As if on cue, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown echoed José Manuel Barroso’s remark by calling the result of the referendum held in Ireland last Friday as “good for the UK and good for Europe”. What is certain is that 67 per cent out of the 58 per cent of Irish voters who turned out to vote gave an overwhelming “yes” to the Lisbon Treaty. Eighteen months ago they gave the same Treaty the thumbs down.

Ireland, it needs to be recalled, was the only country in the EU that placed the Treaty before its people and asked them to accept or reject it. The French and the Dutch governments, having been bitten over Nice, decided not to go down that road again.

In a sense this second referendum has been an extraordinary exercise in democracy, EU style. The first one rocked Brussels and, it was assumed, knocked the Lisbon Treaty for six; but that was to discount the subsequent pressures brought to bear on Ireland to have a second go at making up their minds – causing many to ask whether there would have been a second chance for the Irish to say “no” had they voted “yes” in the first place.

Irish fears of 18 months ago have been addressed by the Treaty. She has received “guarantees” that Lisbon will not affect key areas of Irish sovereignty such as taxation, military neutrality and abortion (but these have not yet been attached to the Treaty).

Commenting on the outcome, Ireland’s foreign minister remarked that, “The economic reality that you have to be part and parcel of Europe was obviously playing on people’s minds”. The Irish Prime Minister, whose fate hung in the balance, called it a “clear and resounding” vote; and so it was. What does the Irish decision now mean, for Europe?

Two new posts will be created, that of an EU President (which many are saying will be taken up by Tony Blair) and, more controversially, of a High Representative for Foreign Affairs (to all intents and purposes an EU Foreign Minister). The number of Commissioners will remain 27 – one per member; more decisions will be taken by majority vote, although key changes to voting weights will not come into force until 2014; and generally it is hoped that the Treaty will contribute to better European co-operation.

Lisbon is still not out of the woods. Poland and the Czech Republic have still to attach their signature to the Treaty. Most commentators believe that the Polish will not take long to do so, but the Czech Republic may pose a problem. The Czech President Vaclav Klaus, a eurosceptic, refuses to sign the Treaty until the Czech Constitutional Court gives its ruling to a legal complaint raised by a group of Czech senators. This was only recently filed and, some believe, may take a few months to come to term.

The fly in the ointment will be provided if the Court finds for the complainants. The British Conservative party, for example, is hoping, perhaps against hope, that a decision will not be taken until after next May when Britain goes to the polls, where it is expected that David Cameron will lead the Conservatives to victory. Should there be such an extension of time provided by the Czechs, it will allow Mr Cameron to hold a referendum on Lisbon which is certain to dismiss the Treaty. In which case Lisbon will be where it was a year and a half ago.