Irish voters 'NO', blow to leaders in European Union (EU) referendum

Opinion

"Leaders of the No campaign said the vote was a "great result for Ireland" the BBC reported, but the turn-out of voters was low; only a voter rejection of fifty-three per-cent to a yes vote of forty-six percent".

If the Irish referendum was of such importance in terms of democratic participation of the Irish voters why was the voter turnout so low?

"Correspondents say many voters did not understand the [Lisbon] treaty despite a high-profile campaign"

"[T]here is a large constituency fearful about the loss of national identity"

“The proposals to further reduce democracy, to militarise the EU and to let private business take over public services have been rejected".

But in another BBC report from Dublin one voter seemed to reflect the minds of others:

"The truth of the matter is I don't know the guts of [the treaty], so I basically left it to the politicians."

"I didn't know anything about it and it is immoral to ask someone to vote on something they don't understand."

What limited information there is online to democratically guide a largely rural population is limited.

However, pamphlets might have been useful to circulate, to communicate to the ordinary voter what was at stake by casting a vote from the perspective of the Irish government.

But  little, it seems, was simply, and clearly published. Although a useful background from a social perspective that urges voters to Vote “No” in the Irish EU referendum published recently says, for example:

"The Treaty upholds economic liberalism as a core EU objective, building on the Bolkestein Directive, which sanctions the wholesale privatization of public services and welfare provision across Europe while overturning labour protections, particularly in Eastern Europe".

By a narrow margin, it might be that the Irish people who voted "NO" may have provided breathing time for marginally paid working people elsewhere in the European Community to learn about the Irish voter lack of information.

For example, all working people could now be assisted to be better educated and organized about the European Commissioners their plans about gutting what few human rights are currently enjoyed in their respective workplaces.

After all, "information is power", perhaps that is why the Irish government appeared to be parsimonious with the facts of the Lisbon Treaty , it wanted a "yes" vote it seems: that is perhaps why the referendum result was a "blow".