Tomorrow the Irish will go to the polls in the Lisbon 2009 referendum. Their choice is important, not only for the future of 4.5 million Irish, but for 500 million EU citizens.
Here are some voices on the issues at stake.
***
Timothy Garton Ash
Timothy Garton Ash argued in The Guardian why the vote in Ireland is crucial for the future of Europe.
***
Ireland for Europe
Well known citizens have joined Ireland for Europe to campaign for an Ireland fully engaged in Europe. What is the Lisbon Treaty is about and why is a Yes vote is important for Ireland and Europe?
***
Jason O’Mahony
Jason O’Mahony offers us his personal reasons for a Yes vote – with a mixture of humour and seriousness.
***
Naoise Nunn
On Slugger O’Toole, Naoise Nunn why he supports a Yes vote in the Lisbon 2009 referendum after having worked for a No vote last year. The post is well written, and the discussion is worth reading.
***
Cecilia Malmström
Sweden holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and Swedish EU Minister Cecilia Malmström expresses the wishes of Ireland’s European partners in a video recording on her blog:
“… and on Friday the Irish will go to the polls for the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. I think the whole Europe is waiting for the result. We hope that they will vote Yes to Lisbon. The Lisbon Treaty is something that will make Europe more democratic, transparent, efficient and modern, but it is of course up to the Irish to decide, and we will know the results by Saturday morning.”
Ralf Grahn
Ralf, Timothy Garton-Ash's piece is more than a commentary on the value of an Irish "Yes" vote: it is an astute commentary on the future of the EU.
ReplyDeleteOK, his view of the EU as a "Greater Switzerland" is well-thought out: but more, his warning, that we should progress beyond that, is more important.
French Derek,
ReplyDeleteBecause of the future of Europe, every Irish voter and all other EU citizens should read the column.