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I have 8 good reasons to vote yes to Lisbon, have you got eight good reasons to vote no?

Eight Good Reasons to Vote Yes to the Lisbon Reform Treaty 1. Lisbon Promotes our Values: Article 2 states: "The EU is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a Society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail." Article 3 (5) states: "In its relations with the wider world the Union shall uphold and promote its values and interests and contribute to the protection of its citizens. It shall contribute to peace, security, the sustainable development of the earth, solidarity and mutual respect among peoples, free and fair trade, eradication of poverty and the protection of human rights, in particular, the rights of the child as well as the strict observance and the development of international law, including respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter". 2. Lisbon Strengthens Social Rights The Charter of Fundamental Rights contains the body of civil, political, social and economic rights agreed by the EU in 2000. The emphasis on economic and social rights, including workers' rights, is unique. At present the Charter has the status only of a declaration but when the Lisbon Reform Treaty is ratified it will be binding in Law. 3. Lisbon Respects Ireland's Neutrality The Lisbon Reform Treaty does not alter Ireland's neutrality in any way. Under the Common Foreign and Security Policy all EU civil and military missions must be first agreed by all Member States and must be in accordance with the United Nations Charter. Ireland's proud record of participation in missions abroad under the UN mandate to places of conflict such as Kosovo, the Lebanon and, most recently, Chad will continue as before 4. Lisbon Deepens the rights of Citizens Under Article 8 "every national of a Member State shall be a citizen of the Union. Citizenship of the Union shall be additional to national citizenship and shall not replace it". Article 8(b)4 states: "Not less than one million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of Member States may table the initiative of inviting the Commission, within the framework of its powers, to submit any appropriate proposal on matters where citizens consider that a legal act of the Union is required for the purpose of implementing the Treaties". Thus the Lisbon Treaty provides any citizen or group of citizens with an independent mechanism for placing an issue on the EU Agenda. 5. Lisbon Enhances the Role of the Dáil For the first time National Parliaments of the Member States will have a direct role in framing EU legislation. At present the EU Commission proposes legislation and the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament frame it. Under the Lisbon Reform Treaty the Dáil and Seanad will play a key role in determining new EU laws. 6. Lisbon Protects Public Services Article 136a makes legal provision for social dialogue and for recognition of the Social Partners. What this means in practice is that all EU laws will be "socially proofed" to ensure that they do not impact adversely on people's rights, on employment or on the wider community. For the first time there is a clear legal basis for EU laws to protect public services. 7. Lisbon Fights Global Poverty Article 188 (d) states that "Union development co-operation policy shall have as its primary objective the reduction and, in the long-term, the eradication of poverty". In Article 188J a strong commitment is given to Humanitarian Aid "for the purpose of third countries which are victims of natural and man-made disasters". 8. Lisbon Tackles Climate Change The Lisbon Reform Treaty gives a legal basis for combating climate change for the first time. Thus the EU is taking on a leadership role in tackling the most serious environmental problem facing the world, namely, climate change. Article 174 of the Treaty is amended to commit the EU to "Promoting measures at international level to deal with regional or worldwide environmental problems and, in particular, combating climate change". (Labour for Europe - http://www.labour.ie/lisbonreformtreaty/whyyes/eightgoodreason.html) Also, about them Cóir(Youth Defence Leadue) posters...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Dl_3aIEJ0

Public Comments

1. (1)Ireland’s sovereignty will be further eroded if the Lisbon Treaty comes into force. (2)Ireland (along will all member states) will lose its veto on many issues. (3)The Lisbon Treaty will result in more than 60 areas of legislation being transferred from unanimous voting to qualified majority voting (QMV). QMV uses population as one of its main criterion and thus could reduce the influence of Ireland and other small member states. (4)The Lisbon Treaty even proposes to apply QMV to extremely sensitive areas such as asylum and immigration. (5)It has been suggested that Article 48 of the Lisbon Treaty will make the treaty self-amending and allow for the amendment of existing European Union Treaties without recourse to referendums in Ireland or other member states. (6)Ireland will lose its Commissioner for 5 out of every 15 years. (7)Ireland will still only have 12 representatives in the Parliament which consists of 750 seats. (8)The placement of issues on the European Union’s agenda by the ordinary citizens is weakened by the fact that the Commission has no power to implement legislation change. This means that any proposal that comes from the ordinary citizens may be ignored by all other European Union institutions. (9)Climate change, development and the eradication of poverty are only briefly alluded to in the Lisbon Treaty. (10)The European Union’s Court of Justice will have a new, extensive and untested jurisdiction over human and civil rights due to the legally binding nature of the Charter of Fundamental Rights under the Lisbon Treaty. Beat that! At least you get the chance to vote. Labour promised us a vote, and then refused to give it.
