Category Archives: Ireland

Further to David’s post, this from Guido Fawkes :

When the result came in yesterday Mark Mardell looked shocked and sounded exasperated. The BBC has continually been running this line in its reporting of Ireland’s historic vote on the Lisbon Treaty:

“Just over three million Irish voters are registered – in a European Union of 490 million people.”

The implication is clear. Those beastly Paddies are depriving everyone else in Europe of the benefits of the Lisbon Treaty. They want to convey the image of a minority running rough shod over every one else. The BBC fails to mention that Ireland is not depriving Europeans of their say. It is the only member state which gave its people a say on the matter. It is the other member states who are depriving their people of a say lest they give the wrong answer.

There’s more – read the whole thing.

UPDATE – from a Guido commenter :

BBC reporting yesterday was a disgrace. They continued to say that turnout was 45% even after the official result was declared (the actual turnout was 53.13%, “a significant improvement on past referendums” – LT). Either wilful distortion or BBC hack too thick to look up the official referendum website.

UPDATE2 – On Any Answers Eddie Mair read out a letter arguing that the low turnour of only 40% compromised the authority of the vote. Mair, out of bias or (more likely IMHO) ignorance, failed to point out the correct turnout. These people just aren’t up to the job.

Well now – what a turn up. The Irish have refused to be led by the nose and follow the advice of all the main political parties, big business and trade unions, and said NO to the Lisbon Treaty. The BBC coverage on this should be most interesting – just listen to the tonality of it (as the late unlamented Hillhunt would have suggested). I was reading Mark Mardell’s take on it here which is lamentable in terms of asking the hard questions about the serial failure of the Eurocrats to seLl their lousy Constitution to the people of Europe. Instead Mark seems more interested in considering how a way can be found to get around this awkward business of democracy. I predict the BBC will be in mourning with grim faced news-readers breaking the news but they will try to gain encouragement from Mr Broon’s claim that he plans to go ahead and force it through Parliament.