Three cheers for the Irish. They have defeated the Lisbon Treaty. The Lisbon Treaty was a back-door effort to impose the EU on the nations of Europe after the earlier EU Constitution was defeated. Since all 27 nations must approve the Treaty for it to take effect, this should kill it. Though it does not pay to assume that the political elites will play by the rules.

A major problem with the EU is that it shifts power from local nations and communities to a bureacratic elite not accountable to voters. It also makes EU law superior to national and local laws. Its justice system was to be based on Napoleanic Code, which would mean the loss of the rights and liberties of the Anglo-American tradition such as presumption of innocence.

The Irish were the only nation to put the Treaty to the voters. Other nations approved it in other ways, most of them knowing that public opinion was against the Treaty.

God bless the Irish.

Full story from The Telegraph.