Irish Ambassador: America Wants Ireland to Submit to Brussels

From the desk of The Brussels Journal on Thu, 2008-07-17 13:01

A quote from John Bruton, the Irish EU Ambassador to Washington, in The Irish Times, 17 July 2008

Americans I have met on both sides of the political aisle and in business and academic life are all baffled by the decision that the Irish electorate took to reject the Lisbon Treaty, which was signed by the Irish Government on their behalf. […] The entire mainstream of political, strategic and economic thinking - both in the Republican Party and in the Democratic Party - is strongly favourable to a strong European Union. It's only on the extreme fringes of one of the parties - and very much on the fringe - that one would find any other opinion.

Americans I meet who would be very conservative, or very liberal, all are agreed that the European Union is a good thing and that it's important for the stability of the United States and the stability of the world.

So it would be a great mistake for people to think that any difficulty for the European Union is liable to be welcomed in the United States.

  

A quote from Diana West at her blog, 17 July 2008

From John Bruton, who is supposed to be EU ambassador to the US - but has any one of us he’s speaking for ever met the guy?

On the contrary, Mr. Bruton

Submitted by Thalpy on Sat, 2008-07-19 02:01.

On the contrary, Mr. Bruton. I think you would find legions of American citizens who not only recognize your undemocratic, anti-democratic European Union for what it is, but understand that the micro-management of people is not what Americans believe to be the best form of government for anyone. Elites throughout history have always believed that they know what is best for the people. Why is it that after they come to power we have to visit museums or study history to analyze the results of their failed efforts?

The European Union and the United Nations should be dismantled and a Legion of Democracies formed to take their place. Without the consent of the governed, you may just as well have a dictatorship, and you do. You don't call it that, but that doesn't make it less so.

International Organization

Submitted by Eddy Burke on Thu, 2008-07-17 17:18.

People forget too often that the European Union is an "international organization" or "institution", like the UN, World Bank, UNICEF, IMF et cetera. 

One always talks about the EU as a "country", or a "Federation" like the USA or Switzerland, but that is incorrect.  It is nothing more but an International Institution.  

Like any other International Organization, it is run by bureaucrats, and it is only intend on expanding its powers and functions and roles and benefits.

If adversaries of the EU would use this comparison with other International Organizations more often when speaking about the EU, they might be more successful in (i) explaining more clearly what the problem is with the EU, and (ii) finding sympathy and understanding across the Atlantic.

Ed

EU=UN?

Submitted by Armor on Thu, 2008-07-17 21:52.

EB said: "Like any other International Organization, it is run by bureaucrats"

Our Western countries are run by bureaucrats too. More exactly, they are run by an alliance of politicians and bureaucrats under the influence of the media. In the past, some western governments did a good job of preserving the interests of their people, but it is rarely the case today. Likewise, an international institution can do a good job or not. I think the arguments in favor of building a European union are obvious. Unfortunately, the EU institution is now dominated by anti-European forces.

IF the good ambassador asked

Submitted by pet85022 on Thu, 2008-07-17 17:09.

IF the good ambassador asked any American on the street of almost any Texas town what they thought of the North American Union (North Americas equivalent to the EU) I am quite sure he would be told to take the NAU and the EU and shove them up his (where the sun don't shine). Instead he asked the political parties which are no different on either side of the "pond", POWER to the party and screw the common man all he does is stupidly vote for us time and time again.

Obviously

Submitted by Poker Player on Thu, 2008-07-17 17:00.

he has been with a bunch of Hussein supporters.

Hang tough Irishmen. Hang tough!

The Ambassador is forwarding the EU agenda

Submitted by BollekeBoy on Thu, 2008-07-17 16:58.

The Ambassador's statements don't pass the 'smell test' if you read the entire article. He strikes me as a Europhile who is trying to scare his countrymen into making the opposite choice when they vote again on the Lisbon Treaty, which I am sure they will have to do. His argument goes something along the lines of, "If you foolish citizens don't vote to surrender your sovereignty to Brussels the Irish economy will suffer because the Americans won't want to invest in Ireland."
It is all bunk. I'd wager that the vast majority of Americans have no feelings about the Irish referendum one way or the other because they don't really know anything about it. Any true conservative who knows even a little bit about the EU would applaud the Irish 'no' vote. The leftists are a different story. They think of themselves as citizens of the world, and would probably love the EU. Giant bureaucracies that impede on individual human liberties are their cup of tea, after all.
God bless the Irish for voting no.