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Taoiseach says referendum date will not be changed

Germany may delay the ratification of the fiscal compact treaty…

11/05/12 1,318 Views 55 Comments

THE FISCAL TREATY referendum will go ahead on 31 May despite a possible delay in its ratification in Germany, the Taoiseach said yesterday.

Launching an IT initiative to help start-up companies, Enda Kenny told reporters that the date would not be changed.

“Each country has until the end of the year to ratify the treaty but as we are in a programme, it is very necessary that we waste no time in sending out a very clear signal of certainty,” he said.

The call for a delay came from independent TD Shane Ross who wished to refix the date after an informal EU summit later this month.

At a separate press conference yesterday, Pearse Doherty said a Yes vote could pave the way for the European Commission to dictate Irish budgetary measures.

According to RTÉ, Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin has asked the Referendum Commission for confirmation on this point. He wants the Commissioner to determine if the European Court of Justice can impose fines on a country who is in breach of the terms of the treaty.

Read: Vincent Browne offers to step aside to allow Kenny/Adams debate

Video: Tánaiste and Boyd-Barrett spar over a ‘fetish for orgies and arousal’>

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Sinead O'Carroll
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Comments (55 Comments)

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  • Alison Neilson 11/05/12 #

    The fact that Marian Harkin has suggested referendum should be postponed is to my mind very significant. She is in no way a euro sceptic. It certainly seems increasingly like we are being asked to vote for a “pig in a poke”.

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  • Paul Mallon 11/05/12 #

    What’s he like??? OK, he doesn’t have an agenda, I was wrong, he’s just and idiot.
    I hope you all do send a very clear signal.

    Reply
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  • Yvonne 11/05/12 #

    So basically Enda wants us to vote yes to a treaty that could have significant changes made to it AFTER we say yay or nay?

    Ah yeah, sure be grand like.

    Hon Enda.

    Reply
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  • Cal Mooney 11/05/12 #

    I swear, in that photo, you can still see the strings attached to the puppets arms… You need to do a better job at photoshopping next time.

    Reply
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  • carlgillen 11/05/12 #

    Well at least this has cleared up any doubt that a NO vote is the only choice

    Reply
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  • Cliff Grebouwski 11/05/12 #

    This is turning into an episode of “Yes Minister.”

    Let’s face it, there is no way the treaty will pass here now. It was a close call a few weeks ago, but with Hollande basically dismissing it, Germany delaying it and the Greeks… well the Greeks going their own, curious route the thing is dead.

    Message to an Taoiseach- show some leadership and scrap the thing before it brings your government down.

    Reply
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  • Tony Skillington 11/05/12 #

    So what happens if the French kick the whole thing to touch? With the German’s themselves postponing ratification the whole treaty seems to be back up in the air again..

    Reply
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  • joseph mcgee 11/05/12 #

    The date will not be changed.

    Jawohl Frau Kenny!

    Reply
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  • Ann Illing 11/05/12 #

    All the more reason to vote NO NO NO !

    Reply
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  • 1 Human Being 11/05/12 #

    Why is Enda afraid to lose face. Being so stubborn is doing no one any favours. If he just says since the treaty has the possibility of being changed the vote shall be delayed. Unless he wants to make a u-turn and when it is voted no. He turns around and says its going to be changed so we have to vote again. Jaysus it is the Lisbon treaty history is repeating itself isn’t it? Any way if howlin doesn’t understand it and is asking the referendum commission about it and the government still hasn’t given any figures as to how we are expected to get to this magic 0.5% borrowing to debt ratio why should we vote yes. No answers to any question no resolution to the debt crisis no real leadership just cowardly men. Vote no on 31st of may.

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  • Anel Cceram 11/05/12 #

    This is not just an austerity treaty its a good bye euro treaty. No sane person can vote yes even the guys putting up posters are saying yea are voting no!! Enda could be looking at 80-90% no and the end of his government but he still keeps diggin. Lucinda cretin made an awful fool of herself on VB no reason at all to vote yes but it’s end of world when u vote no.

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    • Ryan oneill 11/05/12 #

      He knows now its a loosing game! Lets just get it over with, at least we give him the back bone that’s needed. ” now merkel, the people said NO and I’m not asking again” easy! And I think your right abiuth the high %

      Reply
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  • Eddie Barrett 11/05/12 #

    Don’t we know that Dame Enda , in the best Irish Pantomime tradition , will -irrespective of the result , have to insist on ANOTHER REFERENDUM later this year , to ram the next great scam Euro Agreement , down the throats of his totally burned out electorate.

