Tory Press Release - Lisbon Treaty Ratification

William Hague: Brown has no authority to ratify the EU Constitution

Commenting on the news that the Government has now ratified the Lisbon Treaty, Shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said:

"Gordon Brown has no democratic or moral authority to sign Britain up to the renamed EU Constitution. This move is a total breach of trust with the British people and a flagrant breach of his solemn election promise to the British people. It is a sign of how arrogant and out of touch this Labour Government has become that they are totally uninterested in what the British people want on Europe.

"It also means that the Government are joining in the ugly bullying of the Irish people, who have clearly rejected this Treaty. Trying to push ahead with the EU Treaty shows an utter lack of respect for the Irish voters' democratic decision."As long as the Irish decision is not reversed the EU Treaty will not be in force at the next general election.

A new Conservative Government would then take back the instruments of ratification and put the Treaty to a referendum, recommending a 'no' vote. That is the honourable and democratic thing to do."

Rt Hon William Hague MP

The Great British betrayal - Lisbon Treaty Ratified

Without giving the British people their promised referendum, and totally ignoring the result of the Irish referendum, Gordon Brown and his cronies have ratified the Lisbon Treaty. The timing of Europe minister Jim Murphy's announcement could not be more cynical. The government are obviously hoping to avoid the flak that is most certainly inbound by issuing the ratification notice the day before parliament goes into summer recess. No doubt they are hoping that public unrest will have died down by the time that parliament resumes later in the year.

It may have died down but this underhanded attack on our sovereignty will not be forgotten. We are being ruled by a law mad superstate that doesn't understand the meaning of the word NO. As the Bruges group point out: From 1st May 2008 to 15th July the EU has passed 282 laws which will impact on the UK. Since May 2007 the total is 1,798. This is where a great deal of our money is being wasted, money that we desperately need in the current financial climate. What's more, a great number of these Laws are driving many of the UK's small businesses into ruin thanks to the endless reams of red tape they have to unravel.

For this reason alone, Gordon Brown should not be allowed to work in politics ever again. He will be remembered as the Useless PM who gave away the UK's sovereignty to the EU - totally against the wishes of her people.

Lisbon Treaty Video - Watch it and weep for Democracy.

The following video will show you that we no longer have any say over our sovereignty. The EU will not accept NO from the people. Our political masters will have their Empire.



Hat tip The Devil.

Gordon Brown and EU cronies ignore the Irish vote.

I've received an email from those nice people at the "I want a referendum" website . You know what they say - it's good to share. Here is part of their message:

Despite claiming that they want to "respect" the Irish no vote, EU leaders across the whole of Europe have no intention of doing so. They are determined to press ahead with the Lisbon Treaty.

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)

To see more, click here: http://www.openeurope.org.uk/research/irelandbriefing.pdf

It looks to me that this Treaty will be forced through no matter what the people say.

Bertie Ahern will not be President of Europe.

From William Hill:

Bookies Push Out Bertie's Odds To Become European Council President

William Hill believe that Ireland’s NO vote in the Lisbon Treaty have effectively ended Bertie Ahern’s chances of becoming the first permanent president of the European Council. The bookmakers had previously made Ahern their 4-1 favourite for the coveted position, but after the Lisbon rejection they pushed his odds out to 25-1.

Hills now make the Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen their 2-1 favourite for the position. They also offer odds of the 4-1 on Luxembourg premier Jean Claude Juncker getting the job, while former British PM Tony Blair can e backed at 5-1 for the top job in the EU.

