Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Vote YES! Vote NO!!

There are signs all over the city that basically say one or the other. What the vote is all about is something called the Lisbon Treaty. Apparently it is a 500 page treaty that was signed in Lisbon (surprise, surprise) on December 13, 2007.

I am no expert on this thing and I'm sure I know less than the average Irish citizen, but it's complicated in that they aren't giving a lot of information. They do provide the link to read the entire treaty, but even a lawyer would get bogged down in all of that legal mumbo jumbo. You'd be asleep by the end of page 2. They are also providing small brochures in the mail to attempt at a layman's explanation, but it still doesn't make a ton of sense. My personal opinion on the reason why is that they are asking for a yes vote and no one really knows what the yes vote will bring. But they know what the no vote will bring - status quo. A quote I like to use in many situations - it's easier to "stay with the devil you know."

It seems that the treaty will attempt to further reform voting procedures. The "yes voters" say it will make a stronger European Union. I would think that most people who vote no will do so because there isn't enough information as to why it's a good idea to vote yes. There's a ton of reading to do out there, I'm sure, so I'll update once I have more time to learn about it myself. In the meantime, I've included a few informational links.

Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisbon_treaty

10 reasons to vote YES: http://www.ibeclisbon.ie/

Sinn Féin says vote NO: http://www.no2lisbon.ie/

3 comments:

Karen said...

Fun! I'm still enjoying all of your posts. I got through about two sentences on the wikipedia link, but when scrolling down to see the graphics (not that those helped much) I see that all the other countries seem to be voting yes. Nothing like going along with peer pressure, right?! All I know is the Euro is way better off than the dollar right now so the EU must be doing something right. Good luck!!

joemandyolivia said...

Nik,its great to see that you are having an adventure of a lifetime. You can email back at my work email joe.durand@covidien.com or through Mandy's mandyd06@cox.net. Used my private email to set up an account on google but I don't check it often so don't email there. We love reading about Nikki's Big Dublin Adventure and look forward to more silly stories. Be safe!

joemandyolivia said...

Also, I solved your dryer/water collection device issue. If you can find a big tupperware bowl or large container of some sort dump the water from the dryer into it. Hopefully the one you choose will be able to hold at least 6-9dryer runs. This will elleviate the hassle of emptying every third run and the possibility of spilling water. B/c we know that from your first day on the job, you and water don't get along to well.