Britannia Radio

This is being churned around in Ireland with the publication of some 
dodgy research.  The Yes camp - which includes the Irish Times 
remember! - ignore the unresearchable gut feeling (which had been 
present in France and Holland a year earlier) that the EU Commission 
was railroading voters into acquiescence, if not enthusiasm.

The process of resubmitting the Constitution, disguised as a Treaty 
and now  to be ‘tweaked’ again stinks to high heaven!  The Irish had 
noted that this was happening and wondered if they could ‘con’ a big 
country like France and a medium sdized one like Holland what chance 
had a small country like Ireland.

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IRISH TIMES -Leader    11.9.08
An indictment of democracy

'ADVOCATING INSTITUTIONAL reform to voters who have such a sketchy 
knowledge of how the EU operates is a very difficult task." One of 
the key lessons of the worthwhile research published yesterday by the 
Government on why people voted as they did in June's Lisbon Treaty 
referendum is contained in this sentence from the report.

Along with other surveys it should provide a reliable basis for 
political analysis and debate on the options facing Ireland as the 
consequences of the No vote become more clear this autumn. Other EU 
member states are expecting to hear firm Irish proposals on how to 
proceed by the end of the year, especially if, as expected, we are 
the only state not to ratify the treaty.

Although the turnout of 53 per cent was substantially higher than 
previous such votes, most people who abstained did so because they 
lacked understanding or knowledge of the treaty, and most who voted 
No did so for the same reason. [The research just does not bear this 
contention out.  It was given as an ‘escape’ or ‘opt-out’ reason. -
cs]  Major issues including military neutrality, fear of 
conscription, excessive regulation, workers' rights, the regular loss 
of a commissioner, the influence of small states and abortion rights 
sharply divided voters despite this lack of knowledge and understanding.

But another key finding is that most Irish people consider EU 
membership a good thing, including 63 per cent of those who voted No. 
They want Ireland to remain at the heart of the EU. Hard 
Euroscepticism is a small, though growing, segment of the electorate. 
Another clear finding is that younger voters, particularly poorer and 
less educated ones, lack a convincing case as to why EU membership is 
valuable for Ireland.

Voters have a poor objective knowledge of how the EU works, 
especially on the No side. This extends well beyond the Lisbon 
framework to encompass basic understanding of its purposes, 
membership and functioning. This is a lamentable state of affairs in 
a modern democracy which shares so many decisions with other states. 
It is an indictment not only of the Irish referendum campaign, but of 
the EU, its leadership and its institutions at large. When compounded 
by a definite loss of trust in leaders and parties in Ireland, it 
amounts to a dangerous loss of legitimacy for our political system.

This survey finds 50 per cent of voters do not feel close to any of 
the political parties. It was not surprising then that those who 
normally vote for one or other of them failed to follow their advice 
on the treaty.

Despite these democratic shortcomings there is much material here to 
encourage the sharp debate needed on where we should go from here. 
About a quarter of those who voted had soft Yes or No positions 
capable of being changed by better arguments, changed circumstances 
or more accurate information. Many voters were angry and frustrated 
about their lack of knowledge and understanding and could be further 
angered by another referendum. But if the Government decides this is 
necessary the survey suggests they could be swayed by a more 
effective campaign which addresses their concerns and fuller 
information about how possible marginalisation or exclusion from the 
EU would affect Ireland.