Why I voted No

[cactus flower]

1. The EU structures are not sufficiently democratic to risk handing any further sovereignty over to them.
2. Trying to create a EU unified State by stealth is anti-democratic and likely to be unstable in the extreme.
3. I'm opposed to the commitment to build up resources clearly intended as the basis of an EU army.
4. I'm opposed to the "Fortress Europe" concept
5. The Reform Treaty passed would continue to promote an agenda of privatisation.
6. The drafting of the Treaty is unclear and far too widely open to interpretation, with little chance of Ireland influencing the way it is interpreted.

Now I'm going to write to An Taoiseach to tell him why I voted No, so he can't pretend he doesn't know.

[Little-Lefty]

1. The EU structures are not sufficiently democratic to risk handing any further sovereignty over to them.
2. Trying to create a EU unified State by stealth is anti-democratic and likely to be unstable in the extreme.
3. I'm opposed to the commitment to build up resources clearly intended as the basis of an EU army.
4. I'm opposed to the "Fortress Europe" concept
5. The Reform Treaty passed would continue to promote an agenda of privatisation.
6. The drafting of the Treaty is unclear and far too widely open to interpretation, with little chance of Ireland influencing the way it is interpreted.

Now I'm going to write to An Taoiseach to tell him why I voted No, so he can't pretend he doesn't know.

I voted no mainly because I am opposed to the EU. I see it as a rich man's club. I'm not going to dress it up and pretend I'm pro EU but...

[cactus flower]

You said it better than I did, Little-Lefty.

[cactus flower]

Zakalwe and Zhou both posted replies from the Yes point of view. I've put them with a copy of my post into a new thread called "The Lisbon Debate Continues".
I'm going to open a thread for Yes voters too, so they can post their personal reasons for voting Yes if they want to.
This thread is open for No voters to give their reasons, for the record, rather than for debate.

[zakalwe]

am overhearing a conversation in work here...

one guy says he'll vote no because there are many military clauses in the treaty (i'm quoting verbatim), there'll be an unelected foreign affairs minister and a EU president.

another person said that italy france and germany will rule europe under the new voting rules and ireland has no vote.


am biting my lip as don't want to pounce like a caped crusader and bash them over the head with exerpts of the treaty (and let my disguise as one of the cool people slip!).
but surely even the no's here recognise that those views are grossly ill informed (partially i might add due to the yes side's inability to convey a message as to whats in the treaty).

whether they vote yes or no, their concept of whats in the treaty is plain wrong.

ps i reckon at least one of them is below the voting age anyway.

pps cactus, put this in this thread because it relates to intentions to vote no.

[cactus flower]

Perfectly located, if I may say so, zakalwe