Congratulations to the Irish People

A massive blow against those who would force the EU Treaty on the UK without a referendum.

Bob Blackman, prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrow East, has hailed the result of the referendum on the EU Treaty as, “A great day for Britain and the peoples of Europe. Now is the time to end the old top-down Europe which the Irish have so decisively rejected. The Irish people have spoken.  They have made clear that they do not want a Treaty that takes so many powers from the countries of Europe and gives it to distant institutions in Brussels. Despite all the threats that have been made, they have had the courage to make their own decision. They deserve Europe’s admiration and congratulations.”

Irish referendum

The Republic of Ireland held a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty on 12 June. Ireland voted ‘no’ by 53.4 to 46.6 per cent on a turn out of 53 per cent – a higher turn out than either the Irish ‘no’ to Nice in 2001 or the Irish ‘yes’ in 2002.

Bob Blackman continued, “The British Government must respect the Irish people’s verdict. Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in Parliament must be stopped immediately. The renamed EU Constitution should now be finished. Unless it is agreed that this Treaty is dead and buried, it is essential that the British people have their say. There is no justification for the Irish people being allowed their say while the British are denied theirs. Gordon Brown must go to the Commons on Monday to make a statement on what the Government will do next. “

Notes to Editors

·        House of Lords.  The Bill ratifying the EU Treaty is now awaiting its third reading – the final hurdle in the House of Lords – which is due to take place on 18 June. On 11 June the Lords rejected a referendum by 280 votes to 218. If the 65 Liberal Democrat peers had not voted against a referendum, which they did on a three line whip, but followed their MPs in abstaining the vote for a referendum would have been won. On 20 May Lib Dem peers abstained on a vote on whether there should be an in-out referendum on the EU – the subject about which Lib Dem MPs stormed out of the Commons in protest because they were not allowed to vote on it. Lib Dem and Labour peers also blocked a Conservative attempt to write a guarantee of a referendum on any move to scrap the pound into the Bill.

·       The EU Treaty Bill in the Commons. On 5 March, the majority of Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs voted against a Conservative proposal for a UK-wide referendum on ratification of the EU Treaty. 311 MPs voted against, 248 in favour – a margin of 63. 29 Labour MPs rebelled, voting for a referendum. Three Conservative MPs rebelled.

·       Liberal Democrat rebellion. 13 of 63 Lib Dem MPs defied a three-line whip to abstain by voting in favour of a referendum. Three Lib Dem front bench spokesmen – David Heath (Justice spokesman), Alistair Carmichael (Scottish spokesman) and Tim Farron (Countryside spokesman) – resigned their positions.  Nick Clegg has not sacked the eight other spokesmen who rebelled.