Battered by an economic crisis, that has left them unwilling to risk alienating any potential source of financial support, the Irish have (at the second time of asking) just voted yes to the Lisbon Treaty, the EU’s ‘non-constitution’ constitution. That’s bad news for Ireland, bad news for democracy, bad news for Europe, and bad news for America.
Attention will now turn to Czech president Vaclav Klaus, Europe’s last Thatcherite in office. If he can somehow delay his country’s ratification beyond the date of the upcoming (June?) British election, there’s still a chance that the treaty could be sunk, as, if the Conservatives win the election (as seems likely), they will give the Brits the referendum on Lisbon that Blair-Brown with characteristic dishonesty denied them. If that happens, the Brits will vote no, theoretically derailing the entire process.
I’m not holding my breath, however.