Union of denial

Denis MacShane, the former Europe minister, was not a happy man as he did interviews yesterday about the Irish no vote and his piece in today’s Times is a mixture of anger and denial. He starts by dismissing the no votes against the constitution in France and Holland and the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland as mere “local difficulties” when set against the broader ambitions of the European project. He then indulges in some sophistry to try and dismiss the democratic importance of the Irish vote.

Ireland represents 1 per cent of the EU’s total population and some old-fashioned democrats may feel that 1 per cent does not outweigh the rest of Europe’s nations which are saying “yes” to the treaty.

This ignores the fact that the Irish are the only people who were given a direct vote on the treaty. Does MacShane really believe the British people would say “yes” to Lisbon if given the chance?

MacShane then looks at how Europe can get round the Irish vote:

There are two ways forward. One would be to agree an explanatory protocol to the treaty giving clearer Irish opt-outs on issues such as foreign policy and taxation, to protect Ireland’s low corporation tax and longstanding neutrality. The other is for the EU to take a more ad hoc approach, using existing treaties to promote greater co-operation on immigration, the environment and cross-border crime and terrorism. This will require national governments to agree in the Council of Ministers – but that would leave a majority that is in agreement on a particular policy vulnerable to veto by a single government.

The Guardian reports this morning that the French and Germans are determined to press on with the ratification process. So, it appears the Irish will be asked to vote again one every other European country has ratified. In these circumstances, the yes campaign will find it easier to bully Ireland into voting the treaty through.