William Hill’s Irish spokesman Tony Kenny commented “Any possible chance of Bertie becoming the European Council President seem to have gone” He continued “Bertie had been well backed for the role before the Lisbon treaty referendum , but with the on-going Mahon tribunal and Ireland emphatic No to Lisbon, we believe that Bertie is now a rank outsider for the EU job”

First Permanent President Of The European Council: (William Hill Bet) 2-1 Anders Fogh Rasmussen, 4-1 Jean Claude Juncker, 5-1 Tony Blair, 9-1 Wolfgang Schussel, 10-1 Jose Manuel Barroso, 12-1 Guy Verhofstadt, Gerhard Schroder, 14-1 Aleksander Kwasniewski, 16-1 José María Aznar, Romano Prodi. 20-1 Silvio Berlesconi, 22-1 Angela Merkel, 25-1 Bertie Ahern, Nicolas Sarkozy, 33-1 Goran Persson, Mary Robinson, 40-1 Jacques Chirac, Jan Peter Balkenende, 66-1 Frederik Reinfeld, Kostas Karamanlis, 80-1 Matti Vanhanen, 100-1 Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown and the EU have betrayed Ireland over Lisbon Treaty.

Yesterday we witnessed one of the most monumental betrayals in modern times. The Irish people bravely ignored the threats from their own government and Brussels and voted "NO" to the Lisbon Treaty. The Irish voted as they did, in the belief that the Lisbon Treaty would be scrapped if they rejected it. They were lied to. The heads of the 27 member states had absolutely no intention of honouring the democratic Irish vote. If I were Irish, I would be extremely angry today with my government, the EU, but most of all I would be feel betrayed by the British government. Our government under Brown's leadership has acted in the most underhanded and cowardly way to our neighbour and we all share in that shame. I'm embarrassed to call myself British today.

I would like to personally apologise to the Irish people for my country's treachery. I only hope that you will understand that this duplicity is not the doing of the people of Britain, but of its corrupt government. We were also promised a referendum in our government's manifesto - a promise which has since been denied us, because like you, we would have voted "No". I personally will do all I can to see that this betrayal will not be forgotten, and I will endeavour to see the Lisbon Treaty consigned to the rubbish heap to which it belongs. I, like many others across Europe celebrated the result of your referendum. You spoke for almost half a billion people in twenty six countries who were not allowed a voice. Brussels does not only refuse to listen to the people - they don't want to see us - and whenever they are able, they silence us.

Brown, Sarkozy, Barroso, Merkel and their fellow conspirators think they can force this EU super state on the people. They are wrong. The more they trample on democracy the weaker they will become. They will be voted out of power wherever people value their freedom. If we were to have a General Election in Britain today, Gordon Brown would be given one almighty boot out of Downing Street. The ratification of the Lisbon Treaty has now become a war between the political elite of Europe and the people. The people of Europe have fought tyranny and dictatorship before and we will do it again. The people will win. So stand fast Ireland, the political elite may be against you, but the people of Europe are with you.

Hague says: Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty must be stopped.

Press release from the Conservative Party:

Speaking following the people of Ireland's vote against the renamed EU Constitution in a referendum, Shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said:

"The Irish people have spoken and they have made clear that they do not want a Treaty that takes so many powers from the countries of Europe and gives it to distant institutions in Brussels. Despite all the threats that have been made they have had the courage to make their own decision. They deserve Europe's admiration and congratulations.

"Alone in Europe they have had the chance to make their views known. If democracy in the EU is to mean anything their decision must be respected. The Republic of Ireland's voters must carry no less weight than the Dutch and French.

"The British Government must respect the Irish people's verdict. Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in Parliament must be stopped immediately.

"The renamed EU Constitution should now be finished. But, as we know from last time, even after two 'no' votes the original Constitution was brought back under another name. And there are now no excuses left for denying the British people their say. So unless it is agreed that this Treaty is dead and buried it is essential that the British people have their say. There is no justification for the Irish people being allowed their say while the British are denied theirs.

"Gordon Brown must now come to the Commons on Monday to make a statement on what the Government will do next.

"This is a great day for Britain and the peoples of Europe. Now is the time to end the old top down Europe which the Irish have so decisively rejected. It is time to renew the European Union on respect for its peoples' wishes."

Rt Hon William Hague MP

Irish have said NO to the Lisbon Treaty.

The BBC are reporting that early returns in the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty are showing that the NO campaign will win.

