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Irish push for second vote on EU treaty
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor09.12.08
THE EU'S Lisbon Treaty threatened to pose a fresh headache for Gordon Brown today after the Irish government confirmed it would try to hold a second referendum on the issue.
Ireland said it would seek to use this week's Brussels summit to resurrect the treaty by getting 26 EU states to amend it to meet fears over neutrality, abortion and taxation.
The Republic's Europe minister, Dick Roche, suggested Dublin will seek binding assurances that the treaty will also guarantee a commissioner in Brussels for every member state.
He suggested that if accepted, these changes could pave the way for Brian Cowen's government to declare a second referendum for next year, in the hope of reversing the "no" vote delivered by Irish voters in June.
A second referendum would infuriate campaigners against the Treaty, who argue that the judgment of the only electorate in Europe to be allowed a vote on the document should be respected.
Shadow foreign secretary William Hague said it would be "utterly undemocratic for Gordon Brown to insist Irish people must vote twice but deny British people the chance to vote once".
Reader views (9)
Ask anybody, all most of us want, is to be left alone with minimal Government interference in our lives in our own individual Sovereign countries with a proper Democracy, not the current sham where Politicians make promises,{REFERENDUM, for example} and then proceed to represent only the Bankers and industrialists
- Clive Burghard Southern England, Lancing England
Seeing as we have denied democracy to the rest of Europe, the lucky Irish who do have vote, will have to vote again and again until their 'free and democratic' result is the right one.
I vote for leaving the EU. We would be £20 billion better of a year.
- Frank, Home Counties, England
Here we go again. why cant these politicians accept what people want. How many times must these pathetic people be told what the Irish want. I only wish that the U.K. government had the guts to ask us. The irish people are very lucky to have such a respectable and compotent government.
- Joe Hodgson, hartlepool england
If you vote "yes" it's over and done with and it's yes forever. If you vote "no" they'll make you vote again and again and again, until you get it right. What a sham.
- R.M., London, UK
We have ways of making you vote yes!
- Paul Freeman, London, England
here we another eu tuck up when do we get our vote never under labour ....lets all get out of eu
- Ambientboy, london
The people of Ireland voted NO decisively to the E.U. Constitution, aka Lisbon Treaty, and the democratic exercise meant nothing to the E.U. elites. France and Holland voted NO decisively to the earlier version, and it meant nothing. If the Irish are asked again, they will vote NO again. Will Brown and his buddies then respect a democratic vote on the hideous Lisbon Treaty and let it die? As for William Hague, why doesn't his party show some honesty and announce now that regardless of whatever happens elsewhere his party will allow the British people a democratic say on whether the U.K. is to remain a country or to become a province.
- Phil Jones, London UK
Top idea! Would be nice if we could have at least ONE referendum in this country.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one
" Utterly undemocratic for Gordon Brown..." says William Hague. So what's new? It's utterly undemocratic the man in power in the first place-he is unelected don't forget.
- Jon Kent, Hertford. UK
