Irish Election - Coverage of Irish Politics, News and Current Affairs

Personnally I have a lot of respect for the EU Parliamentarians but sometimes you have to dispare.  Take this exchange Via EU Observer.
“You ignore the voters, you are destroying democracy, and you have shown that you will stop at nothing,” said Nigel Farage, head of the UK Independence Party, accusing mainstream politicians of creating a [...]

Much of the talk around the result of the Lisbon Treaty is how Ireland is under pressure to sort it out. But we are not the only ones.
No pressure should be exerted on the Czech Republic to force it to quickly ratify the Lisbon treaty, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek (senior ruling Civic Democrats, ODS) [...]

Brigid Laffan gives her analysis of the Lisbon Referendum in today’s Irish Times suggesting that we are in a minority of one, with scepticism rising about our commitment to Europe and the EU. Vincent Browne is not in agreement - it will plod along as usual.
I am minded to agree with him, it will be [...]

Historian Norman Stone in today’s Wall Street Journal on the Irish mouse that roared.  He’s in favour.

Laszlo Kovacs is EU Tax comissioner and a big fan of the CCCTB he announced today that plans will continue to bring forward proposals and an imapct assesment of the CCCTB to the French Presidency. It is possibly as much a function of French will as his own, Sarko is well miffed that we wrecked [...]

So the Irish people have said a resounding No to Lisbon. Already the reasons, indeed some of the consequences, are being debated. I have already seen lists appearing on web sites. They hit many valid points : effective No campaign, inept Yes campaign, fears of militarisation, loss of commissioner, bullying tactics from the Euroelite, lack [...]

Gordon Brown was asked about Lisbon during his news conference with George Bush in London today before they both head for Belfast.  The fact that it came up at all during an Iran/Iraq/Afghanistan-dominated discussion is an indication of how serious the issue is.  His remarks were further indication of an emerging EU view that Ireland [...]

Ciaran Cuffe’s blog has been top of my hitlist in the past few days awaiting the response to Lisbon’s outcome. Today we have it and I must say that the honest analysis is refreshing following a few days since the result of being beaten about the head by Gay Mitchell. I wonder if his admission [...]

Intersting analysis over at Open Democracy about the reasons Lisbon was rejected and an attempt to conceptualise the ‘democratic deficit’ that was apparently at the heart of the rejection. It is interesting from perusing the papers today that this analysis is taking a lot of hold, that it was the local context that informed voters [...]

Keith has a really great post on Lisbon (not least for his Biff Sniff’s LolMartin pic). He has four ways Europe can resurrect the defeat from Lisbon number 4 is my favourite but hop over to read the rest.
Don’t be so bloody patronising.
Feel free to check out the t-shirt shop aswell. Some new EU ones [...]

Well that really is the question to be asked. Where do we go now. The rest of Europe seems intent on ploughing through with the text but it will not be easy. Ireland was the only country to ratify this by the people lending it a large amount of respect. It makes it alot harder [...]

In a great day for Irish and European democracy, the Irish people, on a higher turnout than Nice II, rejected the illegitimate and anti-democratic Lisbon Treaty by 53.4% to 46.6%. In doing so, they have struck a blow for freedom and against remote, unaccountable and undemocratic rule by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels. They have shown [...]

Brian Cowen, Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore will be more uncomfortable tonight than simply for losing an election. In their own ways they will each feel the pressure of having to face the fallout of a no vote. While it is easy to explain the no as a rejection of the entire establishment, that explanation [...]

The people of the country have spoken, for good or ill. That must be respected.
Accordingly, I do not want to see another referendum - the outcome of this one must be heeded. The people are sovereign. The Constitution, deeply flawed as it is, governs this country over anything else; it is the source of power [...]

Below the fold is the live results as we get them (check RTE.ie, Referendum.ie and ourselves) -if we miss a few drop them in the comments please. Follow our Twitter for first results.
Running total:
Yes: 46.6% No: 53.4%
In Favour: 752,451 Against: 862,415 Turnout: 53.13%

He was speaking after the no vote and it was very brief. Barroso though did point up the major EU talking point over the next couple of days.
18 States have approved the Treaty and the remaining ratifications should continue their course. European institutions will continue to work delivering for citizens of Europe.