I hope it's true. Now we will see the true nature of the EU. They will not accept this NO vote and will either force Ireland to hold another referendum or find a way to work around it. The Irish government has already held secret talks in Brussels to get around a 'NO' vote.

Democracy my arse.

UPDATE: RTE are now reporting that most constituencies are voting NO.

UPDATE 2: It looks like it could be about 60% NO 40% YES. That's a big NO to the EU.

UPDATE 3: Gordon Brown has apparently promised Sarkozy that he will press ahead with the ratification process. Why?

UPDATE 4: Looks like it is more likely to be nearer 55% - 45%.

UPDATE 5: It is official!!! Ireland votes NO (53.4%) to the Lisbon Treaty.

The results will be issued at 16:00 - ish.

1,000 people have read my posts on the Irish referendum.

1,000 people have read my posts on the Irish referendum. It's a small figure but I desperately hope that it has helped the NO campaign. You still have time to vote, please please go out and vote NO for us who are not allowed a vote. If you are not sure please click HERE

Lords reject a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

The House of Lords has rejected the Conservative proposal to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty by 62 votes. No doubt we can thank the Lib Dems for this betrayal of our country. Nick Clegg has proved himself once again to be two faced. Clegg ordered his MPs to abstain from the vote in the Commons, but he ordered his Peers to vote against a referendum in the Lords. We have been let down and sold down the river by our elected representatives. It is now down to our Irish cousins to save us from an EU Super State by voting NO in tomorrows referendum.

The vote was lost by 280 -218.

Breaking News: If you are Irish you must read this before voting. Your government has held secret talks in Brussels to get around a 'NO' vote tomorrow.

Last minute odds for Irish referendum on Lisbon Treaty.

From William Hill:

D-DAY FOR EUROPE - 2/7 IRELAND TO VOTE YES ON LISBON TREATY

William Hill believe that the YES camp has a slight advantage going into tomorrow’s controversial referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. The bookmakers offer odds of 2-7 for a YES vote on the EU treaty, and 5-2 that the Irish electorate reject the EU proposals.

Hills have been betting on the Lisbon treaty for the last month, and have seen huge interest in their market. William Hill spokesman Tony Kenny commented “It’s been one of the most turbulent political markets that we’ve ever bet on” He continued “Both the YES and NO camps have been favourites to win the referendum at one time or another, and it wouldn’t be a shock if the vote went either way”

The last two opinion polls have Europhiles very nervous and evoked memories of the crisis after French and Dutch voters rejected a draft EU constitution in 2005. One survey showed the Irish anti treaty campaign with a five-point lead, whilst the other put the pro-treaty campaign with a three point lead.

Both polls suggested the outcome will hinge on the level of turnout of the Irish electorate, and William Hill are also betting on the percentage turnout for tomorrow’s referendum. The bookmakers make 53%-55.999% their 5-2 favourite.

The referendum takes place tomorrow with the result being announced the following day (the superstitious date of Friday 13th of June)

If you are Irish, please watch these videos before voting in the referendum on Thursday - half a billion people who are not allowed a vote are depending on you.

Breaking News: If you are Irish you must read this before voting. Your government has held secret talks in Brussels to get around a 'NO' vote tomorrow.

William Hague writes to Nick Clegg over Lisbon (again).

William Hague's most recent letter to Nick Clegg:

"Dear Nick,

Last week I wrote to you about the Liberal Democrats' position in the Lords on a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. I have still had no reply.

Yesterday, the Lords rejected by 226 votes to 197 an amendment to improve parliamentary scrutiny and accountability over the Government's use of the opt-in on crucial justice and home affairs issues. The amendment was recommended by the cross-party Constitutional Affairs committee. In the Commons your party voted on a three line whip in favour of a near identical amendment. In the Lords your party voted on a three line whip against it. The vote was lost because your party voted against it.

Why did your party vote in utterly opposite ways in the Lords and Commons? Was it because you have completely changed your mind? Was it because your Liberal Democrat Lords are out of control? Or is it because your real objective is to see the Lisbon Treaty in force at all costs before the British people have a chance to have their say?

