Why the irish said Yes to the Lisbon Treaty - Eurobarometer

[MrFunkyBoogaloo]

Ok... This 'poll' has received very little attention (bordering on virtual non-existance) in the domestic and european media but a leading European newspaper, EuropeanVoice, published the results of a Eurobarometer survey, commissioned in the days after the result was announced.

Irish voters: Lisbon treaty is good for Ireland | Policies | EU governance | Treaties | European Voice

Voters also said that they felt better informed about the treaty's contents this time. Of those who voted ‘Yes', 34% said they did so because the EU has been good for Ireland, with 44% saying it was in Ireland's interest and 33% saying it would help the economy.

While 17% said they voted ‘Yes' because the treaty was good for the EU, only a small percentage of voters said that they supported the treaty because it gave the EU a more effective way of making decision (4%), made the EU more competitive globally (3%), or helped the Union fight cross-border crime and illegal immigration (1%).

You can view more details through the link posted. As far as i can tell, this is the only EU media source that runs any kind of article about this Eurobarometer survey. The commission's own website doesn't even list the results?!?

Public Opinion analysis - Homepage

I've emailed both EuropeanVoice and the Commission for clarification on the discrepancy. Will update soon.

Any chance of our government commissioning another in-depth survey? Or do positive votes not deserve the same scrutiny as negative ones?


Enjoy!

[evercloserunion]

Ok... This 'poll' has received very little attention (bordering on virtual non-existance) in the domestic and european media but a leading European newspaper, EuropeanVoice, published the results of a Eurobarometer survey, commissioned in the days after the result was announced.

Irish voters: Lisbon treaty is good for Ireland | Policies | EU governance | Treaties | European Voice





You can view more details through the link posted. As far as i can tell, this is the only EU media source that runs any kind of article about this Eurobarometer survey. The commission's own website doesn't even list the results?!?

Public Opinion analysis - Homepage

I've emailed both EuropeanVoice and the Commission for clarification on the discrepancy. Will update soon.

Any chance of our government commissioning another in-depth survey? Or do positive votes not deserve the same scrutiny as negative ones?


Enjoy!

Well the poll was ordered by the Irish gov last time so that the gov knew what concerns they should have clarified before proceeding to a second referendum. Given that that there is no such need this time round it would be a pointless waste of money to commission another report. I don't know why you'd want that.

This poll has not received the same level of scrutiny as the Eurobarometer following the first referendum because only fanatical No side cranks are still dwelling on Lisbon. The rest of us are getting on with our lives and want to read news about other things.

[Risteard]

It was the fanatical anti-democratic fascist "yes" cranks who wouldn't let the Lisbon Treason die in peace.

[tibby]

33% of 67% pretty much accounts for the swing from Lisbon 1 to Lisbon 2. So the "economic" argument proved persuasive.

[Risteard]

The economic argument also proved false.

[MrFunkyBoogaloo]

Well the poll was ordered by the Irish gov last time so that the gov knew what concerns they should have clarified before proceeding to a second referendum. Given that that there is no such need this time round it would be a pointless waste of money to commission another report. I don't know why you'd want that.

This poll has not received the same level of scrutiny as the Eurobarometer following the first referendum because only fanatical No side cranks are still dwelling on Lisbon. The rest of us are getting on with our lives and want to read news about other things.

So, only one result is acceptable and thus "move on!"?

An in-depth survey would again establish important facts. Were the electorate better informed? Questions around Turnout? Why switch sides? Why vote No, Why vote Yes? Why abstain? Was the €9.1 million the Referendum Commission received and used effective? What of the campaigns on both sides and their effects?

Let us not forget that we have had a plethora of Yes groups claiming the credit (as the No groups did in 2008) but according to you the right result was obtained and "cranks" like me should move on. A tad hypocritical of you!

[Rocky]

I'm fairly sure I read all that in the Irish Times.

[Rocky]

So, the the public consultation, the commissioner issue and the guarantees were a complete waste of time.

But then, some of us knew that. They were simply an excuse to rerun the referendum.
We weren't all fooled.

In Ireland's interest is very vague. Maybe people thought that the Treaty was now in Ireland's interest because we got to keep our Commissioner and the guarantees.

For the record I prefered a smaller Commission and I never believed for one second that the Treaty would bring in abortion etc., but then I voted yes the first time as well.

[MrFunkyBoogaloo]

Also from the same article;

This year 32% said they were not informed about the treaty's contents, down from 37% who said this last year. Most respondents in 2008 (52%) said they did not vote because they did not understand the issues raised by the referendum, while this year 39% cited this reason for not voting.

[evercloserunion]

So, only one result is acceptable and thus "move on!"?

An in-depth survey would again establish important facts. Were the electorate better informed? Questions around Turnout? Why switch sides? Why vote No, Why vote Yes? Why abstain? Was the €9.1 million the Referendum Commission received and used effective? What of the campaigns on both sides and their effects?

Let us not forget that we have had a plethora of Yes groups claiming the credit (as the No groups did in 2008) but according to you the right result was obtained and "cranks" like me should move on. A tad hypocritical of you!

You don't have to move on if you don't want to. You can spend the rest of your life whinging on P.ie about Lisbon if you like, it's a free country after all. I'm just saying the vast vast majority of people have moved on, which is true and which explains why the media aren't dwelling on it all that much.