EU intent on gagging its voters - Allister
24 June 2008
In a hard-hitting speech in the European Parliament, when EU leaders reported back on their Summit after the Irish 'No' vote, TUV MEP, Jim Allister, chided "the political elite" for refusing to accept the Lisbon Treaty was dead.
referring to the fear of referenda elsewhere in Europe, Mr Allister pointedly observed that in Zimbabwe democracy is bludgeoned to death, while in the EU it is suppressed by gagging the people.
In the course of his remarks the Ulster Euro MP said:-
"The real message of the Republic of Ireland voting 'No' is that vast swathes of the rest of the EU would do the same, if only they were let. Ireland is not naturally Eurosceptic, far from it. It is the fact that voters there rejected Lisbon which terrifies the political elite that met in Brussels last week.
They know, if they dared let their people speak, they too would look like the hapless Brian Cowan. Thus, to their shame, they conspire to rush through the ratification elsewhere and then try and arrogantly bounce the Irish in a second referendum.
Lisbon set its own test for survival - acceptance in all member states. It has spectacularly failed that test. If EU leaders were honest they'd accept the Treaty is dead.
In Zimbabwe democracy is bludgeoned to death, in the EU it is suppressed by gagging the people."
