European Union Anti-Democratic?

Euroscepticism is on the rise, and is really any surprise when the EU insist that Ireland re-run a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty?

Of course the Irish government claim that in no way have they been bullied by the bigger countries that treat the EU as their own little cabal, in particular France and Germany.

According to current EU rules all 27 member states must ratify the Lisbon Treaty in order for it to become a reality, therefore according to EU rules, the Lisbon Treaty is dead, as was the constitution before it.

For the Irish government to run a second referendum, when the Irish electorate have already given their verdict on the question placed before them is arrogant in the extreme.

If this goes ahead, and the EU disregards its own procedures and rules, then one can only hope that the Irish again vote down the Lisbon Treaty - and that the leaders of the various nations in the EU learn to listen to the people. It is called democracy.

Is Britain compatible with Europe?

The Irish electorate's decision to reject the Lisbon Treaty could possibly be one of the defining moments in the development of the European Union - if the EU were to play by its own rules, the treaty is dead in the water. I fear though that the Irish will be asked to vote again and again until they come to the "right" choice.

It is becoming increasingly clear that across Europe there is a backlash against the "ever-closer union" so beloved of the Eurocrats. The people of Europe are stuck between a rock and a hard place, the EU allows us to freely move and live throughout the Union, though the number of people who do so is inevitably minute. Yet the EU wants more power - the power of a nation-state to rule over the daily lives of the people living in the state.

And here is the problem, especially for Britain. The British people are a head strong, stubborn bunch - look at the nations where British people have settled and they are certainly not known for backing down in the face of threats to their national integrity. Yet here are our leaders, elected by the people, walking the nation into the European super-state which no-one in Britain wants.

Putting the needs of Britain before the needs of the EU is often shown to be somehow racist, yet the needs of Britain are pressing ever harder; the need for investment in education; the need to protect British industries; the need for British people to live without constant interference from the State.

I have come to the belief that Britain has more to re-gain from leaving the European Union than it has to lose. Britain has no need of the EU, we have the Commonwealth and our special relationship with the USA. British and Irish people are simply not Europeans, we are simply too stubborn and proud to let the bureaucrats rule. Thank you Ireland for making your voice heard, the challenge is laid squarely at the feet of the Eurocrats - listen to the people.