For anyone in Ireland who is still trying to decide about Lisbon, I recommend watching the Prime Time debates via the RTE website.

Update: Podcast of Declan Ganley debating Eddie O’Connor (Chief Executive Mainstream Renewables) available from NewsTalk site. (thanks Alan for the link )

Why I’m voting No:

• I am concerned that the Lisbon Treaty may embrace a more right wing approach to business and capitalism than I would like for Europe
• I am uncomfortable with the move to a unified military force in Europe and what that means for our future
• (updated) I am concerned that the Treaty might allow for decisions in the EU, and for further changes to the EU to be brought about, with less democratic input than occurs now
• I almost fell prey to economic scaremongering, but crises happen and recoveries happen and Lisbon has a much further reach than our immediate recovery. Will a No vote have the economic repercussions being implied by our government? The Wall Street Journal does not think so (update – an article in the Financial Times seems to also think a No vote is not dangerous for Ireland.
• The French and the Dutch voted No to the European Constitution, but “most European leaders acknowledge that the (Lisbon) treaty preserves the main substance of the constitution”. (BBC News) – is the Lisbon Treaty essentially the constitution brought back in such a way that no country other than Ireland would have to vote?
• Ireland voted No to the Lisbon treaty already – so is this the third time a vote is being sought on what is basically the same thing, already rejected twice?
• We are now being asked to vote again on the Lisbon treaty – and it has not been changed, we have received “assurances”
• With so many experts arguing over what the Treaty means for Europe and Ireland, doesn’t that highlight the need for a better, more explicit document?
• I feel strongly that a new document needs to be developed and all of Europe needs to vote on something of this importance

Also worth reading:

The Irish Times reports (october 2008) on a European Union meeting on getting a second Lisbon Referendum in Ireland: “The meeting and dinner heard how Ireland’s ‘intellectual mediocrity and lack of political courage’ led to the rejection of the Lisbon treaty and included discussions of how to ‘cuddle and pamper’ the Irish voter ahead of a new vote while at the same time ‘making pressures on them’.” (thanks Kate for that Link)

Update: An article from Lawyers Against Lisbon highlighting democratic issues and how voting No to Lisbon is not voting No to everything.

Update: Vincent Browne on reasons to vote no.

Nice video highlighting why it’s so hard to decide whether to vote Yes or No – nobody agrees on what the Treaty means:

Question
Does anyone know, has there been any research into what the people in other EU countries hope the result of the Irish Lisbon Referendum will be – and if not, why not??

Place a child in a room. Place a marshmallow in front of child. Instruct child they can eat the marshmallow when they choose – however – if they choose to wait until their captors return they will receive a second marshmallow. Leave room and observe.

Tune in next week when we will be playing “Eency Weency Spider” at loud volumes 24 hours a day for five days in the child’s cell.

Yay for Fred. Their album Go God Go (which is great) is being released in USA and Canada now too.

The Absolut Fringe Festival kicks off in Dublin this Saturday the 5th of September. One of the events that has caught my eye is Loose Cannon’s Piggyback Project.

In this time of recession it’s a very clever idea to use the same crew for two show in the one festival. As the press release says;

New times call for new ways of making work. And so, as part of Absolut Fringe 2009, Loose Canon are presenting two new shows, by two cutting-edge directors, which will share designers, cast, space and time in order to serve audiences with a double helping of work from one of Ireland’s most exciting theatre companies.

The shows in question are Anatomy of a Seagull and Jesus Has My Mom In There And Has Beat Her Up Real Bad Read the rest of this entry »