UKIP started the week in Strasbourg on ranting form. "The European Union is founded on misrepresentation, deceit and lies," West Midlands MEP Gerard Batten told the Parliament in his usual balanced way. "When it comes to further political integration 'No' is always the wrong answer so far as the EU is concerned, and so the Irish are forced to have another referendum."
But although the Union flag on the desk in front of him incorporates the flag of St Patrick his remarks didn't go down too well with the Irish present. "An erroneous and condescending statement," said Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly.
"Ireland has not been FORCED by anybody to vote a second time. It was a decision independently taken by the Irish Parliament. We haven't been forced to do anything since we gained our independence from Britain in 1922."
Nice one Seán.
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
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3 comments:
Actually Ukip are right,
in the sense that Ireland did not really have a choice here.
The situation - from the outset of all of this - was that unanimous decision among member states was required to ratify the treaty.
The situation - after the FIRST Irish no
- was that other EU states WENT AHEAD ANYWAY in ratifying something that then should have been seen as dead.
As I said in a previous satire about it
(also at http://www.ceolas.net/#eu7x)
this is like any group of people setting out what to do together,
with from the OUTSET the notion that unanimous agreement is required - but after one says no, the others still -unjustly- seek agreement on the first proposal put.
Therefore:
It's not as if there is no pressure on the Irish government
here!
A fly on the wall at post-no meetings between Irish and EU representatives would have nice tales to tell you.
Sure, Irish ministers will huff and they'll puff with the pride of representatives of any small newly independent nation,
and claim that it's all their own choice,
but everyone - including them - knows it's a "choice" they had to make.
Yeah, sorry, I share the sentiments of most grown ups about UKIP being a bunch of jokers but only a fool or a liar would attempt to say that the Irish weren't forced into this second referendum.
The Irish voted no to a flawed treaty and they have been 'encouraged' to rethink. That stretches my conception of democracy to breaking point.
I am 100% pro-European and a good LD but I would also like to see LDs standing up a bit more to the institutional juggernaut which has brought about this situation.
Gerard Batten is a London MEP. Lib Dems put in its place ?
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