When is a Constitution Not a Constitution?
Here are just some of the extraordinary reactions to the Irish vote from Europe's leaders:
"They [the Irish] are bloody fools. They have been stuffing their faces at Europe's expense for years and now they dump us in the s***."
- Nicolas Sarkozy, French President (Times, 20 June)
"The Lisbon Treaty is not dead... It is imperative that they vote again."
- Valery Giscard d'Estaing, former French President and author of the EU Constitution (RTL, 19 June)
"I don't think you can say the treaty of Lisbon is dead even if the ratification process will be delayed."
- Jean-Pierre Jouyet, French Europe Minister (Reuters, 16 June)
"I am convinced that we need this Treaty. Therefore we are sticking with our goal for it to come into force. The ratification process must continue."
- Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German Foreign Minister (Reuters, 14 June)
"Of course we have to take the Irish referendum seriously. But a few million Irish cannot decide on behalf of 495 million Europeans."
- Wolfgang Schaeuble, German Interior Minister (Deutsche Welle, 15 June)
"We think it is a real cheek that the country that has benefited most from the EU should do this. There is no other Europe than this treaty. With all respect for the Irish vote, we cannot allow the huge majority of Europe to be duped by a minority of a minority of a minority."
- Axel Schäfer, SPD leader in the German Bundestag (Irish Times, 14 June)
The Treaty will be applied, albeit a few months late.
- Lopez Garrido, Spanish Europe Minister (Forbes, 15 June)
"The Treaty is not dead. The Treaty is alive, and we will try to work to find a solution."
-
Jose Barroso,
European Commission President (Press
Conference, 14 June)
Note: Ireland has been the only country so far allowed to have a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, and has said NO. By the EU's own rules, the Treaty can only enter into force if ALL 27 member states have ratified it. Therefore, the Treaty HAS NO LEGAL STANDING.
"(The Constitution) is nothing more than a tidying-up exercise" - Peter Hain
"This is not a major change . . . there is no need for a referendum." - Peter Hain
"I am not saying it has got no substantial constitutional significance, of course it will have." - Peter Hain
"Our task is nothing less than the creation of a new Constitutional order for a new, united Europe." - Peter Hain
(There's nothing like being certain of your path in life, is there?)
The European Charter of Fundamental Rights will have no more significance than the Beano" - Keith Vaz
"The
British people must be led, slowly and unconsciously
into abandonment of their traditional economic defences, not asked. . .
" Lord Thornycroft
"The EEC takes away Britain's freedom to follow the sort of economic policies we need.
That is just one of the reasons for pulling out ..." Tony Blair
The UKIP
is really a tin-pot organisation that has yet to prove itself in the
polls. Why do these kinds of fringe groups make the front pages? Josie Appleton, Daily Telegraph,
2004
"...cranks and political gadflies..." - Michael Howard
"...fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists..." - David Cameron