The No Campaign failed to make the Abortion issue a major reason to vote no. But they certainly convinced the rest of Europe again. And yet again we have another person rather then reading the Eu-barometer results but let there own bias dictate their views. Sylvie Goulard, the president of the French section of the federalist group European Movement International, ( I know I don’t know what it is either) Seemingly they are a lobby group for a United Europe and Pat Cox is president. And have a crap flag. (left below fold). Anyway Sylvie Goulard is laying the blame on the fall of the Lisbon Treaty at the governments feat.

Goulard also called on Irish politicians to face up to “their responsibilities” by coming up with solutions to the crisis. “We are again witnessing an amalgam where critics say Brussels irritates, that people do not want Europe, when in fact the people responsible for this slip are rather to be found in the national capitals.”

“We had a prime minister who said he had not read the treaty, an Irish European commissioner who said the same,” she pointed out.

And if Irish voters were being made to believe that the treaty influences Ireland’s sovereignty on abortion, defence or tax policy, it is because Irish politicians failed to explain the text properly, which was considered by voters to be too complex.

“These issues were not considered in the treaty,” Goulard points out. “We can therefore measure how much the Irish political class failed in its mission to explain [the treaty].”

Now there is some truth in that politicians did fail to sell the treaty. With 22 % saying they voted no because they did not understand the treaty alot if all the blame lies at the feat of Brian Cowen (all though  the EU could have tried making an easier understood treaty). But under 1% said abortion was an issue. Under 1% and yet Goulard believes that this is a major part of the rejection. Has she read the EUBarometer report at all? “These issues were not considered in the treaty” fecking hell some of those issues were not considered in the vote only in the post result spin analysis. While some of the issues like the loss of a commissioner were very much part of the treaty.

She also says

“It seems perfectly normal that all European countries can give their opinion,” she continued, saying today’s prevailing logic is “one of dialogue, not avoidance”.

The fact that she avoids one of the major issues (the loss of a commissioner) instead preferring to go on about Abortion does not give me confidence in her sincerity.