GERMAN REACTION:THE GERMAN government promised to give its Irish counterpart time to recover from yesterday's Lisbon Treaty vote, but warned that it sees little alternative to a second referendum.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen spoke by telephone with Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday afternoon, as the shock in Berlin gave way to grim pragmatism. "We would have wished for another solution but as good Europeans we have to take the situation as it is," said Dr Merkel. "We have to find a way out of this and, at the same time, respect the vote of the Irish."
Dr Merkel and senior figures within her Christian Democrats (CDU) worked quickly at damage limitation, saying that ratification should keep rolling. "Merkel is also anxious to prevent people pointing the finger at Ireland," said a senior government official. "It is a European task now to drive on the reform process with one voice and putting Ireland at a distance would not be helpful . . . It's time for close co-operation."
But, after helping seal the compromise treaty deal during the German presidency last year, Dr Merkel believes there is little room to manoeuvre on the treaty.
"Ratification will continue and either Ireland votes again or we try to come up with a new text, something on which 27 countries will simply not be able to agree," said a senior government source.
Dr Merkel will be talking to senior figures within her party this weekend to head off any discussion of a two-speed EU of "core and periphery", first mentioned in the 1990s by her predecessor as CDU leader, Wolfgang Schäuble, now interior minister.
Dr Merkel's coalition partners the Social Democrats (SPD) did not mince their words about the Irish vote. SPD foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called it a "severe setback" while a party colleague called it a "catastrophe".
"With all respect for the Irish vote, we cannot allow the huge majority of Europe to be duped by a minority of a minority of a minority," said Axel Schäfer, SPD leader in the Bundestag committee on EU affairs.
He urged the EU to continue with ratification, favouring what he called a "Harold Wilson" solution for Ireland: calling another referendum and putting Ireland's EU membership on the line.
"We think it is a real cheek that the country that has benefited most from the EU should do this. There is no other Europe than this treaty."
Germany's smaller parties reacted with shock to the result, except for the newly formed Left Party, which expressed its "admiration" for Irish voters.
"The No from Ireland is a clear order to the EU governments to stop the ratification and renegotiate," said Deither Dehm, the Left's spokesman on EU affairs.
Behind the scenes, his advisers expressed serious concern at plans to continue with ratification.
The Bertelsmann Foundation called for a declaration soothing "irrational fears" and Euroscepticism of Irish voters holding a second referendum. "It has a slight aftertaste, patronising the Irish into saying Yes, but it is the only realistic solution," said Dominik Hierlemann, the foundation's EU expert.
"Renegotiating the treaty isn't an option because it isn't clear what there is to be renegotiated."