In the end it may have been one small step for Ireland but it was certainly one big step for Europe. But the way the Irish overturned last year’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty was nothing short of spectacular.
In June last year, with a turnout of 53 per cent, the Irish rejected the Treaty by a solid 53 per cent. But last Friday, the tables were turned way over and with a turnout of 59 per cent, the Treaty was approved by a remarkable 67 per cent leaving not the slightest of doubts about what the Irish had in mind.
In 2008, 862,416 voted against the Treaty, but this year 619,662 voted against – a sharp decline of 242,754. This means that many who voted “no” last year changed their vote to a “yes” this time round or simply stayed at home, whereas many who had not voted last year came out to support the Treaty.
Why and how could this turn-around have happened?
The reasons are said to lie in the economic uncertainty that engulfed Ireland since they said “no” last year. For when the global recession struck, Ireland was left to pick up the pieces and it was only thanks to its euro currency that it was not swept away altogether. Coming so soon after their rejection of the Treaty, the economic tsunami left the Irish with the distinct feeling that the world is not such a comfortable place to be alone.
On the merits of the Treaty, it has long been argued that most of the Irish concerns were carefully taken into account and therefore there was no longer any reason to reject the Treaty on the basis of unfounded fears on abortion, neutrality and taxation. Nor even on retaining a Commissioner since the principle of one-commissioner-per-member-state has now been set in stone.
But if you ask me, there is an overriding reason for this impressive turnaround and it is by far more straightforward: last year the Irish did not really vote against Europe but simply voted against their government. This time round, however, they could not afford a protest vote.
For despite its undisputed democratic merit, the referendum has one great weakness, which is that one is never quite sure whether voters would really answer the question that is put to them on the ballot. Not because voters are deficient – far from it – but because the referendum often gives them a splendid opportunity to cast a protest vote and slap their own government straight in the face. Which is fine in as far as it goes but not if the consequences of ignoring the real question boomerang straight back against you.
Let’s face it, here in Malta, we are not alien to protest votes. Just look at local council elections and just look at last June’s European Parliament elections. It is common knowledge that Labour elected a staggering four out of six seats not because the performance of Labour MEPs was outstanding but simply because people wanted to cast a protest vote against the government. The sheer desire of delivering that message by far over-powered the arguments of those, like myself, who tried to rally voters to put their trust in those with the best track record on Europe.
In the event, we are now stuck with four Labour MEPs out of six for another five years and allow me to say that it is the whole country that will pay the price. For the bare truth – which is readily admitted by all except by those who are hopelessly one-sided – is that the country will be getting less out of Europe from Joseph Cuschieri than it would have from Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas. And it is not so much Ms Metsola Tedesco Triccas’s or the PN’s loss as much as it is ours; all of us.
So this time round, the Irish were in no mood to slap their government in the face even if it is still the same government in office and even though it is even less popular than last year.
This time round they were fully aware of the consequences of taking this lightly. This time round they could not afford a protest vote. This time round, their minds were focused on the real question – and the question was the future of Europe.
To that question, the answer was clear, abundantly clear.
The Irish are in.
Three Guinnesses for Ireland!
Ask your Mep on www.simonbusuttil.eu
Dr Busuttil is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.