France threatens to go ahead without Ireland
June 10, 2008 by Ken
Filed under The Constitution of the EU
The pressure is mounting on the Irish to vote yes! this time it is the French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner who is interfering, claiming that a no vote in Ireland would be ignored and the rest of the EU would go ahead with implementing the treaty anyway whilst Ireland would be expected to put this treaty back on the drawing board, which I presume means the Irish would be expected to vote again.
He said the Irish should show their gratitude for all of the EU money Ireland had received which had enabled it to become one of the prosperous member states.
Kouchner said that a “No” vote would be met by “gigantic incomprehension” in the rest of Europe.
Well I have news for him! no it would not, perhaps in the realms of the political elite who have ignored the French and Dutch No votes and re-introduced the rejected constitution under a different name, who seem to have fallen for their own propaganda, but not by the peoples of the EU states, many of whom are seething with frustration at being once again denied a vote on an important move towards further integration.
It is questionable whether France could legally implement the treaty in spite of an Irish No! As the treaty cannot come into force until it has been ratified by all member states. So this is just posturing and scaremongering by the French government, who have denied the French people a vote on this issue because they are terrified of the consequences.
