mr president now i understand what the tactic is it is simply to disregard the votes and implement the lisbon treaty as though the electorates of france the netherlands and ireland had in fact voted yes
one by one its most contentious articles and provisions are being brought in the foreign minister and the foreign policy the charter of fundamental rights and the harmonisation of justice and home affairs
then colleagues are going to turn around to the irish electorate and say it is too late to vote no now because we have implemented the whole thing so all you would be doing is annoying everybody and isolating yourselves when in fact the bulk of the lisbon treaty is already in force if not
i do not know whether that is going to work
that is going to be up to the irish electorate but i would be rather disappointed if they gave in to pressure
it is of course for them to take their own decision but these are after all people whose fathers saw off the might of the british empire
if they now give in to the european parliament i think they would be diminished as a people