2. Don't need 8 good reasons - just one LEARN from the mistakes made here in the UK.........Labour sold our souls to the EU and you will suffer the same fate........
3. I don't need 8 reasons - 1 is enough for me, the subversion of the democratic will of the Irish people. You seem to forget that the people of Ireland already voted on Lisbon and WE SAID NO. To now put the very same treaty back before the people IS a subversion of the democratic process. Let me put it to you another way, a simpler way so you might understand it, do you think if there had been a yes vote last year that we would now be having a rerun of the Lisbon Treaty? Simply put, no. Nor should there have been. Can you answer why there would not have been a referendum rerun if there had been a YES vote? Because the political and other elites wouldn't have allowed it. It is certain segments of Irish society who believe it is they who know what is best for the people and not the people themselves. NO means NO. NO doesn't mean "eh, maybe, ah sure go on hold another one"...... You can go on and on about why you think Lisbon is good but the simple fact is that by voting yes you are helping subvert democracy - as I said we already voted on it. The vote was NO. You know what it's like, it's like at a general election, if say Fianna Fail lost half their TD's but they turn around and say "huh, that's not what we want so I'll tell ya what, we think the people didn't really know what they were doing by voting against us so we're going to have another election - to hell with the result we just had". I am voting NO because I won't let the government and other elites be they in politics, the media or any where else get away with what they are trying to do, they want to ignore and subvert the will of the Irish electorate who already rejected Lisbon. And for those of you who say "hey, it's democratic to ask the people again blah blah blah" If you really believe that then do you also accept that if there is a yes vote that the people should be asked once again, do you accept that should there be a yes vote that the NO side have exactly the same entitlements to rerun the referendum as the yes side have? Or is it yet more double standards from a bunch who care nothing about democracy? If it's good for the goose, it's good for the gander. Edit: Flying Mop Dog seems to think that everyone who voted NO knew there'd be a rerun of the referendum and had no problem with that. Really? Who told you that besides the voices in your head. I happen to remember Barroso, Cowen et al saying there was NO PLAN B......maybe you slept through their interviews? And you are now trying to suggest that NO voters knew there would be a rerun and were fine with that, I think it's I who should be laughing at you. What is the point in holding a referendum if the democratic result is simply discarded? You have to laugh at Flying Mop Dogs suggestion that, I quote "that's what the people wanted when they voted no previously"[in reference to NO voters voting NO because they wanted another referendum on the very same Treaty]...lol.....and s/he is supposedly doing a Masters thesis ,wow, are our educational standards so low?...Flying Mop Dog, you said I said people who don't agree with me are "morons", really? Show me where I said that...can't? Of course you can't because I never said it. You are simply making up things as you go along because you know that at the end of the day those who campaign for a NO vote are in favour of democracy and you can't rebuff that : ) It is those campaigning for a yes vote who don't believe in democracy, if they did we wouldn't be forced to vote on a treaty we have already rejected. Edit: Anseo, the person who asked this question added a link to The Labour Party in the "question", funny that, here is what the leader of The Labour Party said after the NO vote last year: "I don't think there's any question of this Treaty being put a second time to the people” - Eamon Gilmore (RTE SixOne News on 13/6/08) “People have made a decision. The Lisbon Treaty cannot now be ratified. And I think that the decision that has been made by the Irish people has got to be respected by everybody. Got to be respected by the Taoiseach, by the Government, by the other Member States, by the political leadership in Brussels” - Eamon Gilmore (RTE SixOne News on 13/6/08)
4. nope.I'l be voting yes. (and I can't wait to see how many thumbs down I get)
5. While I do have some concerns and criticisms of the Lisbon Treaty I believe on balance it is a productive step forward for the EU and will benefit Ireland and the Union as a whole, so I will be voting yes. Given the size of the union removing veto and the introduction of co- decision and Qualified Majority Voting is vital for efficient decision making and effective functioning of the Union. If we don't do this governance at the top of the union will increasingly become bogged down as one country out of 27 could effectively hold the rest of the union to ransom. A directly elected council president and the inclusion of the Dail in the legislative and judicial processes are absolutely the right way to go and will bring european matters further into the domestic debate. My main concerns are that given the European Court's jurisdiction is expanded trough the fundamental charter of rights (something which I support) what does the future hold for judicial co-operation? and will there be a conflict between the case law style of the judiciary here in Ireland the mostly code law systems on the continent? how will the future European Court of Justice operate? and will this have any effect on other quirks of our anglo-saxon judicial and governance model like in relation to corporate governance? I think this is really important and is largely ignored by the national debate making it difficult to find answers. However seeing that the Dail will be given a veto on further expansion of the ECJ I can see how this might not be at the forfront of the debate. Secondly my main criticism of the treaty is that while it does make some advances in bringing more democracy to the union, like the directly elected president, co-decision and the inclusion of the Dail in judicial and legislative matters. I don't believe it goes far enough to really put actual daily digest of domestic political discourse. I think that every national legislature should be able to propose legislation to the European Parliament not just the Commission. All in all when the serious arguments are weighed up i'm more convinced by a yes vote. Also while I do find it repugnant that this is being put to referendum so soon after that last one I don't think that that is solely a valid reason to vote no, this treaty is simply too important for that.
