No! No! No!
European Commissioner Margot Wallström is in such a state of shock that she cannot bring herself to blog about what the Irish have wrought. EU Referendum, on the other hand, is popping the corks and the Bruges Group are thrilled. A Fistful of Euros is too dazed to comprehend what has happened, but it's still going to be "No!" when they wake up. The most breathtaking aspect of the reaction in Brussels tonight is that while it was previously said that all nations must ratify this treaty, now it is being suggested all bar Ireland can ratify it. The EU appears to be taking on the aura of a dictatorship. But it need not end like this.
The Financial Times proposes a wise response: "The priority should be to make the EU work better with practical policies — on energy security and climate change, for a start — with its present rules and 27 member states. The Nice treaty is not ideal, but losing Lisbon should not be seen as the end of the world." Indeed. No means No and now that the French, the Dutch and the Irish have rejected these attempts to create something that voters do not wish to have imposed upon them, it's time to rethink the best course for Europe.
