Lis-boa constricted

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, stressed yesterday afternoon that the Government fully respected the vote of the Irish people. He was launching an analysis of why the Lisbon Treaty was defeated.

‘There was something of an EU knowledge deficit,’ he admitted. ‘Which was a kick in the teeth to get from a knowledge economy.’

The survey provided interviewees with rationalisations of their fears, and invited them to choose the reasons they felt best summed up their rejection of the treaty. ‘It’s a very valuable snapshot,’ said Mr Martin, praising the researchers’ techniques.

42% of people cited fear of conscription in an EU army as the main reason they rejected the document.

27% were afraid of a terrorist attack on Sellafield.

32% feared the reintroduction of the marriage ban for women.

Young voters felt there was nothing to stop Brussels reversing the 1972 referendum changing the voting age from 21 to 18.

The survey gave a number of options people could tick, according to their fears. The study did not allow for the ‘drip drip’ effect the British tabloids have had on Irish attitudes. It made no mention of Mr Cowen’s recent acession to power and two week media honeymoon. It made no mention that the polls indicated it was in the bag as late as May 20th. It made no mention of Libertas, whose influence was as strong as the Kronenzeitung is in Austria.

The establishment didn’t take Catholic concerns into account,’ said Cardinal Seán Brady. ‘A political document, be it a constitution or whatever, should recognise the immense contribution of the Church to European culture; its contents should reassure Catholics that homosexuality, abortion and yes, divorce, are not happy things for society. The absence of this sank the treaty in my view.’

Declan Ganley will be available for comment when he returns from a United States fundraising tour.