Discussion
g bon 
Yep - 54.5% NON and a record turnout. All in all, a very heavy democratic "whack" at the European machine.
Chirac doesn't seem ready to resign - he talked about how he will fight for the french at a meeting on the 16th of June, yet the french just want him to go, as De Gaulle did when he lost a referendum. Chirac has been very vocal for the OUI, and the perception is that he has committed himself so much and is so unpopular, that a bout of hari-kiri wouldn't go amiss.
All in all a good result - is this the end of this empiric cycle? Dead before it even arrived at something approaching completion? I hope so.
Chirac doesn't seem ready to resign - he talked about how he will fight for the french at a meeting on the 16th of June, yet the french just want him to go, as De Gaulle did when he lost a referendum. Chirac has been very vocal for the OUI, and the perception is that he has committed himself so much and is so unpopular, that a bout of hari-kiri wouldn't go amiss.
All in all a good result - is this the end of this empiric cycle? Dead before it even arrived at something approaching completion? I hope so.
Very happy that the non won, but most people voted non because they're fed up with the government and not because that farce of a treaty isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
Ok a bit harsh on the treaty that showed good intentions but people like me are fed up with good intentions and we would rather see things taking shape !
>> Edited by Thom on Sunday 29th May 23:07
Ok a bit harsh on the treaty that showed good intentions but people like me are fed up with good intentions and we would rather see things taking shape !
>> Edited by Thom on Sunday 29th May 23:07
Bloody marvellous! Suddenly all the Eurocrats, who'd said 'You have to vote YES because you must' were left looking a bit silly when the French public, who don't like being bullied or treated like idiots, called their bluff.
Vive la France :waveflag: - the acceptable face of nationalism.
Vive la France :waveflag: - the acceptable face of nationalism.
Sorry folks, but I'm afraid I must dissagree. The EU has been nothing but great for us. It built our roads, boosted our ecomony no-end and brought us the €uro. Obviously the UK is a different beast, but it beats being out on our own.
Just a small spanner in the works. Trust the French to make things difficult.
Just a small spanner in the works. Trust the French to make things difficult.
up-the-dubs said:
Sorry folks, but I'm afraid I must dissagree. The EU has been nothing but great for us. It built our roads, boosted our ecomony no-end and brought us the €uro. Obviously the UK is a different beast, but it beats being out on our own.
Just a small spanner in the works. Trust the French to make things difficult.
Got to take issue with you there old stick.
If certain Governments hadn't decided to rename the Road Fund License as Vehicle Excise Duty, effectively admitting that they weren't going to spend the money on the roads, perhaps the roads would have been better sooner. Nowt to do with the EU I'm afraid...
wedg1e said:
rename the Road Fund License as Vehicle Excise Duty, effectively admitting that they weren't going to spend the money on the roads, perhaps the roads would have been better sooner. Nowt to do with the EU I'm afraid...
This may be true, But the majority of governments would do this. As a small country, we'd never have been able to do for ourselves what the EU has done for us. The usual suspects are far more important than multi-million over-budget roads. The roads are only a small part of our reserection, although they helped alot. Motor tax, and it's ancilliaries (petrol, VRT etc) is by far and away the biggest source of income in Ireland. If it was re-invested solely on the roads, the country would not be able to function. Roads paved in gold, with no-one to use them.
up-the-dubs said:
rename the Road Fund License as Vehicle Excise Duty, effectively admitting that they weren't going to spend the money on the roads, perhaps the roads would have been better sooner. Nowt to do with the EU I'm afraid...
This may be true, But the majority of governments would do this. As a small country, we'd never have been able to do for ourselves what the EU has done for us. The usual suspects are far more important than multi-million over-budget roads. The roads are only a small part of our reserection, although they helped alot. Motor tax, and it's ancilliaries (petrol, VRT etc) is by far and away the biggest source of income in Ireland. If it was re-invested solely on the roads, the country would not be able to function. Roads paved in gold, with no-one to use them.
Er, right. So what do other taxes get spent on then?
Healthcre, defence, postal service, public transport, fisheries, agriculture, police, fire brigades, street lights, national debt, everything else...
As I said, we're too small a country for it to run on it's own. Need alot of input from the only area of taxation that actually makes any money.
As I said, we're too small a country for it to run on it's own. Need alot of input from the only area of taxation that actually makes any money.
UP YOUR'S DELORS 
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