    He and his incompetent Government FG/LAB. Ministers, have succeeded in one thing though , in the last few months – that is in turning a Nation of Pro-Europeans into Euro Sceptic’s !

    Well done Dame Edna – you are a total Pantomime !

    Reply
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  • Too Trueleft 11/05/12 #

    Pushing through a treaty thats probably going to be modified, to appease merkel, that was her idea but can’t even get to fly in her own country. We’re already the laughing stock of the financial markets and now the rest of europe is going to join in on the joke.

    Jesus, has this man any backbone whatsoever.

    Vote No on the 31st. We can no longer be sure what we’re being asked to vote ‘yes’ to.

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  • Dermot Mc Loughlin 11/05/12 #

    “very necessary that we waste no time in sending out a very clear signal of certainty,”

    Sounds like he knows the result already

    Reply
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    • Declan Cotter 11/05/12 #

      Dermot,
      You sound very sure of the result…. truth is apart from the forums on journal.ie , I dont get the feeling this decsion will be a no… In fact the more it goes on the less credible SF and Joe Higgins sound. The people who create jobs in Ireland, who employ people who actually do something rather that whinging on journal.ie are saying vote yes. I will listen to them instead of you if thats ok..

      Reply
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    • Norman Hunter 11/05/12 #

      Declan the problem is the treaty is begining to look like a farce in its present form.Wether you vote yes or no is irrelevent.We need to know what we are being asked to vote on is the final treaty not a work in progress.I was leaning towards a No but waiting to be swayed by the yes side.But with the uncertainty coming from France and now Germany there is no way i can do anything other vote No.We are being asked to vote Yes on a treaty when we don’t even know its final detail.

      Reply
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    • Dermot Mc Loughlin 11/05/12 #

      Booo, my comment seems to have disappeared into internet purgatory but i shall endeavour to rewrite it again..

      Declan, I’m not one for conspiracy but i recall my late grandmother once saying to me – “never trust a blueshirt”.. and who’s this IDA you speak off?
      Is it the same IDA who have consistently overlooked my home county and indeed my region?
      Well sir, anything they say holds no sway here and i couldn’t be more cynical about their statements if they were a government body who are responsible to the minister for jobs who is pushing for a yes vote who himself is answerable to a government who are pushing…nay……bullying for a yes vote….no wait, they are aren’t they…they are indeed a government body answerable to a minister of the government who are trying to bully a yes vote….wow.

      Anyway Declan, thanks for taking the time out to respond to my post, you go ahead and listen to whoever you want, vote yes if they tell you to..me on the other hand, well I’ll still be voting NO partly because I will not be party of this full secession of sovereignty to a German dominated Europe who according to the aforementioned minister of jobs on radio today that he hopes they will allow the rest of us indulge in some growth policies whilst in the financial straitjacket they have designed for us if that’s ok
      Hopes?….allows?…..deary me, so much for being at the heart of Europe, a bigger voice, preventing a 2 tier EU..etc etc (I’m sure you know the rest of the Lisbon lies)

      Reply
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    • sick shinner 11/05/12 #

      As citizen it is my right to have an opinion. I am not making personal remarks about private individuals only those who want to lead us. I would be happy to use my own facebook account rather than twitter but would rather like to avoid any unpleasant incidents as i have a family and Sinn Fein has only recently retired its violent wing.

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    • Norman Hunter 11/05/12 #

      sick shinner did you get that out of the same excuse book as Enda?

      Reply
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  • Niamh Byrne 11/05/12 #

    It is foolish to push ahead with this now. This thing in the water. Would have made more sense to have the referendum in sept…hate to say this enda but I TOLD YOU SO!!

    Reply
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    • Kerry Blake 11/05/12 #

      I’m beginning to think the big reason that Enda and co want the treaty held now is that come the end of the summer we will be looking at an emergency budget. Kenny knows that what ever the chances of the treaty passing this month if there is an emergency budget before the treaty vote the treaty would have no chance of being passed.

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  • Deirdre Clinch 11/05/12 #

    Enda, think “Titanic” your the sleevin putting the necklace (household tax) in your pocket, Ireland is the beautiful Kate W, Gerry A is the brave Jack who will stay with us while the ship is going down thanks to you. Remember how it all ends Enda so take a breath do a CJH or a Bertie and save yourself…

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  • Lynn Mcdonald Byrne 11/05/12 #

    @Susie THIS among other things is what im talkin about! I will absolutely be voting NO regardless of its ratification however i am still concerned about de “followers” who will vote yes because they’ve been told to! And much and all as the government have said they won’t re-run this referendum no matter de outcome that remains to be seen!

