Irish Will Be Forced To Vote Again

The Irish Republic will be forced to hold a second referendum on the Lisbon/EU constitutional Treaty, officials in Brussels have decided.

The Daily Telegraph reports that an internal EU briefing paper entitled “The Solution to the Irish Problem” says the Dublin government will give in to demands for a second vote to overturn the previous rejection of the treaty before an EU summit in October.

The briefing suggests that the second referendum would be held in the autumn of next year, leading to the final ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in 2010.

An influential group of French officials has written the document, the Telegraph says. They say Ireland will agree to a new vote because guarantees will be given on abortion, taxes, the country’s neutrality and the maintenance of the Irish Commissioner in Brussels.

However, the president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, wants the Irish to vote again, and give the "right" answer, before next year’s European elections. He fears the poll will become a referendum on a treaty many people in Europe do not like.

The Telegraph's story about the Irish being pressed to submit to their would-be EU masters is here.