6. Ha ha. Have to laugh at Irish. He keeps saying that it's a subversion blah blah blah yet everyone who voted no knew there would be a revote and had no problem with that. That's what the people wanted when they voted no previously. The only subversion would be if the government refused the revote. IRISH: What? I disagree with the almighty Irish so therefore I must be poorly educated. Sorry mate but if you looked back over the papers for last year you would actually see that I am right. I have said on numerous occasions that I don't care how people vote so long as they have a legitimate reason. You are simply voting no out of spite and then insulting anyone who disagrees with you. That will win you no favours here. A number of weeks back I tried to engage you in proper debate on the matter but all you did is go NO NO NO and start ranting like a lunatic about how anyone who doesn't agree with you is a moron. I would expect more from a "mature" student.
7. poor ole ireland; need a good kick up the arse dont we?
8. Here are two other good reasons; trading blocks, 1.China and 2.Russia.......
9. Are you secretly Biffo in disguise? If that's the case, I have something to say to you... There is a fecking recession on and you have the up most nerve to use our tax payers money to blind side us in every village, city and county with those fecking big stupid Yes campaign posters. People are losing their homes and jobs and you are using the thousands of the tax payers money on POSTERS for fecks sakes. POSTERS! OUR BLOODY MONEY! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU NOT USING THIS MONEY IN OUR HEALTH SYSTEM OR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OR SPECIAL NEEDS OR CRUMLINS? Why not use this money to help those who have contributed so much to our country over the years instead of a stupid referendum that was so ill-timed and deeply offensive to us?
10. 50 years time ---> United States of Europe. Sign that treaty if you want your country to become a state like Minnesota or Winconsin.
11. You missed reason 9. "I'm gullible enough to believe everything Biffo and his clan come out with."
12. 1. We already rejected the Treaty. 2. We already rejected the Treaty. 3. We already rejected the Treaty. 4. We already rejected the Treaty. 5. We already rejected the Treaty. 6. We already rejected the Treaty. 7. We already rejected the Treaty. 8. We already rejected the Treaty. We already voted on this, we shouldn't have to do it again until we give the answer they want to hear. We're supposed to be living in a democracy.
13. I have one - 1. Our ancestors fought and bled and died so that Ireland would free itself from the power of the British and had a civil war over the treaty in which even more died, why are we so eager to throw our HISTORY, our SOUL and our STRUGGLE away so easily? Seems pointless to me, we lose our identity so, do we therefore ignore what the men like Collins and De Valera (post Civil War) and Brugha and Plunkett and the rest did for this country?
14. We should reject the Lisbon Treaty because: 1) The government didn't listen to the people first time around 2) Basically just to annoy Fianna Fail 3) Brian Lenihan looks and walks like a chimp (thats who we have running our countries finances) 4) We might be able to vote on any further changes to our constitution (referedum) 5) We have to show the government that we are not going to listen to anything they say anymore 6) Minimum wage could go down even further. 7) We are letting unmarried mothers get away with murder and the tax payer has to suffer 8) Brian Cowen is an ugly pig, whey should we agree with him
15. i only need one every country has a different view and each deserves a equal vote