Tomorrow the Lords will vote on a referendum on the Treaty. Why do you refuse to explain why they are set to vote in a completely different way from your MPs? Don't voters have a right to know? Is it because your position is completely indefensible?

I look forward to your answer.

Yours sincerely,

William Hague

P.S. As I reminder I enclose my letter of last week. Owing to the public interest in this matter I am releasing this letter to the media."

I've posted on the subject of Nick Clegg's deceit on the Lisbon Treaty many times and I still don't understand his position. Perhaps he will reply to William Hague's letter this time and explain his ridiculous stance.

Breaking News: If you are Irish you must read this before voting. Your government has held secret talks in Brussels to get around a 'NO' vote tomorrow.

Ireland's Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty this Thursday - Videos.

If you are Irish, please watch these videos before voting in the referendum on Thursday - half a billion people who are not allowed a vote are depending on you.














If you have an hour or so to spare and want to more detail about the Treaty and how it will change Ireland if ratified, Click HERE to watch the video "End of Nations".

Breaking News: If you are Irish you must read this before voting. Your government has held secret talks in Brussels to get around a 'NO' vote tomorrow.

Stuart Wheeler takes Government to court over Lisbon Treaty.

Stuart Wheeler gets his day in court today. He intends to prove that Gordon Brown's refusal to allow us the referendum his government promised in their manifesto is:

"Not only immoral but illegal, too . "This was a referendum the people of Britain were promised well before the last election, during it, and after it. "But instead of fulfilling that promise, Gordon Brown has tried to push the Constitution in via the back door by rebranding a document and presenting it as a completely different text. "This is a ridiculous argument. Leaders across Europe - including Valery Giscard d'Estaing, the author of the EU Constitution - have acknowledged, indeed almost gloated about the fact, that the Treaty is the Constitution in all but name. "Furthermore, regardless of what name it is given, the vast majority of the British public want a referendum on this Treaty as demonstrated by the results of a YouGov poll last month."

I had to laugh at the response from the Foreign Office spokesman: "Hardline Eurosceptics brought similar cases in respect of earlier European treaties, so this case is no surprise. Those challenges all failed. "We are confident of the strength of our case on this occasion and look forward to putting our arguments before the court in more detail in due course."

For one thing this case isn't the same as past cases. This time we were promised a referendum, only to be refused one when it became clear that we would vote NO. It has been admitted by other European leaders that the name of the Constitution was changed to get around the pesky public voting and spoiling their plans. Also, why is the Foreign Office Spokesman inferring that Mr Wheeler is a hardline Eurosceptic? This Treaty is not about being in or out of Europe, it's about further integration. Wanting a referendum to give us the option to keep the EU as it is now, does not a Eurosceptic make.

The Foreign Office spokesman sounds confident doesn't he? If he is so confident, why is the Foreign Office reportedly pulling out all the stops to fight its corner? - Lots of hours and lots of manpower. I hope the Judge sticks it to Brown, it is pretty obvious to the majority of the voting population that Labour have broken their promise.

Good luck Stuart Wheeler!

Lisbon Treaty - Yes vote just leads in Irish poll.

From William Hill:

Punters & Politicians Left Scratching Their Heads Following Latest Lisbon Treaty Poll

The Yes Campaign has a slender 3% lead going into the final few days before Ireland’s referendum on the controversial Lisbon treaty. The latest Red C poll in the Sunday Business Post has the Yes campaign sitting on 42%, the No’s at 39%, and the undecided’s at 19%.

Earlier in the week a TNS/mrbi poll indicated that the opponents to the Lisbon treaty had a 5 percentage point lead over those in favour of it.

The latest Red C poll has also had an effect on bookmakers betting on the Lisbon Treaty. William Hill now make a YES vote their 2-7 favourite, and offer odds of 5-2 for a NO vote. Prior to today’s poll the bookies had made the No’s 8-11 favourite, however, they were forced to reassess their prices after seeing the Red C Poll.

