Quote Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat View Post
That article is from another fantasy world, where nothing is what it seems. I don't even know where to begin with pointing out all the fundamentally erroneous assumptions in there.


Let me suffice to say that I violently disagree with the Telegraph. It is not up to Europe to decide the political procedure in Ireland. Ireland must do this itself. Therefore the EU does not decide that any Irish government may or may represent the will of the Irish people, depending on the EU's mood. Rather, the Irish government is always assumed to act as an independent representive of the will of the Irish people. With this assumption agreements are made with Ireland.

This, and not a fantasy EUSSR/Mordor/Roman Empire/Whore of Babylon, is the reason why European governments can reach agreements with Irish governments and expect Ireland to be true to its word. It is what democracies do. Like responsible citizens, they can be relied upon that their word is worth more than the paper it is written on.


Which is not to say that I am convinced the Irish people have received a fair deal. But don't blame us. Europe merely lends Ireland money. The bank bailout was the work of the corrupt Irish politicians. The culmination of a near decade of mismanagement. They loved it when the value of their second homes kept going up and taxes were abolished for the rich and the foreign. Then the pyramid collapsed. Sadly, it is the poor who have to foot the bill, while those who profited get off scott free.
Take another look at what I quoted Loius. If a diplomat went on record with that it probably means he doesn't think it's very explosive, or important, but the tone is one of dismissal of the "Irish People". There are far more diplomatic ways of saying the deal is final, but he didn't bother.