Federalists welcome Irish Completion of Democratic Treaty Process

The Irish people have given their decisive backing to the Lisbon treaty. This vote does credit to all those political forces in Ireland which have had to combat, over many months, the lies and distortions about the European project peddled by nationalists and europhobes.

The vote means that Irish voices will continue to be influential in the politics of the EU. The common interest of all Europe will always have an Irishness about it.

Ireland has clearly and decisively added its weight to the building of a stronger, more effective and more democratic European Union.

Now all 27 countries have taken their own democratic decisions to back EU reform. No further delay can be tolerated in bringing the treaty into force as quickly and efficiently as possible. It would be the height of folly for Mr Vaclav Klaus to block the entry into force of the treaty. One does not expect the President of the Czech Republic to behave like a vexatious litigant.

The world waits while the European Union concludes its internal constitutional controversies. Lisbon in force will make the EU strong in world affairs and provide Europe’s states and citizens with good government of a federal character. Let’s get on with the job.

UEF Belgium

The Battle for a Democratic Europe Proceeds Apace

As a federalist European I never thought I would see the day when I agreed with UKIP's Nigel Farage, let alone admire his eloquence. That day has come.

It seems that his experience as a Europarliamentarian has made Farage into a worthy critic of the Brussels Eurocracy and that he now represents the views of a constituency far greater than that of UKIP or his own. It is, at the same, time a matter of shame that Europarliamentarians who should know better appear ready to abandon democracy quite so easily as they have.

The Treaty of Lisbon is fatally flawed. It should be rejected and something more representative of the democratic process replace it. I do not agree with the chauvinist view of national sovereignty that the anti-EU brigade reflects. Nor do I support the Machiavellian manoeuverings of the 'neoliberal' Eurocrats behind this Constitution-cum-Treaty. Let us hope that the expected Irish NO vote will throw open the question once more of what kind of a Europe it is that we, as its people, really want.