Reasons For Rejection
Ireland has begun to cast a sceptical eye on the EU and general concerns about how Europe is developing were raised. As of Spring 2007, the Irish citizenry have the second least European identity in the EU, with 59% identifying as exclusively Irish as opposed to wholly/partly European. The integrationist aspects of the Lisbon treaty were therefore also of concern. Few expressed specifically anti-EU statements, but pro-EU sentiments were interpreted or expressed in favour of an idealised/desired EU and expressed concern about its present form or the future direction of the EU post-Lisbon. To keep Ireland's power and identity, voters chose to vote "no".
Another factor in Lisbon's failure was Lisbon itself. An impenetrable legal document, it could not be understood without close study, and even the Referendum Commission – the nonpartisan body set up to explain it – could not explain it all. The treaty's lack of clarity meant that interpretations could not be confidently stated to be true or false. Consequently, issues such as abortion, tax, euthanasia, the veto, EU directives, qualified majority voting, Ireland's commissioner, detention of three-year-olds, the death penalty, Euroarmy conscription, gay marriage, immigration, nuclear energy, workers' rights, sovereignty, and neutrality were raised, some of which were spurious or actually dealt with by the Treaty of Nice. The "No" faction could fight on whichever terrain they wished and could give positive reasons for rejecting the treaty, such as the possibility of renegotiation. Conversely, the "Yes" faction could only offer negatives and could only react to the statements of the other side. Lacking a clear identification of specifics, voters chose to vote "No".
In September 2008 rumours in Brussels indicated that US billionaires and neocons heavily influenced the Irish vote by sponsoring the "No" campaigns, particularly those of Declan Ganley's Libertas lobby group. It is said that US interest groups this way pursued their goal of hindering the European Union to become a stronger partner internationally. However, the British conservative MEP Jonathan Evans reported to EUobserver on 9 December 2008 after returning from a European Parliament delegation to the US, "ur congressional colleagues drew our attention to a statement from US deputy secretary of state John Negroponte at Trinity College Dublin on 17 November, completely refuting the suggestion of any US dimension whatsoever". The European Parliament is considering launching "an inquiry to discover whether US agencies actively supported Libertas in the 12 June referendum."
A poll was published by the Irish Times on 18 June 2008. The question was "Why did you vote no?" and the results are given below.
| Reason for rejecting the Lisbon Treaty | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Don't understand /not familiar | 40% |
| Protect Irish identity | 20% |
| Don't trust politicians/Govt policies | 17% |
| Protect neutrality | 10% |
| Keep commissioner | 10% |
| Protect tax system | 8% |
A Flash Eurobarometer poll of 2,000 random respondents was conducted between 13 to 15 June on behalf of the European Commission by Gallup. Those respondents who voted "no" in the referendum were asked "Please tell me what are the reasons why you voted "no" to the treaty?" and the results are given below.
| Reason for rejecting the Lisbon Treaty | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Because I do not know enough about the Treaty and would not want to vote for something I am not familiar with | 22% |
| To protect Irish identity | 12% |
| To safeguard Irish neutrality in security and defence matters | 6% |
| I do not trust our politicians | 6% |
| We will lose our right to have an Irish Commissioner in every Commission | 6% |
| To protect our tax system | 6% |
| I am against the idea of a unified Europe | 5% |
| To protest against the government's policies | 4% |
| To avoid that the EU speaks with one voice on global issues | 4% |
| Because large Member States decide on EU matters | 4% |
| To protect the influence of small states | 3% |
| It would allow the introduction of European legislation in Ireland, such as gay marriage, abortion, euthanasia | 2% |
| To avoid an influx of immigrants | 1% |
| The EU does not need any fixing, it works fine | 1% |
| Other | 14% |
| Don't know/not applicable | 3% |
French Europe Minister Jean-Pierre Jouyet blamed "American neoconservatives" for the Irish voter's rejection of the treaty.
Read more about this topic: Twenty-eighth Amendment Of The Constitution Bill 2008 (Ireland)
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