“It’s Alive, It’s Alive!”

Like the famous words of Doktor Frankenstein Jose Barroso the European Commission president insists the Lisbon Treaty still has a pulse.

“The Treaty is not dead. The Treaty is alive, and we will try to work to find a solution.” he says.

Barroso’s bullies are now gathering momentum as ‘Plan B’ is rolled out by those that will not take NO for an answer. Here’s a flavour of what they’ve been saying…

“a few million Irish cannot decide on behalf of 495 million Europeans.”

Wolfgang Schaeuble, German Interior Minister, Deutsche Welle, 15 June.

“I don’t think you can say the treaty of Lisbon is dead even if the ratification process will be delayed.”

Jean-Pierre Jouyet, French Europe Minister, Reuters, 16 June.

“I am convinced that we need this Treaty. Therefore we are sticking with our goal for it to come into force. The ratification process must continue.”

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German Foreign Minister, Reuters, 14 June.

“We think it is a real cheek that the country that has benefited most from the EU should do this. There is no other Europe than this treaty. With all respect for the Irish vote, we cannot allow the huge majority of Europe to be duped by a minority of a minority of a minority.”

Axel Schäfer, SPD leader in the Bundestag, Irish Times, 14 June.

The Treaty “will be applied, albeit a few months late.”

Lopez Garrido, Spanish Europe Minister, Forbes, 15 June.

So, NO is not an answer that is acceptable. How can it be overturned? Firstly they marginalise the Irish vote by suggesting it was about the wrong issues or the Irish were confused:

“The posters that I saw on BBC and Sky had issues of abortion, tax and conscription, which are nothing to do with this Treaty.” (David Miliband, BBC News, 13 June 2008).

Then they seek to isolate Ireland so that the international pressure will make it buckle, as Financial times columnist Wolfgang Munchau explains:

“So far 18 countries have ratified, with eight to go plus Ireland. Once 26 countries have ratified, EU countries accounting for more than 99 per cent of the EU’s population will have approved the Lisbon treaty. The pressure on Ireland would then become unbearable.” (FT, 15 June).

And yet they are all so out of touch. Polling suggests that 75% of citizens across the EU (and a majority in all 27 member states) want a referendum on any treaty that transfers further powers to the EU and that majorities would vote “no” to such a treaty in 16 EU countries, including Germany (TNS, 23 March 2007).

Meanwhile in Britain there can now be little doubt that Gordon Brown is taking the British people down a road they do not wish to travel. A poll of 1,000 UK voters conducted for the think tank Open Europe found that voters believe the Lisbon Treaty should not ratified but dropped - by a margin of nearly four-to-one.

The poll found that 54% agreed with the statement that “The government should drop the Lisbon Treaty and not try and ratify it” while only 14% agreed that “The government should carry on and ratify the Lisbon Treaty in the UK”.

There’s no solace for brown or Europe Minister Jim Murphy to be found in Labour voters for they too, by a margin of 46% to 19% are against continuing the ratification of the Treaty.

When asked which of the following statements about Britain’s future relations with the EU came closest to their own view:

29% said that “The UK should stay in the EU”.
38% said that “The UK should stay in the single market but pull out of the other political elements of the EU”.
24% said “The UK should leave the EU altogether”.

One can surmise that there is therefore significant support for reform of EU institutions and realignment in Britain’s relationship with the EU rather than taking us deeper and deeper into a Federal States of Europe.

EU supporters and EU Commissioners will not like the poll’s other findings, such as 65% agreement with the statement “The EU is out of touch with normal people”.

For MEPs who believe all that’s required is to bring some democracy into Europe and it will be alright there is a cold shower of realisation that 88% said they could not name any of their MEPs (and now they have at least six).

A illustration of the widespread confusion amongst the general public about how the EU works and what the lines of accountability are was provided by those who did attempt to name some of their MEPs - the most popular choice being “Neil Kinnock”.

Pressing ahead as if nothing has happened looks all wrong. Most of his own voters think that Gordon Brown should now drop the Lisbon Treaty and not try to ratify it.”

Gordon Brown is in step with European politicians but out of step with Europeans and his own British people. How long will the British people continue to journey down the road with him at the front?