No German gun to Ireland's head - Financial Times

[Universal_001]

When Luxembourg feels entitled to tell us to vote again we need to ask what is going on in government buildings.

Luxembourg's foreign minister Jean Asselborn said Ireland needed to hold another vote and the question was "how we can prepare it so it can be won".

I know. Them bloody Luxemb...Lux...people from Luxembourg.

What about the war? If it wasn't for the Irish, they'd all be Krauts.

I wonder how the French would react if the Irish government had tried to "prepare" so their referendum could be won? would they be cool with that kind of interference?

[myksav]

Elmar Brok, the German Christian Democrat MEP who represented his government in the Convention, wades in showing his customary impatience with unorthodox Irish views:

Jamie Smyth reports -

Elmar Brok, a senior German MEP, who helped to draft the Lisbon Treaty, declared controversially that the Republic would need to vote again, and the next referendum would decide whether Ireland stayed in the EU.

Being pushed around by Luxembourg is the fate that Brian Cowen has earned for Ireland.

As Smyth puts it -

EU LEADERS have given Taoiseach Brian Cowen a few months to decide what to do about Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty but, behind the scenes, there was mounting pressure for him to hold another referendum.

At the EU summit in Brussels, European leaders said publicly they would give Mr Cowen "time and space" to find a solution.

But in private, German and French officials pushed for him to commit to another vote early next year.

Most EU leaders want Mr Cowen to propose a solution that would allow the treaty to enter into force before the European elections next June.

There is also mounting pressure for the Government agree to stage a second referendum at the next EU summit in October.

This would allow it to negotiate opt-outs from the treaty, new declarations on tax and abortion and possibly block the proposed reduction in size of the commission at an EU summit in December.

Luxembourg's foreign minister Jean Asselborn said Ireland needed to hold another vote and the question was "how we can prepare it so it can be won".

And so many thought that Blair was Bush's poodle! Cowen is the EU's whipping pup.
yessir, yessir, whatever you say sor. i'm just a dumb mick.

[macdarawhitfield]

Maybe they have a point though.Let's put it this wayo you want to repay the 60billion (minimum) in European subsidies we have copped since 1975- and wasted.We don't ever have to of course but now we have to cough up a few bob.In or out,piss or get off the pot.If I was Merkel /Sarkozy/Brown I know what I'd say.Slan agus beannacht to the Tory scabs.Then Ireland-the Gollum of Europe-can go back to Master,the UKIP,licketty lick.You know you want to oh Nigels of the world.

[myksav]

Maybe they have a point though.Let's put it this way:Do you want to repay the 60billion (minimum) in European subsidies we have copped since 1975- and wasted.We don't ever have to of course but now we have to cough up a few bob.In or out,piss or get off the pot.If I was Merkel /Sarkozy/Brown I know what I'd say.Slan agus beannacht to the Tory scabs.Then Ireland-the Gollum of Europe-can go back to Master,the UKIP,licketty lick.You know you want to oh Nigels of the world.

Yeah, no bother. As soon as they pay back the 200 billion they got in fishing rights in Irish waters.