
Dublin 9

Tel.: 01-8305792 ;
Web-site: nationalplatform.org

                 Media statement

Thursday 12 June 2008

                            TODAY'S LISBON TREATY VOTE

Whether people vote Yes or No to the Lisbon Treaty today, Ireland’s national interest and the best interests of future generations here and across Europe undoubtedly call for a No vote, for the reasons set out in the article below.

The Lisbon Treaty would endow the legally new European Union which it would establish with a revamped version of the EU Constitution that was rejected by the French and Dutch peoples in 2005.

This post-Lisbon EU would, inter alia, have the constitutional form of a supranational EU Federation, in which Ireland would be reduced to the status of a provincial state from being a sovereign one hitherto. Irish citizens in turn would be constitutionally transformed into real rather than symbolical citizens of a Federal European Union, rather as American citizens are citizens also of their local American states, or Federal Germany’s citizens are citizens of Germany’s Länder. Regrettably, this constitutional revolution which Lisbon would bring about in the EU itself, its Member States and in the civic status of four million Irish and nearly 500 million Europeans has scarcely been referred to in Ireland’s referendum debate.

The main reason for this is the failure of the statutory Referendum Commission to carry out its function of explaining the “subject matter of the proposal” in the Constitutional Amendment, “and its text”, which is what people have been voting on today.

from the Irish People’s Movement press release:

Reacting to the news that the Referendum Commission has been receiving its legal advice from a law firm that provides services to an industry lobby group which is campaigning for a YES vote, while the public information campaign is being run by consultants who were appointed by a tender offered by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Patricia McKenna former Green Party MEP and chairperson of the People’s Movement said:

“I am deeply shocked and disturbed to hear where the Referendum Commission’s legal advice and marketing of this important voter information is originating from. As someone who called for the early establishment of the Referendum Commission to provide independent information to voters, and as someone who was instrumental in its original establishment because of a court action I took to safeguard democracy during referendums some years ago, this is very disturbing. This evening there are serious questions hanging over the credibility, role and so-called ‘independence’ of the Referendum Commission to date.”

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Our comment: Referendum Commission has been established and tested just before Nice I. referendum. Since this referendum resulted in a NO, political rulers changed and diminished it’s role which resulted in a YES at Nice II. referendum. Apparently political elites are quite capable to destroy or by-pass good, affirmative and democratic attempts.

ADDITION: An attempt to motivate Irish to vote looked like this: Youtube with Keith Barry.

On the eve of Ireland’s referendum on the EU treaty, the Irish “no” camp has accused France of trying to hide its intentions to push for beefing up EU military capabilities and creating an EU army commanded by Brussels.

According to Kathy Sinnott, independent MEP and fervent opponent of the Lisbon treaty, the French government is keeping a promised blueprint on European defence and security secret until after the crucial vote on Thursday (12 June).

“The French white paper on EU defence has been ready for release since May, but the French government are withholding it until after the Irish referendum,” the MEP said, demanding that the text be released immediately.

The rest of the article at the EUobserver.

written by Arnaud HERVE

There are those who oppose anything European, those who accept anything European as providence, but there are also those in-between who desire a stronger Europe, while keeping a critical attitude as regards its democratic deficit. For the critical Europhiles, it was very good news indeed when the “European political parties” were created.

They are also labelled “European parties a European level” or “Europarties”. They were were embryonic in the treaty of Maastricht in 1992 (section 41), confirmed in the treaty of Amsterdam in 1997 (Article J.18 and Article K.13), but it is really the treaty of Nice in 2001 (Article 2, section 19) that granted them an autonomous status.

If you Sense that you Might Someday rue a “yes”, Please Vote “no” on Lisbon

Unlike the Irish, hundreds of millions of other persons in Europe haven’t been enabled to step up to the ballot box with our opinion of the Treaty of Lisbon. This makes me regard Ireland and the quality of democracy in your country with a tinge of envy.

Over the years, we’ve seen many incremental changes made to the EU, from the initial unassuming brainchild of a Coal and Steel Community to arrival at a Customs Union and the EEC, building up eventually to the European Union. Instead of being accidental, a methodical process is being revealed to us.

Rassemblement de protestation contre le nouveau projet de Constitution européenne

Faisons du 29 mai, jour anniversaire du Non, la fête nationale de la Souveraineté !

A l’occasion du 3ème anniversaire de la victoire du Non au référendum européen, Paul-Marie Coûteaux et le Comité National du 29 mai, appellent à un rassemblement de protestation contre le nouveau projet de Constitution européenne dissimulé sous le “mini-traité” de Lisbonne.

• Non au Coup d’Etat contre la démocratie !
• Non à l’Europe supranationale !
• Encourageons les Irlandais qui s’apprêtent à voter Non !
• Imaginons ensemble l’Europe des Nations !

Place Saint Germain des Près (Paris, VIèmearrondissement) le jeudi 29 mai à 18 heures 30.

pour plus d’informations:

Contacts: 01 47 98 25 41 / 06 72 43 12 03 / 01 34 75 19 05 / 06 75 61 95 83

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Taken from IND/DEM webpage.