William Hill’s Irish spokesman Tony Kenny commented “It still looks to close to call” he continued “We’ve seen a lot of money for both sides of the debate, and it will be very interesting to see what happens over the next few days”

“At this stage we make the Yes campaign slight favourites, but we still think it will be a very nervy Friday the 13th for Brian Cowen, and the Pro treaty campaigners”

The Referendum will take place on Thursday 12th of June – with the result announced on Friday the 13th of June.

Lisbon Treaty Referendum On The 12th Of June: (William Hill Bet) 2-7 Yes, 5-2 No

I think that William hill may lose money on this. It's well known that these polls are miles out when it comes to referendums. The undecideds tend to favour the NO vote and those opposed to the Treaty have strong feelings about the issue and are more likely to go out and vote.

Breaking News: If you are Irish you must read this before voting. Your government has held secret talks in Brussels to get around a 'NO' vote tomorrow.

William Hill - All Irish money on NO to Lisbon Treaty.

From William Hill:

William Hill have dramatically altered their prices on the Lisbon treaty referendum following the latest opinion poll on the controversial EU proposals. The bookmakers previously offered odds of 11-2 for a NO vote, but strong support for the No campaign resulted in Hills cutting those odds to Even money, with a Yes vote now available at 8-11.

The latest TNS/MRBI poll gave the No campaign a 5% lead. 35% said they were going to vote NO, 30% YES , 28% were undecided, and 7% said they were not going to vote.

William Hill Irish spokesman Tony Kenny commented “We originally offered odds of 1-10 for a YES vote, but all the money is coming for the NO side” He continued “Right now the NO campaign seems to have all the momentum, but a week is a long time in politics, and we’re expecting to see a lot more twists and turns before the result is announced next Friday”

The Irish referendum takes place on Thursday the 12th June, with the result announced the following day – the superstitious date of Friday the 13th.

Will the Irish Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty be passed ? (William Hill Bet) 8-11 YES, Evens NO

Irish odds on to vote NO in Lisbon Treaty referendum.

William Hill are giving "even" odds for a YES vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum. Those of us opposed to the treaty will be glad to hear that the NO vote is "odds on" - 8/11. This could be down to the latest poll held on the Treaty.

If you are Irish, please vote NO for us, because we were not allowed a referendum as we would vote against the Treaty.

Irish look set to reject Lisbon Treaty.

Hat tip to Iain Dale.

From the Irish Times:

The Lisbon Treaty is heading towards a shock defeat with the No side now in the lead, according to the findings of the latest Irish Times/TNS mrbi poll.

It will take an unprecedented swing in the last week of the campaign for the Treaty to be carried.

The poll shows the number of people intending to vote No has almost doubled to 35 per cent (up 17 points) since the last poll three weeks ago, while the number of the Yes side has declined to 30 per cent (down 5 points).

The number of undecided voters is still a significant 28 per (down 12 points) cent, while 7 per cent won’t vote.

The massive increase by the No vote since the last poll has mainly come through gains among undecided voters but, even more ominously for the Yes side, it has lost some support to the No camp.

While the final outcome is still in the hands of undecided voters, the clear momentum is now with the No campaign, and it will take a dramatic shift in public attitudes over the next few days for the Yes side to win.

Could this swing to the NO vote be down to the Irish voters getting to know what ratifying the Lisbon Treaty will mean for them? This is the situation Brussels wanted to avoid - the people finding out what is actually involved in signing up to this Treaty. That's why the heads of individual states want to avoid referendums at all cost. If there was to be a referendum, then ratifying the Treaty would have to be debated. During that debate the voters would come to the same conclusion as the Irish look to be coming to: It's not good for individual countries. The EU will become a super state led by a political elite and we will become mere numbers to be toyed with.

Daily Referendum Blogrolls.

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Irish Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty - Funny.

I came across this on The Tap Blog. I had to post on here as it cheered me up so much. Fine Gael, the biggest Party in Ireland's pro-EU governing coalition erected this voting meter in a Dublin mall. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Can you imagine the scramble to turn it off when they realised what was happening?