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An Irish Education
The Wall Street Journal ^ | June 14, 2008 | The Editors

Posted on 06/14/2008 9:47:11 PM PDT by gpapa

Irish voters struck a blow for democracy in Europe this week, stopping a power play by the Continent's political elites. On the ballot was the Lisbon Treaty, which European Union grandees in Brussels pitched as a tidying-up exercise to make the bloc's institutions work better. Most everyone else saw Lisbon for what it really was: An attempt to sneak through a dolled-up version of the failed "EU Constitution."

That constitution was hailed as Europe's entrée to a U.S.-size presence on the world stage, complete with a nonelected president and a beefier defense and foreign policy. It was rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005. Rather than respect that decision, Brussels simply made cosmetic changes and asked governments not to put such a major EU overhaul before voters.

Twenty-six EU members sent the treaty to their legislatures. But Irish law mandates referendums for international treaties to maintain the island nation's neutrality. And in Thursday's referendum, 53% of the Irish voted "no."

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: eu; euconstitution; europeanunion; ireland; vote

1 posted on 06/14/2008 9:47:16 PM PDT by gpapa
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To: gpapa

they’re a contentious lot, but ya gotta love ‘em. Pretty ladies, too.


2 posted on 06/14/2008 9:49:53 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (Obama's a front man. Who's behind him?)
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To: gpapa
There is a Europe. But its a Europe of average Europeans who have consistently rejected the elites top down blueprint for the European future.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

3 posted on 06/14/2008 9:52:44 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: gpapa

Give em what for Ireland.


4 posted on 06/14/2008 10:08:37 PM PDT by yldstrk (My heros have always been cowboys--Reagan and Bush)
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To: the invisib1e hand

But for the drink, the Irish would rule the world!


5 posted on 06/14/2008 10:13:02 PM PDT by mort56
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To: gpapa

Land of both my parents. They came here to get away from this kind of crap. I feel sorry for Europe if they fall for this new caste system.


6 posted on 06/14/2008 10:13:58 PM PDT by bronxboy
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To: goldstategop

My daughter, who has lived and worked in Germany for over 20 years, told me that the only people in Europe who liked the EU are the government types. All the normal citizens hate it.


7 posted on 06/14/2008 10:15:43 PM PDT by singfreedom
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To: gpapa

I love the Irish of the 21st century: unabashably capitalist and no longer possessed of either clerically-promoted superstition or secular-promoted superstatism.


8 posted on 06/14/2008 10:21:52 PM PDT by Clemenza (No Comment)
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To: jveritas; FARS; Ernest_at_the_Beach; knighthawk; Marine_Uncle; SandRat; Steel Wolf; CAP; ...

Democracy with a small “d” ping.


9 posted on 06/15/2008 2:24:16 AM PDT by elhombrelibre (Obama is al Qaeda's only hope in Iraq.)
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To: Clemenza

The EU has lowered the standard of living of many Eurorpeans
and is nothing more but total socialism.


10 posted on 06/15/2008 4:35:33 AM PDT by Dr. Ursus (( commander of the simian host))
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To: singfreedom

This Brussels Conspiracy is nothing more than a hidden Communist take over of Europe & GB. It is the ugly rise of the EUSSR...like the USSR, these unelected elites will now try to trample all representation that resists their grand scheme!


11 posted on 06/15/2008 5:49:42 AM PDT by iopscusa (El Vaquero. (SC Lowcountry Cowboy))
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To: gpapa

The E.U is and always was a house of cards. It was from the beginning a tower of babel. The Lilliputians that are europe woke up one day and said “We are bigger and better than America because we say we are!” They formed this union of fools and fakers and I’ll admit like all good pyramid scheme it worked for a while. But the details such as British social insanity and handling immigration and the disparate value of the various members currency were not worked out. Now they are facing huge increases in the cost of gasoline and calling it petrol doesn’t change a thing. Yes we are feeling it over our prices but America, the country these pipsqueaks pretend to be better than, can handle these increases infinitely better than they can. Let them sit in their coffee houses and laugh at American morality. As Forbes has predicted, they won’t be laughing for long.


12 posted on 06/15/2008 5:50:41 AM PDT by jmaroneps37 (Conservatism is truth. Liberalism is lies.)
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To: elhombrelibre
A very small “d” at that.
13 posted on 06/15/2008 10:06:20 AM PDT by Marine_Uncle (Duncan Hunter was our best choice...)
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