Comments on: Top 6 Reasons that the Treaty was not rejected for.

By: FutureTaoiseach

FutureTaoiseach — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:57:06 +0000

As a No voter I know that a lot of people were voting no because of mass-migration from the new EU states and a concern Lisbon would accelerate It. This is NOT xenophobia. We are a small country and the health-service and schools are bursting at the seems. The Irish Ferries-scenario also shocked public opinion and left deep concerns among the working-class about job displacement. The greater support for the Treaty among the Middle Class is a function of the fact that the middle classes are not a the cold face of competition from cheap labour from Eastern Europe in the way the working-class are.

By: Veronica

Veronica — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:27:52 +0000

Simon,

With respect, I’m not sure you understand the problems that are deeply felt, if unarticulated, about immigration, which has nothing to do with xenophobia and less with racism.

For a lot of people in my area the numbers of immigrants resulted in pressure on school places, pressure on social services, health, police and so on. Now that there has been a crunch in the economy and especially a major drop in the number of jobs in construction and all the good money people could earn from that business in the past few years, immigration becomes an immediate scapegoat. It may not be justified, but that’s the way people think of it, whether we like it or not.

You are eniterly right that that the ‘no’ votet has nothing to do with xenophobia; at least not conciously. But from my own experience, there is a huge resentment out there that immigration was allowed to grow out of control and that the end result, in some communities, was that jobs were lost and that social services were diminished.

Our politicians have this wonderful habit of suggesting that the electorate should think in politicaly correct ways. Ah, that it would be so; human nature is not like that.

By: Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:40:18 +0000

Simon, don’t discount the crazies especially not where they can hear and see you.

By: Gaz B -(A)

Gaz B -(A) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:30:53 +0000

re number 6: You’re correct that immigration wasn’t really an issue for campaigners (apart from the tiny Immigration Control Platform) but according to an irish Times poll, 8% of no voters claimed that they were voting No on the basis on there being “too much immigration into ireland” while 6% of No voters claimed that “the EU is too big already”. Combined, thats 14% of No voters voting no on an anti-immigrant basis. It’s not a huge bloc but it does contribute.

http://www.ireland.com/focus/thelisbontreaty/analysis/polls/no.jpg

By: Looks like it’s a NO » Twenty Major - Still smoking in Dublin bars

Looks like it’s a NO » Twenty Major - Still smoking in Dublin bars — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:50:21 +0000

[...] that aligned themselves with that side of things. Sinn Fein – pack of cunts, as pointed out here, their involvement was more likely to make people vote YES than NO. The majority of people would [...]