Here we go again
This blog was started on May 15, 2008, to fight for a more democratic EU and, therefore, against the terms of the pre-constitutional legalistic text called Treaty of Lisbon, with a post containing only this declaration:
(Click on the title to read it in English, or click on the following links to read the same text in other language: português, français, deutsch, nederlands, español.
Sixteen months later, the deafness of our politicians forced many of us back to the fight.
This time, this blog will be used more as a support to others better organized, advertising initiatives and actions, reporting news and results.
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A chance for Europe to face the New Truth (International Herald Tribune, By John Vinocur, Published: June 23, 2008)
[…] Hubert Védrine, the former French foreign minister, got it right: "Everybody knows that if there were referendums everywhere, the noes would have won in several countries. The disagreement between the elites and the populations is flagrant." (Védrine spoke before a poll last weekend showed France, had it voted, joining Ireland’s rejection front.) […] What Europe could do, since it describes itself as the master of soft power, is stop trying to pile new, hard architecture on its soft mass. That means forgetting about becoming a mammoth lumbering with the cast iron paraphernalia of an all-purpose state. It could do things differently. And more simply. For example: concentrate its skills and energies on a single project. Deal with energy supply as a quasi-exclusive community priority for an unlimited period. People’s interest is there, and God knows there are enough bureaucrats in the 27 states and European Commission to handle all the rest of the business as usual. […]

London, England (AHN) - A British High Court advised Prime Minister Gordon Brown to defer the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty until a lawsuit filed by millionaire Stuart Wheeler is first resolved. […] (British PM Gordon Brown Holds Off Formal Ratification Of EU Treaty, June 20, 2008 10:05 p.m. EST, Vittorio Hernandez - AHN News Writer)
European Union leaders have been forced to acknowledge that the Czech Republic may have difficulties passing the Lisbon reform treaty. From Prague, the BBC’s Rob Cameron explains why the Czechs have a problem with it. […] Czechs have long had a habit for subverting the system, a survival instinct born of centuries of foreign domination. […] (BBC News,
Czechs used to bucking the system, last updated at 14:24 GMT, Friday, 20 June 2008 15:24 UK)
Portugal é um país independente desde 1143, tendo perdido essa indepedência apenas uma vez, entre 1580 e 1640. Deve ser por isso que os portugueses acham que ser patriota é apoiar a selecção nacional de futebol.
(translation: Portugal is an independent country ever since 1143, having lost its independence only between 1580 and 1640. Perhaps that’s why the Portuguese people today think that to be a patriot is to support the national football team.)
Good humor is essential to maintain the moral high in any army, even the one who fights for peace and democracy.
After the Irish voted down the Lisbon Treaty last week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy had this to say: "A lot of Europeans do not understand how we are shaping Europe right now and building Europe, and we have to take account of that. . . . We have to change our way of building Europe." […] (OPINION, Let ‘Europe’ Vote, By KYLE WINGFIELD, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE, June 17, 2008, Brussels)
[…] So, I am certain of this: even if the Eurocrats, by sleight, blackmail and gerrymander, manage to yoke together the disparate, brawling menagerie from the Vistula to the Corrib, and Gibraltar to the Barents Sea, they’ll never plough a straight furrow. Never. Just watch. (Independent.ie, ‘No’ vote gives us all a chance to take fresh look at Europe, By Kevin Myers, Tuesday June 17 2008)
Europe’s century
A vanishing Europe and lifestyle
We’d vote with our feet if the EU gave us half a chance
Il faut construire l’Europe en respectant les peuples
BBC NEWS
Page last updated at 13:19 GMT, Friday, 13 June 2008 14:19 UK
Irish minister says EU vote lost
"Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern says substantial vote tallies across the country show the European Union Lisbon reform treaty has been rejected. …"
The Irish are, indeed, a great people.
Follow the Results here:
How Ireland Voted
http://www.rte.ie/news/features/lisbontreaty/results.html
via: Credo, Catholic Journal (Ireland)
LE FIGARO INTERNATIONAL
13/06/2008 | Mise à jour : 19:01
«Le peuple irlandais a parlé au nom du peuple français»
"… Jean-Luc Mélenchon, sénateur PS, a affirmé que le non irlandais attendu au traité européen de Lisbonne est «une très bonne nouvelle» et a appelé à un «nouveau combat» pour faire respecter ce vote. …"
REFERENDUM IRELAND
Results received at the Central Count Centre for the Referendum on The Lisbon Treaty
Result Summary (Final count)
Electorate: 3,051,278
Total Poll: 1,621,037
Percentage Poll: 53.13%
Invalid Papers: 6,171
Valid Poll: 1,614,866
Votes in favour: 752,451
Votes against: 862,415