Quotes of the Day

Reaction to the Irish electorate's rejection of The Lisbon Treaty.

Reaction to the Irish electorate's rejection of The Lisbon Treaty.

"A crisis for Ireland above all and a crisis for Europe." - Garret FitzGerald, former Taoiseach.

"We are going to reflect on this. We are going to analyse the underlying reasons why people not just voted No but the underlying attitudes to the European Union itself because I would accept that there appears to be a certain disconnect between European institutions and its people." - Micheal Martin, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

"What a day to get it wrong." - Paddy Power, bookmaker, after prematurely paying out €80,000 to punters who backed a Yes vote, the night before the Friday 13th count.

READ MORE

"The European Council meets next week – and that is the place where joint decisions should be taken on issues that concern us all. The “no” vote in Ireland has not solved the problems which the Lisbon Treaty is designed to solve. The ratification process is made up of 27 national processes, 18 Member States have already approved the Treaty, and the European Commission believes that the remaining ratifications should continue to take their course."

"At European Council, we will want to confer with each other to hear Prime Minister (Brian) Cowen's analysis as well as his ideas on how to address the concerns expressed by those who chose to vote No." - Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.

"This is a very clear and loud voice that has been sent yet again by citizens of Europe rejecting the anti-democratic nature of Brussels governance that has to change." - Declan Ganley, chairman of pressure group Libertas, who spearheaded the No campaign.

"Yes we will." - Declan Ganley, asked if he would publish accounts showing where his campaign budget came from and where it was spent.

"It's a very sad day for the country and for Europe" - Brian Lenihan, Minister for Finance.

"They have struck a blow for freedom throughout Europe. Truly, today, we are all Irish." - Daniel Hannan, British Conservative MEP, on Irish voters.

"It would be tantamount to electoral suicide for Gordon Brown to ignore the Irish result and try and force through the Lisbon Treaty regardless - as the British Government has already said it would. The argument for a referendum in Britain is now overwhelming." - Neil O'Brien, of Open Europe, a think tank which opposes the treaty.

"I think we fought an intelligent, clued in, informed campaign and now let's move to the next stage to get a better treaty." - Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Féin, the only Dail party to oppose the treaty.

"I thought it was lacklustre, defensive, uncertain, lacking in confidence, lacking in conviction. I blame the entire political class in Ireland who have frankly coasted lazily on the assumption that if the economic goods are produced the people will simply do what they are recommended to do and vote accordingly." - John Palmer, of Brussels think-tank the European Policy Centre, on the referendum's Yes campaign.