IMPLICATIONS OF NO VOTE:THE IMPLICATIONS for Ireland of a No result in the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty very much depended on the margin and on the reasons for its rejection, a press conference in Dublin heard yesterday.
Jens-Peter Bonde, a veteran Danish MEP who retired a fortnight ago, said a slim No vote could be addressed in a relatively straightforward fashion.
However, he said a decisive No vote would result in a situation where the treaty would have to be renegotiated by all 27 states, especially if there were no specific reasons that could be identified for rejection.
"If there is a little Irish No [ rejection by a slim margin] there could be a debate on foreign direct investment, corporation tax and abortion. They could easily write four or five protocols for Ireland [ without revisiting the main text of the treaty]. That would be the dream scenario.
"If there is a big No or it's not connected to a specific Irish problem that can be dealt with by a specific Irish protocol, then there are difficulties."
Mr Bonde said there was a "tough school" of thought who would argue that others should proceed without Ireland. But he argued that legally that was not possible, and politically there was no way of getting 26 member states to marginalise Ireland.
Mr Bonde, a critic of the treaty and author of The Lisbon Treaty - The Readable Version, said if that happened he hoped each of the 27 states would have its own commissioner.
The press conference, held at the European Parliament office in Dublin, was also attended by lawyer Peadar Ó Broin of the Irish Institute of European Affairs, the author of the Consolidated Version of the Treaties, copies of which have been placed by the Government in every public library.
On the question of whether Ireland would retain its neutrality, Mr Ó Broin said the the State would retain its triple lock (a mandate by the UN, both Oireachtas and Government approval). He also pointed out that on security and defence, everything had to be done by unanimity. Ireland had a veto to withdraw from participation.
On the protocol on abortion appended to the Maastricht Treaty, he said the constitutional protection for the unborn was superior to any international legal document.
Jens-Peter Bonde'sThe Lisbon Treaty - The Readable Version is online at www.bonde.eu