Irish Reject Lisbon Treaty.

Today, the results from Ireland's referendum on the Lisbon Treaty have been revealed. Ireland is the only member state of the European Union expected to hold a referendum on the treaty--which has many similarities to the defunct Constitution for Europe--as the country is required by its own constitution to hold a referendum on treaties or laws which would alter the Irish constitution. With most member states' parliaments expected to ratify the Lisbon Treaty, the some 1.5 million Irish who voted were voting on behalf of the more than 490 million EU citizens over whether or not the Lisbon Treaty should be passed to reform the EU and streamline the European institution.

The Irish have responded with a resounding vote 'No.'

Many Irish could not comprehend the wording of the treaty, and wisely figured that a legal agreement should not be signed unless it is understood. Indeed, as opposed to the would-be EU Constitution, the Lisbon Treaty is a mishmash of earlier treaties and utilizes confusing legal jargon. You can have a look for yourself, here, and see whether or not you can make heads or tails of the contract.

So, what now?

Many analysts have speculated whether Ireland would be forced to take another stab at Lisbon if they should first reject the treaty, and vote again in the hope that the Irish would agree to the Lisbon Treaty on a second try, the way they have before. Some quarters consider this to be implausible as the European Union has come under criticism for being undemocratic. Forcing a member state's electorate to vote and vote again until they pass the Lisbon Treaty would almost seem as though the European Union was looking for a rubber stamp approval from its people. After France and the Netherlands, two influential founding members of what would become the EU, the Constitution for Europe was scuppered rather than forcing those large and powerful member states from re-voting (though that could also be because such were French and Dutch attitudes toward the EU Constitution, that they would have probably rejected the treat again, and dealt it a second blow).

Without the Lisbon Treaty or the Constitution for Europe, the EU would be legally hindered from expanding beyond 27 member states, which the organization already has. Furthermore, passing EU law could become more difficult if approval from each of those 27 states were required and if each of those countries were given a position on the EU Commission. In foreign affairs, a more divided European Union would have a more divided voice, a weaker voice, across the globe.

And yet many of those opposed to the way Lisbon was peddled have a strong case. In a democratic system, the citizenry should have a say in the passage of major laws which would affect them. The people should at least be consulted. At most, the formation of the Lisbon Treaty and its ratification was indirect, with the exception of Ireland.

For the sake of the European Union, many of the points of the Constitution for Europe and the Lisbon Treaty should be made law. The EU should be reformed so that it can work more effectively, efficiently, and can have a greater influence for its people.

But the European Union should also be reformed so that it is more democratic, and reflects the will of the people it is supposed to serve.

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United States of Europe or the EUSSR?

On June 12, Irish voters go to the polls to vote on the Lisbon Treaty, which proponents argue will streamline the EU and make the now 27 member organization more efficient and pave the way for further future enlargement, and opponents say is a big step towards a federal European superstate.

Taking this latter tack, the question to be discussed in this blog is 'how will a federal EU end up?' Some have given their approval to a United States of Europe, while others use that same term negatively, as something ruinous for Europe. Still more--primarily those who reject the idea of a federal Europe--use the term EUSSR to describe their vision of such a European superstate, hearkening to connotations of a centralized, monolithic monstrosity which controls its people rather than the other way around.

Firstly, it should be pointed out that Europe has little choice but to unify in some form if today's European countries want some clout on the world stage. No longer can they rely on higher technology than foreign nations to impose their wills and persuade others to do their bidding. As individual countries, they no longer have an edge with having larger populations than most states. If Europe wants to succeed in realizing its interests and protecting itself, then European states will need to federalize or confederate to some degree. No European country individually, UK or otherwise, will be able to be a big player in global affairs. And even if Europeans would be willing to be minnows in a pond with big fish--an improbable scenario given common European attitudes--they still need to look after themselves. Small countries can be more easily pushed around than large ones. The West opened up to Communist China because it was large. The United States supported nuclear deals with India--which is not a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and made nuclear bombs partly with stolen technology--because it was large. The rules for big states unfortunately are not the same as for small ones.

So will the EU become a United States of Europe or a EUSSR.

On Europeans' side, the western part of the EU, which is the more dominant part in terms of both population and prestige, has a long tradition of 'democracy,' or--more accurately--representative government. The UK in particular could be considered the parent of modern democracy in the world. Additionally, many of eastern members are strongly pro-democracy even though democracy is much younger in that region; this being due to the oppression these countries faced under Communist rule. The idea that these states would be able to uphold their democratic credentials in a European federation or confederation is fairly strong.

However, the western part of the EU also has a strong tradition of rendering an enormous amount of power to their governments through various socialist ideals. There is a long history of European states giving their governments immense power over them, their governments abusing that power, the oppressed citizenry uprising and overthrowing the government, and then--astoundingly--giving their new governments immense power over them.

Europe has little choice but to form either a federation or confederation of states if it wants to preserve at least a moderate degree of its current status. That is a plain and simple fact. The European government would be wise to give more power to its citizens, and European citizens would be wise to keep power from the its government.
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Found this article interesting? Check out:
The Roadmap to the Future.
The Roadmap to the Future--Africa.
The Roadmap to the Future--Asia.
The Roadmap to the Future--Latin America.

Or:
The Science Fiction Channel.
The Vegetarian Diaries.

Tag this post with:
Delicious	Digg	Technorati	reddit	Facebook	StumbleUpon	Furl	blinklist

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Found this article interesting? Check out:
History: The Roadmap to the Future.
History: The Roadmap to the Future--Africa.
History: The Roadmap to the Future--Asia.
History: The Roadmap to the Future--Europe.
History: The Roadmap to the Future--Latin America.

Or:
The Science Fiction Channel + Technorium.
The Vegetarian Diaries + Biologeel.