Private polling and focus groups indicate Lisbon 2 may be lost: Sunday Times

[eurosceptic]

The commisioner stuff is a solemn agreement. Lisbon keeps a full commission until 2014 so the promised council decision to keep a full commission only gets made just before the 14-19 commission is appointed. So 5 years of wriggle room to weasel out of the solemn agreement, especially as our politicians accepted the 2/3rds commission before.

[marmurr1916]

our politicians accepted the 2/3rds commission before.

Indeed they did. And if Lisbon isn't passed, that's what will happen.

Ireland gets to keep a permanent representative on the EU Commission only if Lisbon is ratified.

Why does the No side have a problem with this?

Isn't this one of the issues of 'vital national interest' that they campaigned on?

[eurosceptic]

I disagree as there will be immense public pressure to respect our vote. Especially with a general election following the no vote.

[Catalpa]

Indeed they did. And if Lisbon isn't passed, that's what will happen.

Ireland gets to keep a permanent representative on the EU Commission only if Lisbon is ratified.

Why does the No side have a problem with this?

Isn't this one of the issues of 'vital national interest' that they campaigned on?

The problem is nobody on the NO side believes these 'Solemn Promises' or anything to do with EU Politics any more.

The Lisbon Treaty will see the Irish People sold down the river....


NO 2 FOREIGN RULE

IRELAND FOR THE IRISH!

[turdsl]

What the hell good is a commissioner, they take an oath to be impartial anyway, give another big job to the likes of Harney, Cox, or some reject like Ryan.

[riker1969]

Any poll at the moment saying its going to be no again is nonsense. It will be a Yes. Only the margin is up for grabs. We are on our knees and its back to the 1980s when we overwhelmingly voted yes to everything our Euro masters asked us to ,and grabbed a couple of billion! Without ECB we would be dead in water as it is. Could we not ask the Germans to take us over (they used to be pretty good at that sort of thing if my memory serves me well) we need full economic integration!

[MrFunkyBoogaloo]

No it's not. The 2/3rds Commission was agreed unanimously, and under the terms of Nice that agreed Commission must come into force in the first Commission after 2004 - i.e 2009.

?!?! No it does not! The council have yet to vote on the size of the commission under Nice. The 2/3 clause only exists in Lisbon, not in Nice. It's there in black and white, or not as in the case of Nice!!! The commission is holding off on that decision to see if Ireland ratifies the Treaty and to see also which Treaty the new commission is to be appointed under. Unless we ratify Lisbon, we work under Nice.

...the agreement already unanimously reached had Ireland among the first 9 countries to lose a Commissioner. So if Lisbon isn't ratified, the 2009 Commission will have 18 members, and Ireland won't be one of them.

For a fourth time!! When was this decision made and can you provide a link? I have failed to find any reference to any decision made regarding the commission. Unless of course you are speaking of the Lisbon clause??

[CookieMonster]

Paul Simon's written a song for the yes side:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKxyoud_c-E]YouTube - Paul Simon Slip Slidin' Away - Live at Abbey Road[/ame]

[marmurr1916]

The problem is nobody on the NO side believes these 'Solemn Promises' or anything to do with EU Politics any more.

As if they ever believed in having anything to do with EU politics in the first place.

In any case, the Commissioner situation can only be resolved according to the No side's wishes by voting Yes to the Treaty of Lisbon.

There is no legal way to keep 'our' Commissioner under the current rules.

[marmurr1916]

Paul Simon's written a song for the yes side:

YouTube - Paul Simon Slip Slidin' Away - Live at Abbey Road

Here's one for all those Libertas supporters:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uB4lT5CblA]YouTube - Savage Garden - Crash 'n' Burn[/ame]