Posted on 10/03/2009 3:16:51 PM PDT by GOPGuide
The Irish Yes to the Lisbon Treaty has been greeted with whoops of joy by the European establishment from Cork to Cracow. But the long battle over Lisbon is not over.
The spotlight now falls on the Czech Republic and its President, Vaclav Klaus.
EU elites may have successfully defeated democracy for the fifth time – they overrode the Danish No to Maastricht in 1992, the Irish No to Nice in 2001, and the Dutch and French Nos to the European Constitution (the forerunner of Lisbon) in 2005.
But the Lisbon Treaty still remains unratified in two Central European states – Poland and the Czech Republic.
The leaders of both countries have refused to sign the instrument of ratification. President Klaus and President Lech Kaczynski of Poland are personally against Lisbon.
Their excuse for not signing was that there was nothing to sign for as long as at least one other state (Ireland) had not ratified it.
With that excuse now gone, both will face intense pressure from other governments and their own to sign the treaty so that it can enter into force all over the EU.
Mr Klaus’s position is the stronger. I have known him for many years. He is probably the most intelligent senior politician in Europe today, combining a fine brain with an even finer political instinct.
He is popular, steely and determined – and he wants the Lisbon Treaty to fail. But it will be a cliffhanger. Last Tuesday, Mr Klaus received unexpected support from 17 Czech senators.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
So what we have is more or less one man standing in the way of a facist steamroller. Prayers and hope to him, be a rock and his legacy will become an inspiration for millions.
“Czechoslovakia is a dagger aimed at the heart of Germany!”
Stand fast President Vaclav Klaus. As our American philosopher Yogi Berra once noted, “it aint over till it’s over”.
Poland, as usual, is also on the side of the good guys.
The more changes the more stays the same. Poles and Czechs need to stand firm against the EUrocracy.
Do you think either of these two nations or leaders will be able to resist the immense pressure that will be coming down? They have to gather personal strength and integrity, and if either or both could do it it will transform the world.
Read the entire article... the Czech leader is trying to buy time until Gordon Brown is booted out on his ass next year. The Tories have promised to hold a referendum in the UK, where it is likely to fail.
The conservatives in U.K. should hold a no confidence vote to get Brown out early. Czech and Poland may not be able to hold off the pressure until next year’s events.
So a British-Czech-Polish Eurosceptic axis has been created, which may yet defeat the latest push towards EU centralisation.For the sake of those Europeans and Brits who love freedom, I certainly hope so.
Labour has a very large majority in Parliament.It's highly unlikely that that would work.Labour *itself* couldn't even unseat him.
Why don’t we see maps like that from AAA
The 54th (and current) Parliament of the United Kingdom expires at midnight on May 10th, 2010, Unless dissolved earlier. This would mean a General Election around June, 3rd.
All the Polish and Czech presidents have to do is hold out until the UK General Election. A referendum on Lisbon is part of the Tories manifesto, and a Tory government would be urging a “No” vote.
Lisbon is highly unpopular in the UK, especially in light of Gordon Brown’s decision to ratify it, despite having promised a referendum.
Even if Lisbon is ratified by the Czechs and Poles before the Election, the Conservative position is to “not let matters rest there”. While many Euroskeptic Tories are suspicious of that phrasing, any Conservative government that did not fight for and win concessions from the EU would be severely punished by it’s voters in the next election.
Hmmm...Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Honduras: all resisting NWO stuff and all are or were Catholic strongholds. Is there a pattern here?
My parents fled Czechoslovakia after their government fell to the communists in 1948. My extended family is still there, and I just returned from a visit with them this week. I don't read their resistance as having a strong connection with Catholicism. I think it has far more to do with their recent experience with the communists. They don't want their culture and liberty lost to the EU. Globalization and EU regulations have led to changes that are upsetting many Czechs. There are small things like changes to what foods can be served in restaurants or being forced to re-name their rum because it's made using potatoes rather than sugar cane. There are bigger issues like losing much of their sugar refining industry and sugar beet farming, bankruptcy of many glass and crystal producers, and importation of (less fresh) French dairy products and Polish eggs. These are people who don't want to be told what to do by some monolithic bureaucracy in Brussels any more than they liked being told what to do by bureaucrats in Moscow.
Catholicism among the Czechs is of a somewhat different character than that of Poland or other predominantly Catholic countries. The Protestant movement came early to the Czech lands. The teachings of Jan Hus were influential, his martyrdom is well known and the anniversary of his death held as a national holiday. During the Counter-reformation, there was significant resistance to Catholicism among the Czechs, and many conversions were less than heart-felt. I've always found them inclined to pay lip service to certain aspects of church doctrine in order to get along. While they may be deeply faithful to their maker, they aren't necessarily deeply faithful to church authority. I wouldn't expect the majority of citizens to be so moved by their religion that they'd be influenced in their politics. Faith is a private matter.
As an aside, I asked several of my relatives about the missile shield while I was there with them. I was puzzled by the apparent wide spread resistance to it in the Czech Republic. The explanation I received had nothing to do with the technical capabilities or the goals of the missile defense system. The people I spoke with objected to having soldiers on their land who were not subject to the jurisdiction of their laws. They had had enough of occupying armies, and saw this proposed base in those terms.
Thanks for your insights!
The message I get is the Czech’s are stubborn, ‘bitter clingers’ [/s] to their national and cultural identity. I like that!!!
Hopefully, Havel can delay the process on Lisbon and the UK finally get a vote. The Euroskeptic group of the UK, Poland, and Czechoslovakia might be able to turn the tide if the referendum ends up passing? At least by negotiating less intrusive Brussels mandates?
I worry about a strong central government for the EU in the same way I am deeply concerned about our growing Federal behemoth. Too big to fail, too cumbersome to operate efficiently, too slow to react to the needs and economic realities within member states; increased Federal power is often a nightmare and kills individual liberty through increasing taxation and regulatory nonsense, IMO.
The bit about the eggs and poultry are examples. Why ship stuff all over, if there is a perfectly acceptable source locally? Next comes stupid regulations which seek to force privately owned farms and holdings out of business.
A farmer in Oz did a video about the hoops he’s had to jump through. The greater the barriers the more nimble they became. However, at some point folks just throw in the towel and say, ‘f**k it.’
Thank you, a good summary.
I've been following the UK vs. EU situation for years. In most of Europe, the people are generally resigned to the EU. In the UK there is a LOT or resentment towards a remote, unelected bureaucracy. That resentment will persist until the British people get there say on the EU.
Cool map. Where did you find it?
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