1) YOUNG NORWEGIANS SCEPTICISM TOWARDS EU RISES

77 % of young Norwegians between 17 and 30 years old are opposed to EU, according to a May 2008 survey in Norwegian daily “Aftenposten,” conducted on the 7th of May 2008. 62 % of middle aged adults, above 30 years old are also opposed to EU, while 38 % are EU-positive, according to the survey.
 
 
2) IRELAND IN POLITICAL TURMOIL

Fine Gael Senator Fidelma Healy-Eames said a survey by her staff conducted on the 10th of May 2008 in Galway county showed that around 36 % percent intend to vote No, while 30 % percent plan to vote Yes, with another 34 % percent is undecided in Galway county.
Yours sincerely, Lasse Riise, “Costal Party of Norway” (CP-N).
 
 
3) ICELAND’S PM LOUD AND CLEAR AGAINST EU

because he simply believed that the negative things about joining were far greater than the positive ones. Here is the news story in Icelandic. The headline says: “Geir: I don’t want to join the EU”

President of the Serbian political party G 17 plus Mr. Mlađan Dinkić said today that he is certain that in one month time Serbia will have pro-european and stable government, which will bring Serbia into European Union within four years.

“For Serbia to enter EU compromises must be made. You can’t go against the life. That kind of compromise will be made,” answered Dinkić on question about forming the government.

On the other side of the political divide another political coalition will be attempted between the Democratic pary of Serbia, New Serbia, Serbian radical party and Socialistic party of Serbia, named “The new national government of Serbia”.

At the EUDemocrats website this news broke out:

A new scandal was revealed today, Thursday April 24th. Twenty eight (28) leading multinational companies have had their own lobbying office in the European Parliament, with Parliament’s telephone number and address.

Members of Parliament have been involved in a special board for this secret lobbyist activity. Their group leaders have known nothing about their involvement. The MEPs have been handpicked to serve business interests under the leadership of the Spanish Vice President, Vidal-Quadras, Chairman of EBPS, assisted by a Parliamentary board including John Bowis (EPP-ED), Lena Ek (ALDE), Angelika Niebler (EPP-ED), Edit Herczog (PES), Manuel Medina Orterga (PES) and Dirk Sterckx (ALDE).

Big multinational companies, namely, Gas de France, Telefonica, Thalys, British American Tobacco, Unilever, Ericsson, Microsoft and others are involved.

The European Parliament and Business Scheme (EBPS) were set up by former President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox. He is now a leading business consultant and President of the International European Movement. He is also campaigning for a Yes to the Lisbon Treaty in the Irish referendum foreseen for June 12, 2008.

The scandal was revealed during the Conference of Presidents meeting today in Strasbourg. Green party leader Monika Frassoni informed her colleagues, and they decided by a majority vote to ask the College of Quaestors to end this lobbyist activity.

The European Parliament shall decide about lobbyism in the mini session in Brussels on May 8. This is also the last voting day for the President of the Group for Independence and Democracy, Jens-Peter Bonde, who was recently elected president of EUD –a political party at European level aimed at improving democracy and transparency in the EU.

Bonde was quoted as saying: “I have asked the Parliaments’ leadership to establish a full investigation on how this secret working group could be established behind the necks of all group leaders”.

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In future we will list all the flaws from the YES side in Ireland (fake media reports on the assault on the MEP, deceptions by Barrosso and others, problems with taxes and farmers). Today’s story will definitely add to the swing of many Irish voters towards rejection of the Renamed EU Treaty.

What will be after the Irish referendum? Friday the 13th. Good Friday mind you, get ready.

4th of March 2008

“France was just ahead of all the other countries in voting No. It would happen in all Member States if they have a referendum. There is a cleavage between people and governments…There will be no Treaty if we had a referendum in France, which would again be followed by a referendum in the UK.”
- French President Nicolas Sarkozy, at meeting of MEP Group leaders, EUobserver, 14 Nov. 2007

List has been refreshed on May 25th 2008

DECEMBER (2007):
ratified in Parliament —————-Hungary (325 yes, 5 no, 14 abstained)
JANUARY (2008):
ratified in Parliament —————-Slovenia (74 yes, 6 no) - Constitutional Court case ratified in Parliament —————-Malta (unanimous…)
FEBRUARY:
ratified in Parliament —————-Romania (387 yes, 1 no, 1 abstained)
ratified in Parliament —————-France (332 yes, 52 no)
MARCH:
ratified in Parliament —————-Bulgaria (195 yes, 15 no, 1 abstained)
APRIL:
ratified in Parliament —————-Poland (384 yes, 56 no, 12 abstained) - not signed by the President yet
ratified in Parliament —————-Austria (155 yes, 28 no)
ratified in Parliament —————-Slovakia (103 yes, 5 no, 1 abstained)
ratified in Parliament —————-Portugal (208 yes, 21 no)
ratified in Parliament —————-Denmark (90 yes, 25 no) Constitutional Court case
MAY:
ratified in Parliament —————-Germany (515 yes, 58 no, 1 abstained) - not signed by the President yet
ratified in Parliament —————-Latvia (83 yes, 23 no)
ratified in Parliament —————-Lithuania (70 yes, 3 no, 1 abstained)

Estimated dates of ratification procedures:

JUNE:
on 12th of June —————————Ireland => RR **

The rest is up to the results of the Irish Referendum.