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  • Deirdre Clinch 11/05/12 #

    Declan, I don’t support any 1 Political Party. However I do respect different qualities of different parties. I’m not a child I don’t need Enda telling me to hand over more tax cash while he’s passing it on to the banks and the people who have never worked a day in their lives to support this country. Meanwhile he uses the “We the Goverment will decide when the people need to know the details” No Enda we the people put you there and we the people demand to know what is happening in Our country. He is a coward, if he was truly committed to the people he would face VB, but Enda can’t answer a direct question. Whenever he responds to GA he never fails to mention the past troubles, get over it Enda, move over and let us have a brave leader not a corporate sponsored puppet.

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  • SeanNorris 11/05/12 #

    The referendum should not be put off, I for one want exercise my right to vote on it. putting it off denies me that right.

    Reply
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    • Sean Norris 11/05/12 #

      Suzie, I doubt that I will be voting the way you want me to vote nor that you would be voting the way I would like you vote but its important that we are allowed to vote regardless because we don’t get too many opportunities to do so!

      Reply
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    • Susie Chester 11/05/12 #

      Sean Norris
      This is a false twitter account using my name . I will be voting No . I have reported this fraudster to the journal several times and still the posts keep coming. Some are even vulgar .
      Journal . Please do something about this .

      Reply
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    • Sean Norris 11/05/12 #

      Susie, I had a fair idea what way you were going to vote anyway and I think most regular users here know what my views are on it so I think whoever it was trying to start a row was n’t going to suceed this time anyway. Honestly I did n’t realise that they were an imposter althought I should have guessed from the picture they were using but it was early in the day and I thought the use of the picture was an Ironic one…..

      Reply
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  • B7584 11/05/12 #

    Oh hes an egg alright.

    Reply
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  • Tom Sullivan 11/05/12 #

    Anyone else had enough of Inda’s toadying to his EU/IMF/ECB masters?

    Reply
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  • Lynn Mcdonald Byrne 11/05/12 #

    sure they’ll be able to justify re-running it because lets face it, nobody knows de details! i reckon this is an angle that means if they get a yes vote they’ll leave it alone and if its a no…

    Reply
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  • B7584 11/05/12 #

    Declan Cotters account is a fake too. It has been all along.

    Reply
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  • Declan Cotter 11/05/12 #

    What will all you guys and girls do if the people of Ireland vote YES??? Not saying its a definate but it certainly the money is on this referendum being passed…. What will you all whinge about then???
    By the way, I listened to the head of the IDA this morning on Newtalk and he said that a no vote will certainly effect foreign direct investment in Ireland…
    I am beginning to think that a lot of you want more pain and hardship for Ireland so you can further your own political agenda’s..

    Reply
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    • Anel Cceram 11/05/12 #

      Who pays him? Oh yeah wake up wake up it’s all spin

      Reply
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    • rodrigo detriano 11/05/12 #

      You’re easily conned Declan! Why wouldn’t the IDA say this? They’re looking for all the excuses they can! Isn’t it time this country started thinking for itself? We’ve been too dependent on foreign companies for years! Where’s it got us? 450,000 unemployed! What was the point of becoming an independent republic if we can only survive by bribing foreign companies to build factories here? How much real money goes towards creating those so-called new jobs? I guarantee if we knew what the real price was, our attitudes would change very quickly! Vote no for an Independent Ireland!

      Reply
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    • Norman Hunter 11/05/12 #

      Declan 10days ago the polls put the yes side ahead,do you really think that is still the case after everything that has happened.Enda needs to swallow what little pride he has left and call off the vote till everything becomes clearer.

      Reply
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    • Dermot Mc Loughlin 11/05/12 #

      The IDA?…I’m sure the people in Cavan, Monagahan and Donegal will take heed of what they say seeing as they have been fervent supporters of securing investment in the border region…great record they have there the past 30 years…

      Reply
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    • Declan Cotter 11/05/12 #

      I actually think the Yes side will be more ahead believe it or not. I cant see this treaty being rejected. Please dont question the head of the IDA. They have been a shining light in this country…I take this mans words very seriously…

      Reply
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    • sick shinner 11/05/12 #

      I agree with Declan it suits certain parties to have more austerity and cuts, although I hope the Irish people will see through it and blame them for their lousy advice. Vote no for more austerity and cuts!

      Reply
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    • Declan Cotter 11/05/12 #

      Rodrigo, Of the 450k unemployed, 230k come directly from construction. The IDA have done a fantastic job in bring huge employment to all parts of Ireland. There is no politics behind his comments.

      Reply
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