Ireland vote

[gailkate]

I haven't kept up with news much while off reunion-ing, and I'm not great about keeping up with Europe at the best of times. But the BBC reports Ireland has voted Yes on the Lisbon agreement, which seeks to strengthen the Europian Union. You can read the whole story here:
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8288181.stm

LISBON TREATY
Creates new post of EU president (President of European Council)
New post of High Representative for Foreign Affairs
More decisions by majority vote, rather than unanimity
Ratified by all member states except Czech Republic, Ireland and Poland
Only Ireland is holding referendum on it
Took a decade of negotiations
Was intended to take effect in January 2009

The real punch to the story, though, is delivered in this picture:



I'm thinking seriously of going back to Mother Ireland where dogs are esteemed as they should be. No doubt it was their vote that carried the day.

[rogesgallery]

Aye, tis a fine coat o red t' old dog be warrin with tat tongue lollin grin...as if he'd marked his ballot already. And t' lass all decked oot in green, with a flamin head ta match her patient master at t odher end o t' tether. Aye, if Dogs can vote in Ireland I might be wantin t' go dere wit ya!

[gailkate]

Great job, roges!

[doctork]

I read the article, but I think I still don't understand the full situation. It sounded somewhat like the federalists vs the states rights crowd here at home.

But overall, I think the goal of making the EU a more powerful economic engine vis-a-vis the US (and perhaps others) is coming closer. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, as we really don't need to always be the policeman for the entire globe. But are they just substituting European-dominated corporatocracy for the US-dominated version?

[joew]

The problem with the EU, in my view, is that it is essentially deracinated from historic European culture. The empires, which were the earlier form of multinationalism, were connected with the history of the continent. So far, the EU has appeared to be a bunch of bureaucrats issuing their dictates based on the fads of the moment, with the usual tendency to impose uniformity regardless of cultural differences. The Nazi and Communist totalitarianisms have been overcome to be replaced soon, I fear, by the Eurocratic one, which will be the worse for the lack of an effective counterweight. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it will just be petty tyranny, like the prohibition of smoking here. But it's hard to be enthusiastic for something which seems designed to eliminate anything distinctive about any section of the continent. I hope they'll be successful in maintaining their various cultures and a federal system. They have the advantage of a longer history as distinct peoples than we had when centralization overtook us.